{"id":35838,"date":"2026-02-13T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pluriel.fuce.eu\/videos\/aesthetics-of-living-together-visualising-an-islamic-ethics-of-the-other-in-al-andalus\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T08:10:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T07:10:59","slug":"aesthetics-of-living-together-visualising-an-islamic-ethics-of-the-other-in-al-andalus","status":"publish","type":"videos","link":"https:\/\/pluriel.fuce.eu\/en\/videos\/aesthetics-of-living-together-visualising-an-islamic-ethics-of-the-other-in-al-andalus\/","title":{"rendered":"Aesthetics of living together: visualising an Islamic ethics of the other in al-Andalus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paper presented at the fifth international congress of the University Platform for Research on Islam (Pluriel)<\/a>, held in Cordoba from 10 to 14 February 2026 on the theme “Ethics and Aesthetics in Islam”. Raja Sakrani<\/strong> (University of Bonn, Germany) spoke as part of Theme 3 \u2014 Aesthetic and ethical heritages: tensions, dialogues and hospitality.<\/em><\/p>\n

Summary of the paper<\/h3>\n

Islamic ethics presents itself as a complex synthesis of Quranic teachings, pre-Islamic Arab traditions and non-Arab elements (Greek and Persian in particular), integrated into a general moral structure. It is a process of assimilation and integration of divergent tendencies that coexisted and juxtaposed themselves rather than supplanting one another \u2014 a process that lasted at least until the eleventh century. Nevertheless, it was the sunna<\/em> that played a decisive role in the elaboration of a properly Muslim ethics, to the point that one could affirm that the hadith corpus constitutes in itself a manual of ethics. It was also Imam al-Sh\u0101fi\u02bf\u012b who advanced the normative use of the word adab<\/em> (savoir-vivre) by using it as a quasi-synonym of akhl\u0101q<\/em>. Aesthetics in Islam has, in turn, undergone a complex evolution, since the orthodox tendency ended up overly limiting the impetus of this creative quest by imprisoning it within the normativity of prohibitions; the proof is that Islam has not always been iconoclastic.<\/p>\n

Parallel to the juridico-theological grip that would eventually reduce Islamic spirituality to an ethics frozen in a rigid normative framework, openness to the other and the values of hospitality and of muruwwa<\/em> allowed Arab-Islamic civilisation to give the best of itself. The experience of al-Andalus is precisely the major articulation of a sublime aesthetic experience combining the ethics of alterity, of openness and of inclusion with the refinement of living together between Muslims, Christians and Jews. Architecture, music, poetry, the intertwining of languages, the marriage of iconographies and of culinary arts, setting aside one’s own language to borrow that of the other, translating and letting oneself be translated: aesthetics became the bridge between self, other and world. It thus exceeds a simple exploration of beauty in art or architecture to become the quest for the Human wherever he may be, and the deepening of an Islamic knowledge made universal by its very openness.<\/p>\n

By visualising artistic works, unique architectural models and manuscripts, this paper attempts to analyse the articulation between ethics and aesthetics of a past experience, without ceasing to link it to the burning contemporary questions of this largely unrecognised dialectic between ethics and aesthetics.<\/p>\n

\nRead the panel synthesis by Silvia Trifogli<\/summary>\n
\n

This synthesis was written in the aftermath of the congress by Silvia Trifogli<\/strong>, under the Pluriel student-fellowship programme. It covers all three papers of the panel.<\/em><\/p>\n

Aesthetics of alterity and the encounter with the divine: body, hospitality, eros<\/h4>\n

