Islamic Architecture: 2014

A3 Portfolio

PROJECT 1

PROJECT 2

Visit To State Mosque Negeri Sembilan

Personally like this mosque very much, as it has an outstanding modern expression created by Dato' Lim Chong Keat back in 1967, a winning entry of the competition of Negeri Sembilan State Mosque. Photos below captured during a casual visit to the mosque as it is located in my hometown.

Mosque View over the Seremban Lake

Evening interior.

Revelation Of Islam

Revelation is where God imparts whatever knowledge He wills to those whom He chooses to receive it. God gives this knowledge to them in order for them to convey it to whomever else He wishes.

All the Messengers of God experienced revelation. God says:

“Verily, We have sent Revelation to you (O Muhammad) as We have sent Revelation to Noah and the prophets who came after him. We had sent revelation to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Tribes, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon. And to David We gave the Psalms. And Messengers We have told you about before, and Messengers We have not told you about – and to Moses We spoke directly.” (Quran 4:163)

The possibility of divine revelation cannot be denied by anyone who believes in the existence of God and in His omnipotence. God maintains His creation in any manner that pleases Him. The connection between the Creator and his Creation is by way of His Messengers, and these Messengers only know what God wants from them by way of revelation, either directly or indirectly. The rational mind cannot dismiss the possibility of revelation, since nothing is difficult for the all-powerful Creator.

Timeline of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h)

-570 AD: Birth of Muhammad ( in the year of Elephant )

-577 AD: Death of his beloved mother, taken in charge by his grandfather, then by his paternal uncle, Ubu Talib

-595 AD: Marriage to khadijah

-610 AD: The first revelation from the angel Jibreel

-613 AD: Islam preached publicly

-614 AD: The first migration

-621 AD: The night of Ascension

-622 AD: Migration to Madinah

-629 AD: The conquest of Makkah

-631 AD: Farewell Pilgrimage

-632 AD: Death of Prophet Muhammad

Upon the death of Prophet Muhammad,

Abu Bakr: became the first Caliph
Omar: became the second Caliph for 1 decade. ( Islam spread extensively in the east and west conquering Persian, Syrian and Egypt.)
Uthman: became third Caliph for 12 years. ( The holy Quran is copied and sent to 4 corners of the world)
Ali: became the fourth Caliph. ( Well known for his bravery)

Five Pillars of Islam

1) Shahada: Testifying to God's One-ness:

The declaration "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet.

2) Salat: Prayer

Five prayer times each day:
- early morning
- noon
- mid-afternoon
- sunset
- evening

3) Zakat: Giving Charity

Originally a free-will donation (what is no called Sadaqah).
Now largely compulsory.General rate: 2 1/2% of income annually.Given only to needy Muslims, or for religious purposes, etc.

4) Sawm: Fast

In memory of the revelation of the Qur'an.

During month of Ramadan, daylight hours.

Those who have medical exemptions etc. should fast at another time.

'Id al-Fitr, Feast of Fast-breaking: at beginning of next month

5) Hajj: Pilgrimage.

Every Muslim man and woman (if physically and economically able) should try to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life-time.
Egalitarian atmosphere, Ihram:
donning of simple white garments.
Refraining from sex, haircuts, jewelry, arguing, etc.
Importance of the Ka'ba, associations with Abraham, Hagar Ishmael and Muhammad.

7 Principles of Islamic Architecture

Seven Principles of Islamic Architecture is an exhibition that aims to illustrate the intrinsic relationship between Muslims, their beliefs and how these manifest themselves in everyday architecture. Islam embodies a way of life and serves as a cohesive force among ethnically and culturally diverse peoples. There is no essential difference between spiritual and secular art in Islam, allowing the virtues of Islamic architecture to transcend mere form and function.

1. Architecture as Tawhid: Unity & Uniquity of Allah

- An Islamic building should focus on strengthening the bond between muslims within conformity of God's will

2. Architecture of Ihtiram: Respect

- An Islamic building should represent Muslims respect and obedience to Allah

3. Architecture with Ikhlas: Sincerity

- A Muslim architect should show sincerity and purity in their design motivation, and built within conformity to God’s will

4. Architecture as Pursuit of Ilm: Knowledge

- An Islamic building celebrates knowledge through calligraphy of religious Inscriptions and uses light as an expression of knowledge.

