Quran as Scripture in Classical Muslim Scholarship

Recent scholarship focuses on the plasticity of the concept of “scripture” as it is defined by different religious traditions. Based on its contents, the Quran is most commonly compared to the Bible, yet such an approach misses the distinct way that the Quran is understood as an authoritative text by classical Muslim scholarship. Even “basic” information—knowing the number of words, the names of surahs, the structure of the text—is essential to understanding how Muslims see the Quran as scripture and the foundations upon which it is built. Muslims regard the Quran as the word of God, revealed to the prophet Muhammad, the primary source for determining the beliefs and practices of Islam. The text of the Quran is used in the teaching of Arabic and is the focus of Islamic learning. It is regarded as interceding on behalf of those who revere it, is recited as a part of regular rituals, and is treated as a sacred object in ritual and everyday settings. The exegetical and ritual use of the Quran is a fundamental means for Muslims to both relate and distinguish themselves from other religious identities, especially those such as Jews and Christians, with whom they share a common scriptural tradition.

The Way of Steve Lacy: Finding Individuality through Musical Genealogy

<p>This research project traces Lacy’s life in music, looking at his long period of apprenticeship, the brief but important period in which he focussed exclusively on free improvisation, and the subsequent years spent formulating and creating his own music. It uses both musical analysis of his improvisations and his compositions and commentary on the path he chose, in an attempt to define his place in 20th century music and the legacy he leaves us. The second part of the project involves my own compositions, which investigate areas similar to those which Lacy explored in his lifetime. These include finding a relationship between composition and improvisation in which both methods are given equal value. Their respective qualities, such as the collective interplay found in improvisation or the structure that composition supplies, are being cultivated. The point of these works is not to investigate methods of composition or conduction in which improvisation or semi-improvisation can be integrated. In this music the improvisers have as few limitations as possible, so that they are free to improvise. The works merely look to find a balance where these two methods can co-exist. The pieces are mostly idiomatic although they use genre as a point of departure rather than a fixed entity. They attempt to transcend, or in some cases to subvert, the idiom to which they are referring. They have been written intuitively and developed and refined through live performance. The compositions for the ensemble, The Troubles, were developed over a year of weekly live performances and there was a degree of autonomy and democracy for all the performers. A score in this music is perhaps akin to many of the practices to be found in the creation of contemporary theatre, where a text can be treated, elaborated upon, toyed with, where there are moments where things have been devised by the ensemble, rather than viewed as a sacred object. It is possible to imagine that Lacy too worked in this manner with his regular group. In these pieces I have tried to heed Braque’s lessons, and to avoid mimicry, yet in this work I hope to capture something of the spirit of Steve Lacy.</p>

The Way of Steve Lacy: Finding Individuality through Musical Genealogy

<p>This research project traces Lacy’s life in music, looking at his long period of apprenticeship, the brief but important period in which he focussed exclusively on free improvisation, and the subsequent years spent formulating and creating his own music. It uses both musical analysis of his improvisations and his compositions and commentary on the path he chose, in an attempt to define his place in 20th century music and the legacy he leaves us. The second part of the project involves my own compositions, which investigate areas similar to those which Lacy explored in his lifetime. These include finding a relationship between composition and improvisation in which both methods are given equal value. Their respective qualities, such as the collective interplay found in improvisation or the structure that composition supplies, are being cultivated. The point of these works is not to investigate methods of composition or conduction in which improvisation or semi-improvisation can be integrated. In this music the improvisers have as few limitations as possible, so that they are free to improvise. The works merely look to find a balance where these two methods can co-exist. The pieces are mostly idiomatic although they use genre as a point of departure rather than a fixed entity. They attempt to transcend, or in some cases to subvert, the idiom to which they are referring. They have been written intuitively and developed and refined through live performance. The compositions for the ensemble, The Troubles, were developed over a year of weekly live performances and there was a degree of autonomy and democracy for all the performers. A score in this music is perhaps akin to many of the practices to be found in the creation of contemporary theatre, where a text can be treated, elaborated upon, toyed with, where there are moments where things have been devised by the ensemble, rather than viewed as a sacred object. It is possible to imagine that Lacy too worked in this manner with his regular group. In these pieces I have tried to heed Braque’s lessons, and to avoid mimicry, yet in this work I hope to capture something of the spirit of Steve Lacy.</p>

