Page 84 - Beauties for Life in the Qur'an

82 BEAUTIES FOR LIFE IN THE QUR'AN

Silver Ceilings and Stairways
(We would have given) silver roofs to their houses and silver
stairways to ascend. (Surat az-Zukhruf: 33)
Other decorative elements mentioned in the Qur'an are silver
ceilings and high stairways. Allah gives all these beauties as
blessings to humanity, but He also reminds us that these are
merely the trappings of the life of this world and that our real
home is in the hereafter.

Doors
… (We would have given) silver doors to their houses and silver
couches on which to recline, and gold ornaments... (Surat az-
Zukhruf: 34-35)
This verse draws attention to the aesthetic and artistic value of
doors as decorative elements: "doors to their houses." Apart
from their functional use, doors, which may be of silver, gold, or
engraved wood, or adorned with glass, may be used as decora-
tive ornaments at the house's entrance or elsewhere inside.
Indeed, Ottoman art made extensive use of this style and also
embellished doors of various sizes and designs in palaces, man-
sions, and houses.

Columns
Iram of the columns, whose like was not created in any land –
(Surat al-Fajr: 7-8)
As we learn from the Qur'an, Iram, the city of the people of
'Ad, was strikingly beautiful due to its glorious architecture,
which mainly consisted of high columns. The Qur'anic account
of Iram indicates the beauty and imposing appearance of high
columns.