“Titus Buckhardt wrote: 'It is the nature of art to rejoice the soul,
but not every art possesses a spiritual dimension'. We see
this spirituality in traditional Christian architecture
which incidentally was also inspired by a far more profound
symbolic awareness than could ever be imagined by those who
categorise such architecture as a question of mere style. This
spiritual dimension also infuses the intricate geometric and
arabesque patterns of Islamic art and architecture, which are
ultimately a manifestation of divine Unity, which in turn is the
central message of the Qur'an. The Prophet Mohammed himself is
believed to have said: 'God is beautiful and
He loves beauty'.
"Look also at urban planning. The great historian, Ibn
Khaldun, understood that the intimate relationship between city
life and spiritual tranquillity was an essential basis for
civilisation. Can we ever again return to such harmony in our cities?
As civilisations decay, so do the crafts, as Ibn Khaldun again
wrote.
"All these principles come down in the end to a battle for
preserving sacred values. It is a battle to restore an
understanding of the spiritual integrity of our lives, and
for reintegrating what the modern world has fragmented. Islamic
culture in its traditional form has striven to preserve this
integrated spiritual view of the world in a way we have not seen
fit to do in recent generations in the West. There is much we can
share with that Islamic world view in this respect, and much in
that world view which can help us to understand the shared and
timeless elements in our two faiths. In that common endeavour both
our modern societies, Islamic and Western, can learn afresh
the traditional views of life common to our religions, as well as
the sacred responsibilities we have for the care and stewardship
for the world around us."
Prince Charles, A Sense of the Sacred: Building Bridges Between Islam and the West© Copyright St James's Palace and the Press Association Ltd 1998.