Beauty
\r\n Al-Araf (The Heights) - Chapter 7: Verse 180 (partial)
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\"The most beautiful names belong to Allah: so call on Him by them."
The overly restrictive view many Islamic religious scholars and others are inclined to take of music, art, and entertainment needs to be moderated as it is not only unrealistic but also not quite in line with Islam's vision of itself as a comprehensive religion. For Islam pays attention to all aspects of human existence: physical, spiritual, intellectual, and emotional, and seeks ways and means to fulfill them within the limits of moderation. If physical exercise and movement stimulate the body, if worship nourishes the soul, and knowledge nourishes the intellect, then music, art, and entertainment nourish and moderate emotions. Art and music that elevate but not degrade the spirit bring beauty, which is an important part of Islam. This is because Jameel (beautiful) is one of the Most Beautiful Names (al-asma al-husna) of God—He loves beauty and desires it so that everyone tries to bring it out in oneself and one's outside environment and living conditions.
\r\nFor beginners, much of the Quran appears to be a catalog of different divine names, which they simply tend to overlook. Yet these are a central theme of Islamic theology and spirituality. Indeed, the very goal of human existence is portrayed in the Quran, in repeated accounts of Adam's creation and his inspired “knowledge of the names,” as the gradual discovery and manifestation of the full range of attributes expressed in the divine names. The school of earthly existence, with its constant presentation of spiritual and ethical choices, culminates in the active realization of what the Quran terms “the Most Beautiful Names”.
\r\nMuslim theologians have divided the ninety-nine Names of God into the three categories of Jalal, Kamal, and Jamal (majesty, perfection, and beauty), but it is significant that God Most High has Himself chosen beauty above them all, hence the collective Quranic reference to all of them by the word al-husna (most beautiful). If art is all about beauty and positively contributes to emotional health, then that is what Islam also desires in its followers. Islam's view of beauty, rhythm, and psychologically penetrating language is an integral part of what is known as imitability (ijaz) of the Quran. Quran psalmody (tilawah) in musical rhythm and incantation in human voice by renowned Quran readers, and the rhythmical call to prayer (adhan), penetrate the senses and help establish a closer identity with the Quranic language and message. The modes of chanting the Quran tend to express different rhythmic motions of the spirit.
\r\nIslam promotes beauty—and art manifests it in ways that words often fall short of doing. God is the source of beauty, which is why the highest art in Islam, as in Christianity, is related to the Word of God. The writing of the Word of God, that is, calligraphy, and the chanting of it, that is Quranic psalmody, stand at the top of the hierarchy of arts in Islam.
\r\nCompiled From:
\r\n \"The Middle Path of Moderation in Islam: The Qur'anic Principle of Wasatiyyah\" - Hashim Kamali, pp. 181, 182