Credit: A seated young page reading a book of poetry, detail from a painting by Riza-yi’Abbasi in gouache and gilded on paper. Inscribed. Isfahan, Iran, ca. 1625-1626 CE, 1920,0917,0.298.3, by permission of the Trustees of the British Museum, London, UK. |
Islam has long provided a source of inspiration through which Muslims experience, understand, and guide their everyday lives. The readings for this theme can be seen as literary reflections on Muslim piety and communal concepts such as ethics, governance, knowledge, and identity. Each one reveals the transformation of faith and identity, as Muslims living at different times and in different places have interpreted Islamic traditions to meet their distinctive cultural realities and spiritual needs.
Image and text from http://bridgingcultures.neh.gov/muslimjourneys/themes/show/4