The following is the full text of the speech delivered on January 11, 2016 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with the officials of “Fiqh of Art National Congress”. The Congress was organized by the Islamic Promotion Office of Qom Seminary and it opened on January 13, 2016.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
First of all, it was great news that Islamic seminaries have begun working on art from the viewpoint of fiqhi understanding. It is clear that, as Mr. Jarfa pointed out in his speech, Islamic seminaries are not expected to train cinematic personalities, poets, painters, sculptors and architects. However, they are expected to draw out Islamic principles on the issue of art – later on, I will speak about the importance of art. First of all, they should find those principles and research into them and then, they should clarify and explain them for the people and for society. You have begun this task. This is a very auspicious task and I really, deeply and sincerely thank all of you who have thought of and begun this task. Thankfully, good and outstanding scholars have entered this arena.
You should not leave this task half-finished and idle. We should work on the fiqh of art in the real sense of the word in the same way that we are working on fiqh of business transactions, of prayers, of communications – which is a recent development – of the economy and of various social matters. Our Mullahs [clergymen] should really be able to pass exact and clear opinions on the issue of art, on the issue of the essence of art in the general sense of the word and on the issue of its various and numerous branches.
And it is completely alright if there are some differences of opinion because these differences exist among fuqaha in all the branches of fiqh. One says something and another says a completely different thing, but the combination of all these differences is progress. Today’s fiqh is not similar to the kind of fiqh that existed during the time of Sheikh Tusi. Despite the existence of all these differences, fiqh has progressed. It has become deeper, more technical, more exact and more detailed. And it will work on this matter in the same way as well.
The issue of art is a very important issue. Art is part of human life. Art in itself is one of the requirements for the existence of humans, just like many other things. All the branches of art are like this. The people working on them are different, but all branches of art have a common point: they originate from talent and imagination. It is strong imagination and great talent that produces art. Of course, skill, experience and expert opinion exist alongside them, but the main thing is talent. That is why great artists have emerged in Islamic seminaries despite the fact that pure art has never been part of Islamic seminaries’ curriculum.
He [Abul-Qassem Alidoust, one of the directors in the congress] mentioned that our fuqaha only dabbled at art. Some dabbled at it and some engaged in it in a professional way in the real sense of the word. For example, Sayyid Muhammad Sayeed Habbubi is a professional Arab poet. Another example is Sayyid Muhammad Hindi or Sayyid Reza Hindi who has composed those diverse qasidas. He is a professional poet from Najaf. These personalities did not live in the distant past.
Another example is Sayyid Radhi. Many years ago, I asked a talented Arab to compare the poetry of Sayyid Radhi and another person – I do not want to mention his name: he was a well-known poet. He said that they are not comparable at all. He was an expert at poetry. I cannot understand Arabic poetry the way an Arab does. I do not understand Arabic rhythm and I cannot figure out if a poem is good or not. It is an Arab poet who can understand this. He said that they are not comparable at ll. In other words, Sayyid Radhi’s poetry exists at the top of Arabic poetry.
Well, it can be said that he was a professional and that poetry was not a recreational activity for him. They really entered the arena in a professional way. And there are many such personalities. Sayyid Murtaza is a poet himself. Muhaqqiq al-Hilli was a poet. Allamah’s father was a poet as well. All of our great ulama were poets. However, they only engaged in poetry. They might not engage in architecture, music and the like. Therefore, this shows that when that natural ingredient – talent and imagination – exist somewhere, they show themselves although the environment might not be apt for cultivating them. An example is the environment in Islamic seminaries which has not been an environment for such things in any way.
So, art is a human affair. We cannot sit and see if art is one of the five types of rules. Art is a human nature, a human truth. It is a human truth and it has different manifestations, just like the other tasks that humans carry out. We should pursue those different manifestations and we should try to define the five types of rules for them. However, art is a human phenomenon. It is an auspicious, essential and real thing.
Fiqh attends to all the affairs of human life. This is the claim that fiqh makes. Fiqh attends to the religious and Islamic clarification of all the affairs that exist in humans’ individual and social life. Well, art is one of those affairs and therefore fiqh should attend to it. It is correct that we have thought of this late. We have begun late. Such tasks should have been carried out a long time ago. Now, you have thankfully begun them. You should not stop this task at all and you should definitely follow it up.
There is a question here: should seminarian personalities enter into artistic fields or not? For example, should they get involved in cinema, theater or other fields or not? This is of course a different issue. It is evident that when a clergyman enters an Islamic seminary, his purpose is something different from working on cinema. Nor is his purpose working on business and architecture. This is evident and there is not any need for that. But there is not any barrier for someone to enter into such issues if they have the talent for them, provided that they do not abandon their own duty.
Of course, if an outstanding faqih wants to express his opinion in the area of artistic issues, he should be familiar with art. If he is not familiar with art, if he does not understand it, if he does not know what it means and what boundaries it has, it is unlikely that he will be able to issue a correct verdict. This is because one of the conditions for issuing a correct verdict is understanding the issue itself.
The issue should be understood correctly. If we do not understand the issue, the verdict will not be issued correctly. Therefore, in my opinion, there is great room for this task – for both art and the philosophy behind the fiqh of art. Mr. Alidoust pointed this out correctly. This is a presentable argument. Another task is that by entering the fiqhi issues of art, the fiqh of art can identify the boundaries of art and express the viewpoint of Islam.