Held on Friday 13 February 2026 at 9:30 am in Hall 1, chaired by Michel Youn\u00e8s (Catholic University of Lyon), this panel gathered three papers: Jean Patrick Nkolo Fanga (Al Mowafaqa Ecumenical Institute, Rabat) on dances, spiritualities and religions in the construction of interreligious dialogue in contemporary Africa; Raja Sakrani (University of Bonn) on the aesthetics of living together and the visualisation of an Islamic ethics of the other in al-Andalus; and Salma Rouyett (Mohammed V University, Rabat) on spiritual eroticism and erotic spirituality in Sufi mystical thought. The panel explored how aesthetics \u2014 expressed through bodily movement, social harmony or even amorous desire \u2014 can be the primary vehicle of an ethics of alterity and of the encounter with the divine.<\/p>\n

The first presentation spoke about the human body within the liturgy, presenting it not merely as an obstacle, but rather as a “third space” capable of dissolving the body-soul dichotomy. This perspective can be directly connected to the third presentation, where the Sufi body is no longer something that is denied, but becomes “porous” and the whole anatomical structure is offered to the divine. The second presentation spoke about the case of al-Andalus and demonstrated that the convivencia<\/em> \u2014 the Spanish word for “living together” \u2014 was not a theoretical concept but a daily practice and a pragmatic aesthetics. R. Sakrani spoke about a form of “normative flexibility”, for example recognising diverse dietary laws as valid. Thus we have a visual hospitality illustrated by the hybridisation of architecture, alphabets and culinary habits. This “ethics of hospitality” aligns with Nkolo Fanga’s idea of dance as a vehicle of solidarity, for example during funerals or interreligious celebrations in Africa, since in this case liturgical innovation maintains family and social cohesion.<\/p>\n

A strong point was made regarding the capacity for “reception.” S. Rouyett highlighted Ibn Arabi’s intuition that the feminine is a spiritual point of receptivity, essential for letting the divine happen without attempting to possess it. This idea of non-possession and openness is the foundation of the ethics mentioned by R. Sakrani, allowing one to “lay down one’s own language to borrow the language of the other”. In this way, the Sufi language is crucial: through concepts like fan\u0101’<\/em> and intoxication, Sufism enables us to understand that encountering the Other requires total surrender.<\/p>\n

The papers did not overlook the challenges and resistances. Whether regarding the dances in Senegal and in Morocco, or the eroticism of certain mystical texts, the speakers noted a constant tension between “literalism” and the creative freedom of spiritual aesthetics. There was also a discussion on the “female presence” in these discourses, whose retrieval often fades because of the prominence of male voices. S. Rouyett advocated for a greater inclusion of female voices without any mediation by men \u2014 a process leading towards real gender equality. Regarding the Andalusian case, R. Sakrani reminded the audience that we must not romanticise this historical period, since this aesthetics of coexistence did not prevent the cruelty of the Inquisition, highlighting the historical limits of a model that did not survive the disappearance of its political will. It was said that we must address and analyse the power structures and what has been called the “sociology of domination”, which often existed beneath the surface of coexistence.<\/p>\n

These abuses of power were a great point of discussion, but at the same time the three panellists agreed that we must co-construct celebrations and rituals that prioritise sensitivity and personal experience. That is because this ensures that hospitality is not just a theoretical philosophy, but rather a pragmatic daily art of inhabiting the presence of the Other.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/details>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"date_tournage":"","lieu":"","nature_evenement":"","vt_type":"Conf\u00e9rence","vt_yt_views":46},"video_collection":[854],"class_list":["post-35838","videos","type-videos","status-publish","hentry","video_collection-congres-de-cordoue-2026"],"date_tournage":"","yoast_head":"\nAesthetics of living together: visualising an Islamic ethics of the other in al-Andalus - Pluriel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pluriel.fuce.eu\/en\/videos\/aesthetics-of-living-together-visualising-an-islamic-ethics-of-the-other-in-al-andalus\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Aesthetics of living together: visualising an Islamic ethics of the other in al-Andalus - Pluriel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Paper presented at the fifth international congress of the University Platform for Research on Islam (Pluriel), held in Cordoba from 10 to 14 February 2026 on the theme “Ethics and Aesthetics in Islam”. 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