Humans have a great capacity for creativity and manifest their creative capacities in a myriad of ways. Simultaneously, religion enjoins us to be pious. Does religion stifle creativity by codifying personal and societal rules and, in effect, lock people into rigid ways of being and thinking? Or are pious people demonstrating their true primordial human nature (fitra in Arabic) by embodying that they were created for (the worship of God)? What role do creativity and piety play within an individual and a community, and how might they be complementary, or at least be non-conflictive?
Muslims are sometimes looked down upon for being very traditional, perceived as being too rigid in their ways of thinking and not deviating from certain social-religious expectations. Does this reveal an inherent flaw in Muslim ‘thought’? Or are Muslims, in an attempt to preserve what they understand to be God’s laws, just finding it challenging to balance piety with rapidly changing secular societies that seem to value individuality over communal cohesion and religious obedience?
In Islam, piety (taqwa in Arabic), is usually understood to be the quality someone has when they are restraining themselves from disobeying God’s commands [1]. The word hints at self-control and abstinence. In a general sense, a pious person is understood to be surrendered to the will of God. Since the definition of ‘Muslim’ is often defined as being exactly this, that is, someone surrendered to the will of God, we can surmise that piety is an integral part of being Muslim.
So, how exactly do we define ‘creativity’ and whether creativity diverges from the idea of a pious life? When we speak about creativity, what we are talking about is, on the one hand, thinking outside the box, of doing or thinking of things in a different way. On the other hand, we are talking about being true to ourselves, of finding ways of channeling our unique talents and skills in a way that is fulfilling to self and may be appreciated by others as well. Today’s economies prize innovation, and throughout most of history, thinkers, inventors and scientists have shaped the way we understand and operate in the world [2]. Just in the 20th century alone, scientific and technological leaps such as space exploration and the digital and communication revolutions have demonstrated the vast potential of human creativity. Muslim cultures were at the forefront of science and philosophy during what was known as the ‘Islamic Golden Age’, but today, because science and technology are seen as mostly prospering in non-Muslim majority countries, Islam is seen as antithetical to progress. Unfortunately, most people have a very short view of history.
We might consider that Muslims have needed to play a specific role within humanity, that is, to preserve a tradition which counterbalances a certain heedlessness and forgetfulness of the Divine that comes with a focus on worldly development, that Muslims have been entrusted to hold the torch of Remembrance in a world that has become overly-materialistic. Simultaneously, it could be said that not all Muslims feel good about the real or perceived lag in achievement, and that they have indeed struggled to balance their role as God’s servants (which would require conformity) with the possibility of being trendsetters in a worldly setting (which would require non-conformity).
Perhaps the real friction occurs NOT when we talk about creativity in terms of problem-solving and intellectual pursuits. The tension seems to lie between piety and creative self-expression, when that creativity is channelled through dress, artistic or musical expressions. Creative people are seen as those who make beautiful things, like in the way a musician might compose a heart-stirring piece of music, or an artist might produce a thought-provoking or beautiful painting. It is these individuals who often push the boundaries of what is acceptable or established in a society by providing new ways of looking, hearing, or understanding things.
In the West especially, art and music have flourished, leading to wide-ranging and unexpected forms. European art, from the more conventional styles in the medieval period to the inspirational explorations of the Renaissance, all the way to the explosive and dizzying Modern Art movements (Impressionism, Expressionism, Surrealism, etc.), has allowed artists and audiences to evolve their understanding of themselves in relation to the world. Music in the West has also been very prolific, and in the 20th century alone, we saw a vast array of styles develop (Blues, Disco, Hip Hop, Rock and Roll, etc.).
Islamic cultures have been much more reserved in this regard. In Muslim cultures, beauty has been expressed with a reverence for the Divine. No one can deny the subtle and refined beauty of Islamic architecture or the ethereal splendor of Arabic calligraphy, for example. Islamic geometric patterns play with the language of God, that is, mathematics. Designs that use symmetry are reminders of the balance in creation, while complex mathematical tessellations suggest the concept of infinity. In this way, Muslims express beauty by serving as echoes of the Creator.
Through this lens, are ‘modern’ Western expressions of art and music any less valid? Dogmatic thinkers might consider these expressions to be devoid of value, time-wasting or even dangerous. But is this really the case? Is God not continually expressing Himself through His Creation? Should not the criteria for worthy expressions be that they 1.) inspire, 2.) evoke feeling, 3.) reflect beauty, 4.) be thought-provoking, and 5.) promote positive social change? The dimensions of creativity to be avoided could include heedlessness, darkness, or intentional harm to self or others. But even this criteria can shift as times and cultures change, and can be affected by the perception of the individual taking in that expression (a dictator for example, is unlikely to appreciate the talent of a musician who rallies against the regime). Whatever the case, one must tap into their own wisdom to gage whether acts of self-expression fall under the category of a learning experience or, if being shared, is having a positive impact on those around them.