5. Architecture for Iqtisad: Balance

- An Islamic building should have harmony between functional and spiritual elements

6. Architecture of Haya’: Modesty

- An Islamic building should be discreet and preserve the dignity of its owner or users.

7. Architecture as Dikr: Remembrance

- An Islamic building should be repetitive patterns aid to remembrance of Allah.

8. Architecture as Urf: Locality

-The architecture as Urf refers to the custom or knowledge of practices in a given society. It is a principle that reponded to the local context that adopted into the islamic architecture design.Urf is the diversifying principle that makes one building unique among each other.

Trees surrounding Masjid Jamek Create passive cooling effect

ESD diagram of Masjid Jamek

Literature Review- Spiritual Architecture of Le Corbusier

APA References	Keywords	Theme of Paper	Definition	Method
Dennis,Mc, N. The Institute For Sacred Architecture : Couturier Le Corbusier, And the Monastery Of La Tourette.	Sacred art, God, Holy spirit, ages of faith	Almost Religious	Couturier made the Le Corbusier the obvious choice to design a monastery rooted first in modernist art, secondarily in religion. By mistaking the “spirit of the age,” or Zeitgeist, for the Holy Spirit, Couturier assisted in the production of structures by famous modernist architects at the expense of the essential features of Catholic artistic work.	Couturier sought to renew sacred art and architecture in much the same way Le Corbusier sought to renew architecture: through the utilization of powerful contemporary forms and materials. As a remedy, Couturier placed his trust in artists, believing that all true art revealed something of the sacred.
Jonathan Glancey, Faith Hope & Clarity [Website] Retrieved from [http://www.theguardian.com]	Inherited spirit, epic & mythic, peace, heal	Legacy of the ‘secular monk’ of modernism	Le Corbusier’s works are clean, white, stripped-to-essentials and apparently wholly new architecture reflected the industrial spirit of the times; his work also inherited the spirit, and even the proportions, of ancient Greek temples and the great cathedrals of the middle ages. Forget the traditionalists and revivalists: his was the true architectural faith.	His last design, a hospital in Venice had a wonderful view towards lagoon as if the light of the sea might heal the patients. The light spirited delight of Ron Champ pared down architecture is a powerful experience.
Jaime Lara, Spiritual Sparks [Website] Retrieved from [http://faithandform.com]	Religious Art, Social ritual, Worship space, heaven and earth	The Hispanic aesthetic in religious art and architecture	The space in which one meets these visual or verbal icons, with their corresponding colors and shapes, is nothing less than a powerhouse, a holy hot spot wherein heaven and earth make contact and where spiritual sparks fly	The atrium functions as gathering and fellowship space, with the importance that Latin Americans place on family and on social rituals of greeting and leave-taking, the revival of this medieval feature has been a godsend
Le Corbusier, Towards a New Architecture	Light, geometry, shades, Wall, space	Guiding Principles	The architect, by his arrangement of forms, realizes an order is a pure creation of his spirit; by forms and shapes he affects our senses to an acute degree and provokes plastic emotions; by the relationships which he creates he wakes profound echoes in us, he gives us the measure of an order which we feel to be in accordance with that of our world, he determines the various movements of our heart and our understanding, it is then that we experience the sense of beauty.	The elements of architecture are light and shade, walls and space. Arrangement is the gradation of aims, the classification of intentions. Architecture goes beyond utilitarian need, it is a plastic thing, the spirit of order, a unity of intention. The sense of relationships; architecture deals with quantities, passion can create drama out of inert stone.
Benson P. H. Lau, Sacred Concrete: The Churches of Le Corbusier	Ethical, philosophical, theological notion of simplicity	Le Corbusier’s religious thinking and architecture.	Explores the tense political relationship between Le Corbusier’s view of religion and that of the Church, as manifested in his radical sacred architecture and the work of other architects who drew inspiration from it. Extensive and original research into the roots of Le Corbusier’s sacred ideals and the architectural merits of the associated built forms.	The application of the ethical, philosophical and theological notions of simplicity, poverty and truth in church design; the role of the interplay between space and light as well as the processional route; and the role of art and artists at the service of the Church are all well explained. This is followed by an investigation of the evolution of Le Corbusier’s thinking on religion, from his early upbringing through his spiritual incubation in Paris in the early 20th century and his final maturity.