USER’S PERCEPTIONS OF SACREDNESS (Case Study: Catholic Churches in Indonesia)

Sacredness in Catholic churches has two aspects: sacredness derived from the purpose and activities of worship and sacredness that arises from the physical and spatial aspects of a church building. The purpose of this study was to reveal factors that affect sacredness in Catholic churches from the perspective of the worshiper. The researchers conducted an exploratory qualitative research to collect text data related to the perception of Catholic church sacredness. The data were collected through an online questionnaire. The researchers also conducted an explanatory quantitative research to uncover the relationship between level of church sacredness and physical and nonphysical factors. The results showed that the ‘sacred spirit’ factor tends to be more dominant in affecting church sacredness compared to ‘sacred object’. Worshipers measure church sacredness according to ‘devoted reflection’, ‘relationship with God’, ‘quality of space’, ‘enclosure acculturation’, and ‘building style’.

PERGESERAN MAKNA MITOS NILAI SPIRITUAL KEBUDAYAAN ONDEL-ONDEL PADA KEPERCAYAAN MASYARAKAT BETAWI ZAMAN DAHULU DAN ZAMAN SEKARANG

Ondel-ondel is a cultural performance of the Betawi people passed down from generation to generation. However, the problem that occurs is that along with the development of the era, ondel-ondel is no longer a sacred object and is no longer used for ritual offerings and the loss of cultural values of the ancestors. The purpose of making this journal is to find out the shift in the meaning of the ondel-ondel cultural myth to the beliefs of the people of Jakarta. The method used in this study uses a qualitative approach and data collection techniques use interview techniques, observation and analysis of various journals or literature studies. The subject of this research was conducted on 4 people, namely a number of the Jakarta community about their views on the shift in the meaning of the myth of ondel-ondel art. In this day and age, ondel-ondel shows are very easy to find, especially on roadside areas in Jakarta. Unlike the old days, ondel-ondel was only displayed when there were certain events such as a traditional Betawi wedding. The result of this research is that there are differences and shifts in the meaning of ondel-ondel cultural myths. In ancient times ondel-ondel was only displayed during certain events. And people in ancient times tend to still believe in the existing ondel-ondel cultural myths. Unlike the current era, ondel-ondel is used as a means of getting money. The benefit of this research is to find out what values have been lost from previous cultures and be able to take good positive values taught in previous cultures without taking the negative values found in the past culture. It is enough to make historical knowledge to remember existing history. This study concludes that there has been a shift in meaning in the myth of ondel-ondel culture and sadly it occurs due to the pressure of economic factors.

THE IMAGE OF THE IRON POPLAR IN ORAL HISTORY (IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERPRETATION OF PAZYRYK CULTURE MATERIALS)

The world tree is one of the universals of culture. Despite the fact that the image of a tree, in particular a birch, is well developed in Altai folklore studies, the motives associated with poplar have been little studied, which is the relevance of the topic. A typological analysis of the materials of the Altai heroic epic revealed such stable motives about the poplar as a sacred object that gives prophetic knowledge, the elixir of immortality, and also as a ritual pillar with the sacrifice of the maral. As a result of the study of the material in the context of the Altai Pazyryk culture, it was possible to interpret the image of a tree on a buckle from the Siberian collection of Peter I as a prototype of the world poplar. In conclusion, the chemical properties and their features on human impact are noted, and, accordingly, the possibility of using black poplar for medicinal purposes and for embalming in the Pazyryk time.

