Jannat: Paradise in Islamic Art Mumtaz Currim, ed. Mumbai: The Marg Foundation, 2012. 144 pages. This rare publication on Islamic art and architecture revolves around a clear conceptual idea. A plethora of broad and specific survey texts continue to be published; however, very seldom does a thematic book come along with a thor- ough look at one idea. The collection is composed of an introduction, a port- 128 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 31:2 ajiss31-2_ajiss 3/26/2014 8:07 AM Page 128 folio, and ten essays. As with many compilations, the essays are not all of the same caliber and there are some structural issues. And yet the whole is a re- freshing look at the theme of jannat (paradise) in Islamic art and architecture in the Indian subcontinent. Not only are several historical eras encompassed, but the important connection to contemporary artistic expressions is also made. Mumtaz Currim’s introduction succinctly discusses the themes covered. His excellent summary of the philosophical and cosmological concepts of par- adise in relation to the garden is followed by a clear account of the chahar bagh (quad-partite garden) and the Mughal legacy of gardens as microcosms of paradise. The relationship of water to both gardens and paradise are re- flected upon with respect to engineering and the expressions in textile art. The section concludes with a look at paradise in literary works and popular art. The portfolio includes beautiful reproductions of two very different groups of calligraphic art. The first collection is from the twelfth- to sixteenth- century manuscript Qur’ans in Hyderabad’s Salar Jung Museum. The selected verses refer to paradise, such as those found in the chapters of al-Fātiḥah (The Opening), al-Raḥmān (The Merciful), and al-Wāqi‘ah (The Event). The man- uscripts’ calligraphy, as well as their geometric and arabesque elaborations, are vividly reproduced in the color images. The second collection consists of contemporary artworks by Salwa Rasool, who uses canvas, vellum, leather, and other materials to focus on the Names of Allah and Sūrat al-Fātiḥah’s, chapter and religious phrases. With very little accompanying text, aside from the notation of details, the reader is introduced to the concept of paradise through the sheer beauty of the Qur’an’s textual descriptions and the word’s evocative role. The juxtaposition of historical and contemporary works reveals the continuity of the concepts in Islamic cultures. The first essay, M. Z. A. Shakeb’s “Islamic Cosmology and Paradise,’’ pro- vides a brief summary of cosmological studies in Islam from the tenth to the sixteenth centuries by looking at the works of the Ikwan al-Safa, Ibn Sina, Ibn al-Arabi, and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti. Unfortunately, it relies heavily on Sayyed Hossien Nasr’s research rather than on the primary sources in question. The essay concludes with an analysis of the aesthetic aspects of cosmology. Yet this essay, as well as the accompanying drawings, are also heavily referenced from the research of another scholar: Keith Critchlow. As an introductory text, it summarizes other research and contributes no new insights. The second essay, Mumtaz Currim’s “Enter Thou My Paradise: The Sig- nificance of Funerary Inscriptions,” concentrates on the funerary inscriptions found on major epitaphs and tombs in India from the Delhi Sultanate to Gu- jarat, Bengal, the Deccan, and Mughal works. The study analyzes script types Book Reviews 129 ajiss31-2_ajiss 3/26/2014 8:07 AM Page 129 and favored phrases that mention paradise as the deceased’s final abode. Al- though the research is fascinating, the essay needs more images of the funerary texts discussed and abruptly ends with a funerary quote from a Mughal tomb instead of a conclusion. The third essay, Azim Nanji’s “Imagining Paradise: The Legacy of Mughal Garden,” outlines the context, concept, form, and de- sign followed by three key groups of Mughal gardens: the garden tomb of Humayun, the gardens of Kashmir under Jahangir, and the gardens under Shah Jahan. This detailed study renders the earthly manifestation of paradise pal- pable both as the aspiration of the emperors and of those who continue to enjoy them. The fourth essay, Philippa Vaughan’s “Paradise, Sovereignty, and Aes- thetics under the Great Mughals,” looks at the Mughal’s various artistic ex- pressions. From the initial general description of legitimacy, sovereignty, and the ideal ruler, it moves on to discusses Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan’s wide-ranging patronage from tombs and mosques to portraits and translations of important literary and philosophical works. Although the study’s premise is promising, her conclusion that paradise is a vital element in Mughal sover- eignty seems underdeveloped, especially with so much repetition of the case studies presented in the previous essay. One of the most original works of research is the fifth essay, Klaus Rötzer’s “Supply Water to Deccani Paradises 1350-1650.” Rötzer describes the geological setting of the dry Deccan area, and thus the reason for water’s amplified importance as an earthly and paradise-like respite. He lists four Dec- can cities and then focuses on eight