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In the traditional Islamic world, the hierarchy of the arts was not based on whether they were "fine" or "industrial" or "minor". It was based upon the effect of art on the soul of the human being.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Art's value is determined by its impact on the human soul rather than its classification.

Seyyed Hossein Nasr emphasizes that in the traditional Islamic perspective, art is not simply categorized into 'fine' or 'industrial' forms. Instead, the true measure of art lies in how it touches and influences the human soul, reflecting the depth of emotional and spiritual connection that art can create in individuals.

Themes

ArtSoulInfluenceHumanTraditionalIslamic

In practice

Example use cases

In a lecture on the significance of cultural expressions, one might say, 'As Nasr highlights, art's impact on the soul is what truly matters.'

More from Seyyed Hossein Nasr

The traditional doctrine of man and not the measurement of skulls and footprints is the key for the understanding of that anthropos who, despite the rebellion of Promethean man against Heaven from the period of Renaissance and its aftermath, is still the inner man of every man, the reality which no human being can deny wherever and whenever he lives, the imprint of a theomorphic nature which no historical change and transformation can erase completely from the face of that creature called man.
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In traditional societies, nature was seen as one’s wife, but the modern West turned it into a prostitute.
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The human soul, provided it is pure and strong enough, can contact the unseen in waking life as well as in dreams: all that is required is withdrawal of the soul from the tumult of sensory life.
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