ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE
BY: LUQMAN MOHAMAD ROSLI
SUMMARY


MUHAMMAD S.A.W is the last prophet in Islam. He, at first spreading Islam only supported by his family and nearest friends at Mecca, the Hijrah to Madina. - The Rightly guided Caliphs then take the lead after the death of the holy prophet. The caliphs were Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, Umar al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan and Ali Abu Talib - Umayyad (Bani Umayyah) lead by Muawiyah bin Abu Sufian after the islamic crisis between him and Ali Abu Talib. At this state, the practice of Syura then changes to family system. – Abbasids (Khalifah Abbasiah) then take the lead. The intelligence of Umar abdul Aziz has further the spread of Islam.
Ottoman Empire (khalifah Uthmaniah) is a period where Islam reaches the highest civilization ever created by human being. At this period also, is the fallen of this great religious caused by secularisms and liberalisms.

Culture

It is hard to define Islamic culture since its spread all over the world. So, it has so many different cultures depend on the country. For overall, the Islamic cultures are influences by the Islam religion and obey it. For example, the clothing in Islam was not similar in the outside, but it similar in the inside (close aurat). If we specify the Islamic clothing only in Arabic, we can say that they like to wear jubah and the muslimah wear purdah.
Marriage in Islam is considered to be of the utmost importance. The final prophet of Islam, Muhammad, stated that "marriage is half of religion"; there are numerous hadiths lauding the importance of marriage and family.
In Islam, marriage is a legal bond and social contract between a man and a woman as prompted by the Shari'a.
In Islam, there are also many festivals for example, the eid-alfitri, eid-aladhha, as- syura and marhaban. Again, all the festival must be celebrated guide by the Syariah.

Language

Again, it is hard to identify the languages used by the Muslim. But the most holy language is the Arabic, followed by others such as Persian and south Asian.
Music
Islamic music is Muslim religious music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions. The classic heartland of Islam is Arabia and the Middle East, North Africa and Egypt, Iran, Central Asia, and northern India and Pakistan. Because Islam is a multicultural religion, the musical expression of its adherents is diverse. These are some of the music can be heard during the Islamic period:
• Arab classical music
• Religious music in Iran
• North Indian classical music.
The Seljuk Turks, a nomadic tribe that converted to Islam, conquered Anatolia (now Turkey), and held the Caliphate as the Ottoman Empire, also had a strong influence on Islamic music. Traditional instruments in Turkish classical music include tanbur long-necked plucked lute, ney end-blown flute, kemençe bowed fiddle, oud plucked short-necked unfretted lute, kanun plucked zither, violin, and in Mevlevi music, kudüm drum.

Martial art

In Islam, we are asking to defend ourselves. So, during the Islam Era, there are three main martial art commonly learn by the Muslim which is the Chinese martial arts, silat and pahlavani.

Art

Islamic art, a part of the Islamic studies, has throughout history been mainly abstract and decorative, portraying geometric, floral, Arabesque, and calligraphic designs. Unlike the strong tradition of portraying the human figure in Christian art, Islamic art does not include depictions of living things, including human beings. The lack of portraiture is due to the fact that early Islam forbade the painting of human beings, including Muhammad, as Muslims believe this tempts them to engage in idolatry. This prohibition against human beings or icons is called aniconism. Over the past two centuries, especially given increased contact with Western civilization, this prohibition has relaxed to the point where only the most orthodox Muslims strongly oppose portraiture.
Islamic art is centered usually around Allah, and since Allah cannot be represented by imagery ["All you believe him to be, he is not"], geometric patterns are used. The patterns are similar to the Arabesque style, which also involves repeating geometric designs, but is not necessarily used to express ideals of order and nature.
In calligraphy also forbidden to paint living things and taught to revere the Qur'an, Islamic artists developed Arabic calligraphy into an art form. Calligraphers have long drawn from the Qur'an or proverbs as art, using the flowing Arabic language to express the beauty they perceive in the verses of Qur'an.

Architecture

Elements of Islamic style
Islamic architecture may be identified with the following design elements, which were inherited from the first mosque built by Muhammad in Medina, as well as from other pre-Islamic features adapted from churches and synagogues.
• Large courtyards often merged with a central prayer hall (originally a feature of the Masjid al-Nabawi).
• Minarets or towers (which were originally used as torch-lit watchtowers for example in the Great Mosque of Damascus; hence the derivation of the word from the Arabic nur, meaning "light").
• a mihrab or niche on an inside wall indicating the direction to Mecca. This may have been derived from previous uses of niches for the setting of the torah scrolls in Jewish synagogues or the haikal of Coptic churches.
• Domes (the earliest Islamic use of which was in the eighth century mosque of Medina).
• Use of iwans to intermediate between different sections.
• Use of geometric shapes and repetitive art (arabesque).
• Use of decorative Arabic calligraphy.
• Use of symmetry.
• Ablution fountains.
• Use of bright color.
• Focus on the interior space of a building rather than the exterior.
Common interpretations of Islamic architecture include the following:
• The concept of Allah's infinite power is evoked by designs with repeating themes which suggest infinity.
• Human and animal forms are rarely depicted in decorative art as Allah's work is matchless. Foliage is a frequent motif but typically stylized or simplified for the same reason.
• Calligraphy is used to enhance the interior of a building by providing quotations from the Qur'an.
• Islamic architecture has been called the "architecture of the veil" because the beauty lies in the inner spaces (courtyards and rooms) which are not visible from the outside (street view).
• Use of impressive forms such as large domes, towering minarets, and large courtyards are intended to convey power

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