If we want to know the viewpoint of Islam about the essence of art, it seems that not only has Islam accepted art but it has also encouraged it as well. The Holy Quran is an artistic work. As you can see, there are many parts of the Holy Quran which contain chronology in forming a sentence so that the rhythm of the ayahs is preserved. There are many such examples in the Holy Quran despite the fact that the Holy Quran is not committed to preserving rhythm and rhyme. This is because the Holy Quran is not poetry and therefore, it is not committed to such things. Nonetheless, the aesthetics of the Holy Quran has directed it to use a phrase in the middle of the sentence so that it can preserve the rhyme of the ayahs and convey the desired beauty.
Another example is meter and music. The issue of music in the ayahs of the Holy Quran has been ignored. It has not received enough attention by us. Some people have pursued meter and they have tried to find the ayahs that have meter. And they have found them. There are numerous ayahs that have meter. But the music of Quranic words is an astonishing thing, even in the case of those parts that do not have meter. It is very pleasant to our ears. Those who are familiar with the Holy Quran can see this music. Well, the Holy Quran is an artistic work. The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) encouraged those poets who believed in Allah. The Holy Quran has praised those poets who believe in God: “Except those who believe, work righteousness” [The Holy Quran, 26: 227]. I should add that most of our Imams (a.s.) composed poetry.
As for the recitation of the Holy Quran, there is a narration about music and singing. The gentleman in the meeting referred to this issue. I too have discussed the issue in the section on music and singing in detail. The narration says that someone was reciting the Holy Quran in a good voice. The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) was told that such and such a person has a good voice and that he recites the Holy Quran well. The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) asked him to read. When he began reading, the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) said, “All of you should recite the Holy Quran like this.” This is what he said if my memory serves me right. He asked Muslims to recite the Holy Quran in a good voice. Well, this is art. Art means this. This is the art of music and its various forms have been promoted.
Another example is the terminology that our ulama use. Notice what beautiful expressions and terms they use in the beginning of books. Notice what beautiful words and expressions they have used in the different authorizations that they have granted one another – the authorization to do ijtihad and the authorization to narrate. These personalities are faqihs. The terms and expressions that they use in their books are the same. Of course, their Farsi writing – particularly recently – is not very prominent, but the books of the late Majlisi is good in terms of Farsi prose as well.
Well, all of this is art. Therefore, if we want to think whether Islam agrees with art or not, in my opinion the answer is obvious. It is obvious that Islam has a good opinion of art, just like all other phenomena in human life.
Today too, human societies are interconnected with art. Art exists in the root of human life. It is not the case that art is a dispensable thing or a formality. Take the case of architecture. Architecture is an art. Well, architecture is interconnected with human life. When you live in a building, the architectural style of that building affects your soul, your thoughts, your disposition and your lifestyle. All of these are clear and obvious facts.
Of course, some boundaries and limitations should be imposed on the different branches of art – for example singing and sculpture. When we take a deep look at the well-known fatwas that are very common among fuqaha – we see that they are really like this. An example is the issue of manzuhat al-ba’ar [ba’ar means a well and manzuhat is the number of buckets that you have to throw into the well in order to clean the water in case it becomes polluted with something]. They used to have a certain verdicts for this until a specific period of time, but later on, they changed it completely. That is to say, such verdicts were taken as ihtiyat [in Islamic sharia, a precautionary measure].
Other examples are sculpture and singing. So, what Mr. Alidoust mentioned is completely correct. Well, the most important narrations in this regard are based on the following holy ayah: “Those who purchase idle tales, without knowledge or meaning, to mislead men from the path of God” [The Holy Quran, 31: 6]. The issue is not only about “idle tales”. It is also about "misleading" as well. Such narrations speak to us within the framework of that ayah. The ayah says: “But there are, among men, those who purchase idle tales, without knowledge or meaning, to mislead men from the path of God.” So, these are the conditions for issuing a haraam verdict. These narrations interpret the same ayah. They do not interpret something else. They say the same thing.
Many new and fresh ideas can be put forward in different branches and fields of art. One example is theater. The issue of a man dressing like a woman and a woman dressing like a man is one of the dubious issues that exist in minds. When we enter into fiqhi discussions and delve into the matter, we understand that we cannot definitely come to the conclusion that when a man dresses like a woman and a woman dresses like a man, this will be problematic in a play. Therefore, in my opinion, many tasks can be carried out in this regard. And the task can only be carried out by scholars.
Of course, one of the important points that the gentlemen in the meeting raised is the issue of fiqhi discipline. In other words, we should not be carried away by the pressures that a part of society might exert on us. That part of society might say, "Why do you decree such and such a thing as haram? Why do you decree it as forbidden?" If we think about it under the influence of that environment, this is wrong. That behavior is completely unethical. This should not be the case. Fiqhi discipline should be completely observed. As we refer to the Book and the Sunnah in the case of other fiqhi rules, we should refer to the Book and the Sunnah on this matter as well and we should act in the same way.
We should use amaraat [a type of reason in Islamic sharia] in the right place. We should use the principles in the right place as well. We should benefit from all aspects of the resources that are available to Shia fuqaha, including those great intellectual resources, the method which is referred to as the methodology of deduction – which has become common and which has been improved to a great extent in the present time. We should benefit from these things so that by Allah's favor, we will produce results in the area of art.
We will be waiting so that we can benefit from the results of your gathering and your congress and so that we will be witness to the continuation of your work if we live long enough. This is because by Allah's favor, you have begun a new task: "Anyone who starts a good tradition will reap the rewards for practicing that tradition and the rewards for all those who practice it until Judgment Day [Usul al-Kafi, Vol. 9, page 372]. You have begun this task in Islamic seminaries. By Allah's favor, from now on, you will definitely get the rewards for all those who work on this area provided that what they do has a reward before God.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy
