OHS and Art
Throughout history, the term "art" has been defined and interpreted in various ways, but there is no clear and singular meaning today. On one hand, this term is often limited to the seven arts and refers to specific skills and techniques. Amidst this, what is the position of sacred art, and can it explain the true meaning of art? In the Oswatun Hasana School of Thought, we aim to discover the true meaning of sacred art and the characteristics of the sacred artist and non-sacred artist through research in the Quran and narrations of Ahl al-Bayt, as well as by utilizing the esteemed teachings in the school of Imam Khomeini and the guidelines of the Supreme Leader, Imam Khamenei
Given the profound mission of the artist in today's world, our objective is to decode the meaning of art and establish its fundamental principles through the sources mentioned above to clearly and transparently convey the truth. The sacred artist discovers his connection to the origin and, with knowledge of existence and awareness of his human coordinates, becomes a mirror reflecting truth. Artists trained in this school are positioned to fulfill their responsibilities towards existence and the covenant made with their Lord in the primordial day, aiding others in this path as well. They are well aware of their historical context and place in the Islamic Revolution, on the path to returning to their primordial covenant
Sacred Art
When attributed to the sacred, art takes on a different hue, transcends the chaotic colors and styles of modernism and postmodernism, and signifies the unveiling of the mysteries of existence. Therefore, it is worth viewing art from a different perspective, one of truth, through a lens where modern humans are not the subject of art. It is a perspective that regards art as existential and derived from the sacred realm, emanating from the heart of wisdom and under the domain of the Divine name "Al-Hakim" (the Wise), to fulfill the rights of every rightful owner. It is a perspective in which humans are adorned with the status of Divine Vicegerency. This is a sacred art; but what happened in the sacred realm? In this realm, the angels glorified and sanctified Allah. From which artwork did the only artist of existence suddenly unveil, causing the rows of angels to prostrate and creating an uproar in the celestial realm? It was there that He took pride in creating a vicegerent who could both sanctify and be a perfect mirror of Allah in his vicegerency; the angels, when they saw the reflection and Tashbih (declaring incomparability) of this vicegerent in the very Tanzil (declaring incomparability', i.e., affirming God's transcendence from humanity) they had of the truth, bowed down to him, the only creation of the creator of the universe... And thus, the Great Vicegerent became the mirror of truth, and all His names and attributes, and existence came into being by his grace. So blessed is the artist of existence who drew its point, while there was neither a point nor paper, it was He, and He was alone, the truth manifested and flowed forth; for the beauty cannot bear isolation. And here is where creation finds meaning in art... Thus, the Truth manifested itself and emerged from obscurity, yet not separate or detached from its manifestations. Instead, it preserved its presence beyond all levels of existence and accompanied all being. Although the Truth does not unite with any of its manifestations, it is present in all its appearances, and this is the art of the Truth. Allah did not withhold His presence from His manifestations and, in the entirety and perfection of His essence, displayed His attributes in the mirror of the Most Beautiful Names from eternity to eternity. This is the true meaning of art.
The Sacred Artist
Considering the descriptions of the truth of art, the sacred artist has two eyes; with one eye, he sees the presence of Allah, and with the other, he sees His manifestation. He never closes his eyes, nor does he open one more than the other, ensuring that both eyes are in perfect vision. He views all existence in this manner; this artist's every action, gesture, and lifestyle align with the customs set by the painter and artist of existence—his eating, sleeping, dressing... this artist's art is not only found in diverse styles and galleries across the city but is evident throughout his entire life. Therefore, anyone who is with him will take on his color. A single glance from the depths of the soul with a sacred art perspective on this artist is enough to find himself suddenly in a higher realm ... What should we call him? A human! He is a human who is Allah's vicegerent on earth! and his entire being is vicegerency and servitude. He is "Wali" (guardian) of Allah, and his guardianship flows continuously. If we wish to personify existence, we remember him. Thus, all existence owes itself to such a human. Certainly, this theory of art is very different from theories that consider art as either an imitation of nature or that regard the human with self-centered intellect as the subject of art or the theories that seek form and beauty. There is a great difference between this human, who, with the art of servitude and worship, is Allah's vicegerent on earth, and that earthly human who sees his essence only in this material body and the few years of his life in this world. There is no similarity between the sacred artist, who always observes the sacred realm with balanced eyes, and the non-sacred artist, who considers his physical form and all his desires and passions as the source of his artwork.
The Sacred Art and the Realm of Imagination
As art belongs to the sacred Divine realm, its aspects are examined as the existential fact. An existential fact encompasses all human coordinates, not just addressing certain aspects of material, worldly life, emotions, and feelings. This art views all the existence as a unified manifestation of truth, thus holding no separation in its view and advancing both matter and meaning together. The human power of imagination is the seat of this art. It is an intermediary power, with one eye on Tanzih of the entire existence and the other eye finding the mirror of truth within itself and the soul of all existence. This power, with these attributes, surpasses the conventional concept of imagination in our conversations; hence, it is better not to call it a faculty but rather, we refer to it as the realm of imagination—a realm filled with Tashbih and Tanzih; a realm where the presence of truth is evident in its manifestation and its manifestation is evident in its presence
Decoding Existence as a Sign of Truth
A sacred artist, with his balanced eyes, can see all the manifestations of the world as signs of truth and decode and interpret each sign toward its true origin. He can harmonize Tashbih and Tanzih to see the sign as the manifestation of truth and to comprehensively understand the presence of the essence within the sign, while also acknowledging his inability to comprehend the truth fully ... On the other hand, the sacred artist can express the truth in a symbolic language and guide hearts toward the essence and the truth. This artist offers a sacred definition of all existence and sees the signs of truth as manifestations of beauty and majesty. He does not merely follow the appealing beauties and favorable situations; he understands how to deal with deficiencies, evils, and natural calamities within the best possible system and correctly interprets and decodes them.
The Importance of Purifying the Soul in the Sacred Artist
Now the significance of soul- purification is highlighted as the most important dimension of an artist. Through intellectual and practical striving, the sacred artist continually purifies his vision of the presence and manifestation of the truth in all levels of existence. Therefore, it is essential for the artist to find their place concerning the truth and all existence and to know all aspects and levels of their soul.
Loyalty and Disavowal (Al-walāʼ wa-l-barāʼ) in the Attributes of Sacred Art
Additionally, such a balanced view increasingly strengthens the artist in loyalty and disavowal (Al-walāʼ wa-l-barāʼ) day by day. The sacred artists fully understand the position of the Islamic Revolution in the era of human repentance and the return to their primordial covenant, dedicating their art and perhaps even their blood to this school of thought. As the founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini stated: “The only art acceptable to the Quran is one that polishes pure Muhammadan Islam (PBUH), the Islam of the Imams of Guidance (AS), the Islam of the suffering poor, the Islam of the barefooted, the Islam of the whipped of bitter and shameful history of deprivation. Beautiful and pure art is one that crushes modern capitalism and bloodthirsty communism and annihilates the Islam of luxury and indulgence, eclectic Islam, Islam of compromise and baseness, and in one word, ‘American Islam.’” In such a school of thought, martyrdom is the art of the men of God to preserve Islam and expose the false claims of non-sacred artists. Such an artist expresses their art in a way that all the world, in this repentance and awakening, joins them until a sign emerges that fully reveals all levels of the signified. May that day come soon... O Allah, hasten the reappearance of Your Guardian...