FEATURES OF LOCALIZATION OF THE WOODEN ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHES IN GALICIA IN URBAN PLANNING UNITS

The article presents the results of a study on the peculiarities of the localization of wooden Roman-Catholic churches in Galicia in urban units. It is established that the architecture of wooden Roman Catholic churches in Galicia in the second half of the XVII-th – first half of the XX-th centuries depended on a number of urban factors formed under the influence of geographical zoning, political circumstances, stylistic preferences and more. There are five main types of structural organization of the settlement or its part, in which the sacred object is localized: central, linear, axial, radial, combined. It is established that the planning and three-dimensional composition of the temple complex was influenced, first of all, by the location in the settlement system, in particular, five typical schemes were revealed: 1) at the market area; 2) at the main street; 3) in the central part of the settlement on a visible elevated place; 4) in the peripheral part, near the yards of the owners of settlements; 5) on the outskirts of the settlement – in the cemetery. The first two schemes are typical to small towns. It has been confirmed that one of the main features by which it is also possible to differentiate the studied objects is orientation. It has been confirmed that the dominant role of the temple was often provided by a tower in order to establish the Latin rite in rural areas. It has been found that, unlike Polish temples, which are more often the accents in the surrounding buildings, for German towers or turrets – a mandatory element. There is a difference in the national affiliation of the church in the way of landscaping, in particular – near Polish churches planted conifers, while near the temples of German colonists – deciduous species (oaks, lindens, ashes), which was due to their traditional symbolic meaning.

ABOUT THE COMMUNICATIVE FUNCTION OF ALCOHOLIC DRINKS IN THE RITUAL PRACTICES OF THE AINU

The ritual in the traditional Ainu culture was the way of the communication with the deities. The offering of the alcoholic drinks which serves as a means of communication during the ritual was obligatory. This communicative situation supposed a beneficial exchange between people and deities. The people offered the divine drinks to the deities and they were supposed to help people in their everyday life. The sacred object, intended only for communication with deities ikupasui/ikunisi stick served as a channel of communication. The drink was drunk from specially designed dishes. Special songs and dances were performed during the ritual. The joint consumption of alcohol united the world of humans and the world of deities with each other.

Whom the Great Goddess Protects: Narratives and Practices of Neo-Traditionalism in Modern Religious Conceptions of South-Siberian Turks

The article considers the evolution of the traditional religion of South Siberian Turks influenced by modernisation. The author solves the problem of identification the prerequisites of gender asymmetry displacement in favour of feminisation of the religious beliefs of Khakass and Altai peoples. Methodological basis of the research is a conception of socio-cultural neo-traditionalism. Sacralisation of notable sites and related monuments of historical and cultural heritage is considered as one of the ways to overcome the collective memory trauma caused by modernisation. In order to substantiate her position, the author refers to the cases illustrating the desire to spot the source of sacred power of an ethnic community in archaeological artefacts. In collective memory of Khakass and Altai peoples, this power is embodied in the symbols associated with female reproductive and protective capacity. The author shows the specifics of narratives and practices of neo-traditionalism among the Turks of South Siberia on the example of nation-wide cults that have developed around their worship of Khurtuyakh-Tas and Ak-Kydyn. Particular attention is paid to the connection between the sacred and the secular in the formation of ethno-confessional narrative around the idea of female deity as a patron and guardian of life force of the people. The empirical basis of the research is the results of sociological expeditions carried out by the author from 2003 to 2018 in the Republic of Altai and Republic of Khakassia. The author analyses the cases of conflicting and conflict-free imposition of two hypostases of the same monument: a museum archaeological artefact and a sacred object of religious worship. The article substantiates the thesis that with the introduction of scientific rationality into public consciousness the religious discourse takes a new breath, becomes an element of social and political life of the national republics of South Siberia. The article concludes that patriarchal basis of traditional culture is eroded and its vanished elements are replaced by symbols associated with feminine strength.

Shani on the Web: Virality and Vitality in Digital Popular Hinduism

What do god posters circulating online tell us about the practice of popular Hinduism in the age of digital mediatization? The article seeks to address the question by exploring images and god posters dedicated to the planetary deity Shani on Web 2.0. The article tracks Shani’s presence on a range of online platforms—from the religion and culture pages of newspapers to YouTube videos and social media platforms. Using Shani’s presence on the Web as a case study, the article argues that content drawn from popular Hinduism, dealing with astrology, ritual, religious vows and observances, form a significant and substantial aspect of online Hinduism. The article draws attention to the specific affordances of Web 2.0 to radically rethink what engaging with the sacred object in a virtual realm may entail. In doing so, it indicates what the future of Hindu religiosity may look like.