Nourishment for the soul. Worlds of Islam
This book is meant as a guide-book to the permanent exhibition of the Orient Department in the Munich Museum of Anthropology; hence, many of the 126 illustrations show objects of the museum. Besides serving as a catalog the book is an introduction to the many forms of Islam, stressing aspects of its spirituality and cultural achievements - particularly as a counterweight to the recent image of negativity. The book is systematically divided into three parts: the religious world of Islam, art of the Muslim world, and the life-world of Muslims. In the first part Frembgen discusses orthodox, political, Sufi-, and folk Islam, then focal points in religious practice: the Quran, the prophet, the mosque, purity, prayer, and prayer rugs. The section on art discusses first the relation between Islamic art and spirituality, followed by certain art forms: calligraphy, floral ornaments, geometrical patterns and forms, and figurative motifs in relation to their prohibition. Section Three discusses the great variety of Muslim life forms, and a practical example - the Punjab: how people live (family, household, gender relations), typical architecture, Sufi saints, folk belief and magic, and forms of expression and joy of life.
Keywords: Islamic culture, Muslims in Punjab, folk Islam, art of Islam, Sufis, Munich Museum of Anthropology, Quran, mosques, prayer in Islam, religion of Islam
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| ||||||
