Page 828 - Proceedings Collega2023

Introduction

Art provides humans with a platform for expressing themselves, contemplating ideas, using
language, and showcasing beauty, truth, and perfection. However, it is essential to acknowledge that the
highest forms of beauty and truth reside in Allah S.W.T. and His creations. Nothing surpasses the beauty,
truth, and perfection that emanate from Allah and all that He has brought into existence. According to the
Hadith (Muslim, ibn Majah, and Ahmad), “Allah is beautiful, and He loves beauty” (Allahu jamilun yuhibbu
‘I-Jamal). Parallel to it, in the sphere of Islamic philosophy, Ibn Sina and Ibn Rushdie argue that the notion
of beauty goes beyond mere sensory perception (Abou El Fadl, 2003). Notably, there is a lack of dedicated
and independent research on the idea of the “taste of beauty” within Western aesthetic tradition.
Consequently, the import of beauty is not confined to a discrete validation of our perceptions of visible
reality but seamlessly integrates into our comprehensive understanding of reality. This type of knowledge
leads to an elevated appreciation and reverence for the multifaceted evidence regarding the origin of
perfection and beauty attributed to the Creator (Zealani, R. 2011).

In a manifest aesthetic context, “Mujarad” is an Arabic term employed to conceptually represent
reality on a spectrum, with the goal of achieving the highest possible resemblance to the actual world.
Within the realm of artistic expression, particularly when illustrating the concept of "Tawhid," signifying
the fundamental belief in the unity between an individual and Allah in Islamic faith, Islamic aesthetics tend
to prioritise the use of figurative or representational images over abstract forms due to their inherently
mathematical nature (Hashi, 2013). At the same time, art from the Muslim world was created by adding a
new linguistic framework and a reorganised semantic system to an existing visual base. The evolution of
this concept in Muslim societies may be viewed as a synthesis of their own experiences and knowledge,
marked by internal adaptations, rather than the emergence of a wholly original concept. Throughout
history, the enduring mutually advantageous relationship between the Muslim world and its antecedent
and subsequent cultures has persisted. The cultivation of a synergistic relationship between reason and
intellect has the potential to generate a comprehensive framework that propels humanity to the utmost
achievable level of "knowledge." Muslims acquire knowledge through the appreciation and production of
Islamic art, whether through active participation in its creation or passive veneration of its aesthetic
merits. Hasan A.R. (2016) emphasises the significance of the paucity of written works and published
materials regarding the evolution and participation of Islamic art in Malaysia. The study of Islamic art and
its implementation on the Malay Peninsula, particularly in the realms of documentation and academic
inquiry, is still in its infancy (Zaini M.D.H., 2001). This discipline is still in its early stages of formation. Even
when examining the works of Muslim artists, art historians have a propensity to employ Western research
methods and neglect the incorporation of Islamic perspectives. From the perspective of Zaini M.D.H.
(2001), the examination and assimilation of Islamic art within the Malay cultural context went through a
period of paucity, which was then followed by the introduction of Western art knowledge.

This discourse understands the lack of depictions of living beings in the Islamic tradition not only
as a sign of Muslims' restricted involvement with tangible matters but also as a cultural taboo. This debate
frequently poses the question, "What defines beauty in Islamic philosophies?", thereby distinguishing
Islamic aesthetics from Western perspectives that perceive beauty as a separate characteristic. Islamic art,
as seen by Kukkonen (2011) since its inception, has demonstrated a discerning methodology that
prioritises certain subjects and forms above others. The artists themselves engaged in a purposeful
selection process, which resulted in their commitment to the recently established ethical and aesthetic

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