Expert Talks on Role of Water in Islam

DOHA: The Second Biennial Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art opened at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQ) on November 4 with a key-note speech by Carole Hillenbrand, a well-known expert in Islamic history, culture and arts.

The three-day symposium is titled “Rivers of Paradise – Water in Islamic Art and Culture”. The audience comprised experts and researchers from across the globe, ambassadors, students, academics and members of the general public.

In her opening address, Hillenbrand examined various aspects of the role of water in the medieval Islamic world.

The speaker examined the role that water played in the daily lives of medieval Muslims, both in religious contexts – notably the percepts of Islamic law (the Shari'a) and the use of water for ritual purification in worship, in festivals and in ceremonies of death, as well as the symbolic associations of water as a blessing, for example the waters of Zamzam and Kauthar.

She spoke about the description of water in the Qur'an, with its evocative images of paradise; in the Hadith which tells how the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) prayed for rain; and, more generally, in medieval Arabic religious literature, such as the stories of the prophets.

The speech also focused on how water is featured in classical Arabic and Persian poetry and prose, as trope and symbol. It also highlighted the importance of water in the secular sphere; water as a symbol of wealth, power and pleasure, from regattas to gardens.

Educated at the Universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Edinburgh, Carole Hillenbrand is now Professor of Islamic History and Head of the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Edinburgh. She has written articles in newspapers and magazines on aspects of Islam and has appeared on some 15 television and radio documentary and discussion programmes in the UK, the US and the Middle East.

Dr Saif Al Hajari, vice chairperson of the Qatar Foundation, Richard E Toscan, vice provost for international affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Sheila S Blair, the Hamad bin Khalifa Endowed Chair in Islamic Art at VCU also spoke at the inaugural session.

The symposium will continue Monday and Tuesday, with a series of lectures on topics related to the central theme.

The speakers include Marcus Milwright, Mohammed al Asad, Catherine B Asher, Perween Hassan, Linda Komaroff, Venetia Porter, Yasser Tabbaa, Howayda Al Harithy, Walter Denny, Dr Fairchild Ruggles and Agnieszka Dobrowolska.