examples of waterworks, including the baoli (step well), ḥammām (bath house), dams, palaces, and gardens. The au- thor has illustrated his research with ample drawings of plans, sections, ax- onometric drawings, digital modeling, and photographs. The images, coupled with the concise analysis, beautifully illustrate the scientific and metaphorical shaping of an earthly paradise with water. The sixth essay, Syamali Das’ “A Woven Paradise: The Great Persian Garden Carpet of Jaipur,” is a meticulous study of an extraordinary carpet ac- quired in the early seventeenth-century by Mirza Raja Jai Singh. A singular piece of unparalleled size (8.37 x 3.74 m) and detail, it evokes a colorful and intricate paradise through the geometries of the chahar bagh garden compo- sition. The essay elucidates the carpet’s history and context and analyzes its composition in terms of design, content, and colors. It concludes with the provocative statement that the design of Lahore’s Mughal Shalimar Bagh was constructed after the carpet was acquired. This garden does, in fact, emulate the carpet’s particular geometry and layout. 130 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 31:2 ajiss31-2_ajiss 3/26/2014 8:07 AM Page 130 The seventh essay, Hussain Jasani’s “Jannatpuri: Text and Context,” ex- amines the ginan devotional literature of the Nizari Isma‘ilis, a quarter of which makes direct references to paradise. He deals with Sayyid Imam Shah’s (d. 1513) Jannatpuri, which is a “highly mythologized account of Imam Shah’s odyssey” (p. 104) to paradise. The word Jannatpuri is composed of jannat (Ar. paradise) and puri, which means “city” in many Indian languages. Thus the word represents the combination of different cultural ideas. Paradise is described in local terms using local flora and fauna. Similar to miniature paintings, this devotional literature is used to help visualize such spiritual con- cepts as paradise. The eighth essay, Ali Akbar Husain’s “Gulshan-i Ishq: Nusrati’s Gardens of Love,” describes the masnavi verse narratives of the sixteenth- and seven- teenth-centuries composed in Persian and Dakkani in the courts of Adil Shah’is Qutb Shahis at Bijapur and Golconda. The verse narratives depict how poets perceive gardens. This piece, the Gulshan-i Ishq (The Flower Gar- den of Love) elaborates on a well-known romance story. The author summa- rizes the trials involved and uses the garden’s description as part of the allegory and allusion of moving through spiritual trials to achieve ultimate happiness and paradise. The light, perfume, and sound of nature are imparted to evoke the experiential qualities of the paradise garden. The essay is complemented with beautiful reproductions (with text and images) from historical manu- scripts as well as transliterated and translated passages from the narrative. The ninth essay, Syed Khalid Qadri’s “Javid Nama: Iqbal’s Heavenly Journey,” reviews Mohamed Iqbal’s (1877-1938) magnum opus Javid Nama. Modeled on Dante’s Divine Comedy, it describes the author’s fantasy journey to heaven guided by Rumi. The vivid accounts evoke the specificity of India. The essay is complemented with images of a mural made in 1982 based on this narrative, located in the home of Iqbal’s son. However, its relationship to the book’s garden theme is tenuous because the author focuses on summariz- ing the narrative. The final essay, Yusuf Saeed’s “Jannat Ki Rail: Images of Paradise in India’s Muslim Popular Culture,” probes the vernacular literature and visual culture of South Asian Muslims. Examples of calendars, poster art, cassette covers, and religious pamphlets are juxtaposed with images from seventeenth- century miniatures of the mi‘rāj (the Prophet’s journey to heaven) to make the essay’s case that the translation of religious concepts, especially the prom- ise of a luxurious and plentiful paradise, continues to hold aspirational power especially for the impoverished. Thus the cassette recordings’ metaphors (e.g., a “train to heaven”), posters with images of abundant fruit, and icons like the Book Reviews 131 ajiss31-2_ajiss 3/26/2014 8:07 AM Page 131 Ka‘bah or the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, remain widespread. Paradise remains the ever-present promised land for those who remain on the right path, as expressed in popular vernacular art forms. Jannat: Paradise in Islamic Art is a comprehensive thematic collection that provides some truly original insights. The cumulative effect of under- standing paradise, as manifested in cosmological writing, literal garden design, carpet design, waterworks engineering, and literary and popular art, evokes the extended and encompassing power of the theme as a continuous and living concept. The focus on one region, India, enables one to easily read the parallels in the various facets. The novice and expert alike will enjoy this collection in its totality or in its particular essays. However, it would have benefitted from a concluding chapter reflecting on the theme as a whole. Tammy Gaber Assistant Professor of Architecture, School of Architecture Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada 132 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 31:2 ajiss31-2_ajiss 3/26/2014 8:07 AM Page 132