Page 52 - The Golden Age

THE GOLDEN AGE

veal, it was once a magnificent palace. In the Qur'an, Allah commands
Muslims to take lessons from the Prophets' lives and moral excel-
lence. In this sense, what the Qur'an tells us about Prophet Sulayman
(as) is very precious, for it exemplifies the kind of innovations
Muslims can make in art and aesthetics, and how they can embellish
Earth with superb works of art. In the Golden Age, there will be peo-
ple who adhere to the Qur'an and, in compliance with Allah's com-
mands, take lessons from its accounts of the Prophets' lives. In this
sense also, the Golden Age will have parallels with Prophet
Sulayman's (as) period.

Advances in the Arts
The Qur'an gives a detailed account of such a society's life. Those
who comply with the Qur'an's commands can readily recognize the
right and beautiful and eliminate what is undesirable, since they are
guided by their conscience and reason. Consequently, those who have
based their morality on the Qur'an's teachings will render invaluable
services in the arts, music, theatre, and literature.
As the above examples suggest, Allah provides all believers with
the understanding of aesthetics, art, and beauty, both in Paradise and
in daily life. In the Qur'anic sense, art cannot be confined to music, lit-
erature, and painting, for art fills every field of life with its own vigor.
Believers display their understanding of the arts in a number of ways;
speaking beautifully, being witty and humorous, being able to use the
tone of voice in a fine manner, having a taste for clothes, home decora-
tion, landscaping, cooking tasteful dishes that also look pleasing to the
eye, preparing aesthetic tables, showing affection and love, sincerely
expressing the affection felt for children, for instance, or likewise, dis-
playing respect and love to an elderly person or hosting visitors.
The Golden Age will be a period when people will strive to engage
in art and present beauty to other people with their works of art,
looks, conversations, and conduct.

Advances in Cinema, Theater and Music
People need to broaden their horizons in order to understand the

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