Could God intend both piety and creativity for us? Let us look at this from a metaphysical perspective. God is at the source of all of creation; all things come from Him and return to Him [3]. He is the ultimate Creator, capable of making something out of nothing. The universe, that which we can see and that which we cannot, is full of wonders. Within our planet, every kind of conceivable life form seems to exist, from the single-celled to the complex. Beauty and complexity is on full display throughout the variety of mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and every other life form present. When we look at the night sky, there is a bedazzling array of astral bodies, which have become more wondrous as technology has allowed us to penetrate deeper and further into the visible universe. It is hard to imagine how, when creation is so varied and prolific, humans, who have been given certain faculties of appreciating and building upon creation, would not be encouraged to serve as vessels for creation. When creation itself is based on growth, diversification, and trial and error (evolution), would it not make sense for humans to also evolve intellectually and to be prolific in our contributions to the world? Would it not be praise-worthy to celebrate and amplify the beauty that we perceive around us in the natural world? As an oft-quoted hadith goes, “God is beautiful and loves beauty.”
And yet the entire universe is subject to the laws of physics, some of which we can discern and some of which remain a mystery. There is a subtle point here. Humans have been given certain faculties of reasoning, of expressing, of feeling, of contemplation; with these, we can create. Yet, we are subject to certain laws ourselves, not only the physical, but the moral, the communal, that which will serve as a container to operate in this world. It seems then, that piety can serve as a counterbalance to the possible excesses of creativity leading to narcissistic individualism.
Now let us look at the roles that piety and creativity have played through the human behavioral lens. Children are naturally creative: they are full of ideas, they ask questions, and they take risks and experiment. This innate inquisitiveness serves as a way to learn about the world. Piousness is not an attribute we associate with children, nor would we necessarily desire it for them. Perhaps we would use adjectives such as “innocence” and “purity”. Children are not yet searching for God in the way an adult would, nor are they capable of pious self-restraint. There are stages a human must go through, and piousness comes with age. If a person has the seed of God planted in them, then they will experience a growth in spiritual capacity over time, and piousness will be the natural consequence. If they are adherent to the practices of Islam, praying and fasting will serve as the intended tools for inner purification.
Ultimately, piety and creativity need not be at odds; they are two qualities that naturally manifest within human beings. Preferably, individuals will have a holistic approach by excelling in whatever disciplines and duties they are called to outwardly, while pursuing spiritual excellence inwardly. In fact, by being in touch with God, we may better understand ourselves, what our needs and talents are, and what we have to offer to the world. And if we are in need of inspiration, we have the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a role model, a man who reached the heights of spiritual perfection, and yet performed countless outer duties for the betterment of his community, which included frequent problem-solving. It is also helpful to remind ourselves that we are more inclined to creative explorations and acts of individual self-expression earlier in life, and that piety becomes increasingly relevant later in life, as we play out certain scenarios before making our journey back to God. Therefore, we should be wary of placing false external expectations of piety on self or others since everybody’s journey is different. Likewise, as we get older, we need to check that our creative exploits are not just ego-centric distortions that are leading us away from our center. Creativity and piety should coexist. A human being who can balance these two qualities will hopefully lead a life rich in learning and expression that will eventually transition inwardly back to Al-Muqtadir, the Creator of All Power.
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Notes:
[1] Here the word ‘God’ is used instead of ‘Allah’ in order not to perpetuate the commonly mistaken idea that the God of the Qur’an is other than the One and Only God referred to in the Torah and New Testament. There are many paths to the Creator, but only one Being that rules over all of creation, and all humans in spite of creed.
[2] Here the concept of innovation is not the same as the Islamic concept of bid’ah, which is referring to religious innovation, for example, straying from established principles of worship.
[3] God does not have a gender, nor is God a person, nor is God quantifiable or describable in normal human terms. Due to linguistic constraints, ‘He’ is used here, in spite of its unfortunate patriarchal connotations, to represent THAT which is the pulse behind all living things, in the third person. The Quran itself jumps around from third person singular ‘He’ to first person plural ‘We’ to first person singular ‘I’, perhaps as a mechanism to deter humans from trying to linguistically fixate on that ephemeral concept of the Divine.
End Note: This article was first published on www.exploring-islam.com.