Is it permissible to analyze the prayer and its movements into geometric and architectural forms?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Praise be to Allah. Allah has made it easy for me to pursue a master's degree in Islamic architecture. Before I came, my professor suggested an idea to me. He said that the prayer contains symbols, such as following (the imam), and that we might benefit from them by decoding the symbols of the prayer and using them in the planning of the Arab Islamic city. Is it permissible for us to take the prayer, analyze it, and use it in application?
The Shaykh : By Allah, this needs clarification so that we can see how this is possible and whether it is permissible or not based on that. This statement is not clear to us.
The questioner : I know that the prayer is an act of worship. Is it permissible for one to define the prayer, such as the bowing or the prostration, and use it as a concept for planning the city?
The Shaykh : How would this be? How would it be?
The questioner : For example, you take a piece of land...
Another questioner : Meaning, he attempts to make a philosophical connection between the prayer and geometric shapes, trying to establish a link.
The Shaykh : Meaning, these things cannot be achieved except by connecting to the prayer?
The questioner : Of course not.
The Shaykh : So then?
Another questioner : Meaning, Islamic improvements in architecture.
The questioner : Meaning, the intention is to link the philosophy of the prayer to displaying the philosophy of the prayer in architecture. This is mere cleverness.
The Shaykh : I am afraid the issue is that you saw writing like what is depicted in an image of a boy sitting in the tashahhud, doing this, and it is written "La ilaha illa Allah"...
Al-Halabi : ...This is what is intended, and Allah knows best.
The Shaykh : This is something, by Allah, that causes fear, and peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : By Allah, this needs clarification so that we can see how this is possible and whether it is permissible or not based on that. This statement is not clear to us.
The questioner : I know that the prayer is an act of worship. Is it permissible for one to define the prayer, such as the bowing or the prostration, and use it as a concept for planning the city?
The Shaykh : How would this be? How would it be?
The questioner : For example, you take a piece of land...
Another questioner : Meaning, he attempts to make a philosophical connection between the prayer and geometric shapes, trying to establish a link.
The Shaykh : Meaning, these things cannot be achieved except by connecting to the prayer?
The questioner : Of course not.
The Shaykh : So then?
Another questioner : Meaning, Islamic improvements in architecture.
The questioner : Meaning, the intention is to link the philosophy of the prayer to displaying the philosophy of the prayer in architecture. This is mere cleverness.
The Shaykh : I am afraid the issue is that you saw writing like what is depicted in an image of a boy sitting in the tashahhud, doing this, and it is written "La ilaha illa Allah"...
Al-Halabi : ...This is what is intended, and Allah knows best.
The Shaykh : This is something, by Allah, that causes fear, and peace be upon you.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.