One Followed by an Eternity of Zeros (Islamic Renaissance Series)
Book Details
Author(s)Ali Shariati
PublisherKazi Publishing, Inc.
ISBN / ASINB008VVBPN6
ISBN-13978B008VVBPN4
Sales Rank2,276,845
MarketplaceUnited States 🇺🇸
Description
‘Am I not (alast) your Lord,’ (asked God, and) replied they, ‘Yea! We do bear witness.’ (7:174). This formed the initial covenant (ahd) of man with God. Through it, man inherited the heavens and the earth and in return for God’s promise of a Saviour and a Final Day, man assumed a responsibility to care for that which was entrusted to humanity.
The human being who recalls the acceptance of the covenant, who assumes the responsibility, one ‘who has made the promise’ is known as one who is ‘committed’, ‘engaged’ (mutahid). In the view of Dr. Ali Shariati, this is the real artist for he or she is committed to the promise given that day and creates in anticipation of God’s promise.
His point of view serves as an awakening to those who have not comprehended all of the criteria of art, to those who are not aware of the relationship between art and society and to those who think that society is beyond the realm of assistance by an artist. In this school of thought, the artist is bound to the promise and serves as a vehicle for its expression for it is through this expression that humanity continues to remember and recall.
It is only artists, in his view, who, like the prophets of old, takes the sins of others upon themselves because a ‘real artist’ is attentive, engaged in social action and responsible. Their very attentiveness weighs down the sorrow they bear and builds artists into the form of messengers who, as prophecy was sealed with Muhammad, must remain unfulfilled.
At the same time that they themselves remain unfulfilled, their art continues to be expressed and to ennoble for one of the major roles that art plays is to ennoble matter. The ‘matter’ of Shariati is humanity, people, the masses. With this in view, the real art of any society is faith and struggle upon this way. Anything less than this is to forget the covenant.
Islam is centered on Unity and is expressed in art through what has been called ‘unity in multiplicity’, ‘multiplicity in unity’. Can one find a more appropriate symbol of multiplicity than humanity itself, created in the image of the One God, struggling and full of faith as it recalls the covenant by which it bound itself to God?’
The human being who recalls the acceptance of the covenant, who assumes the responsibility, one ‘who has made the promise’ is known as one who is ‘committed’, ‘engaged’ (mutahid). In the view of Dr. Ali Shariati, this is the real artist for he or she is committed to the promise given that day and creates in anticipation of God’s promise.
His point of view serves as an awakening to those who have not comprehended all of the criteria of art, to those who are not aware of the relationship between art and society and to those who think that society is beyond the realm of assistance by an artist. In this school of thought, the artist is bound to the promise and serves as a vehicle for its expression for it is through this expression that humanity continues to remember and recall.
It is only artists, in his view, who, like the prophets of old, takes the sins of others upon themselves because a ‘real artist’ is attentive, engaged in social action and responsible. Their very attentiveness weighs down the sorrow they bear and builds artists into the form of messengers who, as prophecy was sealed with Muhammad, must remain unfulfilled.
At the same time that they themselves remain unfulfilled, their art continues to be expressed and to ennoble for one of the major roles that art plays is to ennoble matter. The ‘matter’ of Shariati is humanity, people, the masses. With this in view, the real art of any society is faith and struggle upon this way. Anything less than this is to forget the covenant.
Islam is centered on Unity and is expressed in art through what has been called ‘unity in multiplicity’, ‘multiplicity in unity’. Can one find a more appropriate symbol of multiplicity than humanity itself, created in the image of the One God, struggling and full of faith as it recalls the covenant by which it bound itself to God?’
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