islamic culture and civilization

Culture

A culture has been defined as :

“The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs and institutions and other products of human work and thought characteristic of a human work and thought characteristic of a community or a population. It is the set of shared beliefs, attitudes, values and behavioral patterns of a group.”

While religion on the other hand is;

“The expression of man’s belief in and reverence for God or God’s who created the universe and govern it”

Language and literature

• Arabic

The Arabic word used for literature is "Adab", which is derived from a meaning of etiquette, and which implies politeness, culture and enrichment.

Arabic literature emerged in the 5th century with only fragments of the written language appearing before then.

Arabic literature flourished during the Islamic Golden Age, but has remained vibrant to the present day, with poets and prose-writers across the Arab world, as well as rest of the world, achieving increasing success.

Characteristics Of Islamic Culture:

• Persian

Persian literature, however, comes from the times following the Arab conquest of Persia 650 CE.

After the Abbasids came to power (750 CE), the Iranians became the scribes and bureaucrats of the Arab empire and, increasingly, also its writers and poets.

Persian poets such as Ferdowsi, Sa'di, Hafiz, Attar, Nezami, Rumi and Omar Khayyam are also known in the West and have influenced the literature of many countries.

Art and Architecture

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is a historic mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Blue Mosque

Etiquette and Diet

Many practices fall in the category of adab, or Islamic etiquette.

This includes greeting others with "as-salamu 'alaykum" ("peace be unto you"), saying bismillah ("in the name of God") before meals, and using only the right hand for eating and drinking. Islamic hygienic practices mainly fall into the category of personal cleanliness and health.

Circumcision of male offspring is also practiced in Islam. Islamic burial rituals include saying the Salat al-Janazah ("funeral prayer") over the bathed and enshrouded dead body, and burying it in a grave.

Characteristics

Art and Architecture Art is an important part of Muslim culture. The abstract, decorative and floral designs are unique to Islamic art and architecture.

Islamic architecture is common in the following features:

• Large courtyards

• Central prayer halls

• Minarets

• A wall niche indicating the direction to Mecca

• Domes

• Repetitive art forms

• Arabic calligraphy

• Fountains

• Bright color

Courtyard of Mustansiriya Medical College (in Iraq) is an example of Abbasid Islamic architecture

• Muslims are restricted in their diet.
• Prohibited foods include pork products, blood, carrion, and alcohol.
• Food permissible for Muslims is known as halal food.

201 Dome Mosque.It is being built by the Heroic Freedom Fighter Mohammad Rafiqul Islam Welfare Trust. The estimated cost of construction is BDT 100 crore ($12.3 million).The mosque is expected to have a capacity

The Quran is considered to be the source of many aspects of Islamic culture. Certain acts or rituals that Muslims do almost subconsciously are actually encouraged, or allowed by Allah, or mandated, in the Quran.

• Language and literature

• Art and Architecture

• Music

• Muslim Festivals,Customs traditions and Marriage

• Etiquette and diet

Music

Islamic music is mostly played in public services. Devotional music is enjoyed by contemporary Muslims all over the world. The common music forms include Arab classical and North Indian classical music. The musical preferences of Muslim people have traversed the trade routes. The Sufis are credited with taking the music of the mystics far and wide.

Muslim Customs, Tradition and Marriage

Marriage, which serves as the foundation of a Muslim family according to Muslim culture, marriage is, in the words of Mohammed (PBUH) , 'half of religion'. The bonding of two souls in holy matrimony is looked upon as a legal bond and social contract.

It consists of an offer and acceptance between two qualified parties in the presence of two witnesses.

The groom is required to pay a bridal gift (mahr) to the bride, as stipulated in the contract.

Customs and Tradition, Islam propagates the five laws that are fundamental duties to unite Muslims in spirit. These are:

• Shahadah or the worship of one God only.

• Salah or prayer, at least five times a day.

• Zakat, or donation of alms.

• Sawm, or fasting during Ramadan.

• Haj, the pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca.

Festival, Festivals like Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha and Lailat al Miraj are classic examples of the influence of religion in the lives of Muslim people.

Civilization

Some of those who have written about the history of civilization define civilization as “a social system which helps man to increase his cultural output.”

Civilization

Basic Concept Of Islamic Civilization

Civilization consists of four main elements:

• Economical resources.

• Political systems.

• Moral traditions.

• Science and arts.

Characteristics of Islamic Civilization:

Characteristics

Like the human being, every civilization has a body and a soul. The body of a civilization is its material achievements in terms of buildings, industrial facilities, machinery and anything which reflects welfare and earthly advancement.

Its soul is the set of creeds and concepts which condition the behaviors of individuals and groups, their mutual relationships and their worldview.

Four main characteristics do distinguish the Islamic civilization from other past and present successive human civilizations and place it at an outstanding position:

1. The first characteristic is the fact that it is a civilization based on Islamic faith, the belief in the oneness of Allah Almighty, the Creator of men and all creatures

2. The second characteristic is that Islamic civilization is predicated on the idea that Man has precedence over the rest of Allah's creatures, that all human activities should lead to the happiness and welfare of Man and that any action intended to serve this goal is a God-blessed action, indeed a human action in the first place.

3.The third characteristic is its being a generous civilization the values of justice, equality, beauty and virtue. Its output benefited humanity at large, regardless of race, color or even religion.

4. The fourth characteristic is its being a well-balanced civilization which secures fair equilibrium between the materialistic and the spiritual sides with exemplary moderation that has always been a characteristic of Islamic thought and a distinctive feature of the Islamic civilization throughout its history.