طاهر امینی گلستانی

Violence and extremism are of the most important topics in current research on religion and interreligious studies. The New World Order and the global peace, justice and ethics, cannot be understood without accounting for the role of religion and religious organizations and among the topics dealing with religion is the matter of violence done by the excuse of religion’s orders. There is increasing research looking at and beyond religious causes of violence, as well as a hope that religion could offer genuinely effective tools to control violence. The question of control of violence is discussed in relation to the spheres of ethics (regulation of affect), theology (legitimacy of violence), and government (integration via religion). It is shown not only that religion offers possibilities for controlling violence, but also that control of violence via religion. This paper emphasizes on one of the important Islamic proofs narrated from Prophet Muhammad (S), called “The Promise of Muhammad to the Christians till the end of the World” and the impact of interreligious and intercultural role on peace and conflict resolution, as well as the role of global ethics. Sublime morality is also one point noted here as the resolution for war and conflict.

According to Islamic and Qur’anic basis, monotheism is the core of Islamic Art and the real art is the one that calls toward spirituality and remembering God in the life and condemns any form of artwork which hinders human being from religiosity and divinity, (Qur’an 31:6). Qur’an from one hand addresses the story of prophet Josef, as the masterpiece of Qur’anic narratives (12:3) but it condemns, from the other hand, using ugly art to show distance human being from Divine beauties, (31:20). The main characteristics of Divine and Islamic Art is that the artist by his or her artwork tries to gain proximity to Allah, the Almighty, the creator of whole universe, and getting away from the worldly desires by observing the universe and the nature by realistic approaches than the eyes of benefit or loss. This perspective is totally different from the ugly or human-centered art which looks at everything by the vision of subjectivity and none or anti-metaphysical perspective looking at world on the basis of worldly benefits, desires, lust, hatred, disparity and animosity. This article intends to survey over several aspects of Islamic Art, from philosophical, spiritual and religious perspective.it will also illustrate some instances from Qur’an or from Hadith (Narration) from the holy prophet of Islam, Muhammad (S) and his Ahlulbayt (A.S). In this article Iranian Shi’a art which is the combination of the art of Iranian culture and also Iranian Shi’ite perspective on religion will also be elaborated on.