Aesthetics in Surat al-Mulk: Mathematical Typology as Metaphysical Mirror
Abstract
Qur’an 67, Surat al-Mulk (‘Surat of the Kingdom’), describes the seven heavens in a sharply contoured image. This
cosmographic image is one of the few textual icons forming the ‘Quranic literary iconography’. The divine light contained
in a lamp within a niche in Surat al-Nur (‘Surat of the Light’, 24), or the glass sarh of Solomon’s palace, in Surat al-Naml
(‘Surat of the Ants’, 27), constitute other examples among these icons. This essay argues that, by means of the heavenly
description, Surat al-Mulk conveys an aesthetic meaning that is pivotal to its religious rhetoric. As a complement, this
study includes an examination of the surat’s phraseology by the linguist Muhammad Husain Kazi.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
-
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Valerie Gonzalez
*
This is me
0000-0001-8259-900X
United Kingdom
Publication Date
July 3, 2019
Submission Date
May 1, 2018
Acceptance Date
February 4, 2019
Published in Issue
Year 2019 Volume: 30 Number: 1