PRESERVATION OF
CULTURAL HERITAGE
Cultural heritage is another name for what is commonly called a historical monument. From a local perspective, it is cultural heritage, and from a universal perspective, it is a historical monument. The importance of cultural heritage or historical monuments in the Islamic tradition is the same as that recognized in other traditions or disciplines.
The preservation of cultural heritage is one of those general human concerns in which there is no difference between the secular and Islamic points of view. According to Islam as well, it is undoubtedly something worthy of preservation. If the record of the past is not preserved, a reliable source of knowledge for future generations will be lost. This would be a historical loss that cannot be compensated for by any other means.
Islam is a religion of nature. Everything that is worthy of consideration according to nature and reason will also be worthy of consideration in Islam. The natural requirement of something is itself proof that it is also a requirement of Islam.
An important and well-established principle in Islamic law is this: “The basic rule regarding things is permissibility” (al-Mabsut by al-Sarakhsi, Vol. 24, p. 77). In light of this legal principle, preserving cultural heritage is certainly a permissible act in Islam. The fact is that nowhere in the Quran or the Sunnah is there any command prohibiting the preservation of cultural heritage. When no such prohibition exists in the Quran and Sunnah, preserving cultural heritage is, by itself, deemed permissible. No further proof is required to establish its legitimacy.
Moreover, a study of the Quran shows that there are references which directly point to the importance of cultural heritage and serve as positive evidence in support of its significance. Here are a few relevant references from Islamic sources in this connection.
1. One Quranic verse related to this matter is as follows. God says: “Bring me a Book revealed before this or some other vestige of knowledge” (46:4). In this verse, the phrase atharatin min ‘ilm (some remnant of knowledge) means a remnant of knowledge. I understand this to refer to what is today called the archaeological record or historical record.
Such records are an extremely important source of knowledge for understanding events of the past. In this situation, preserving this record of the past becomes essential—both from an academic point of view and from an Islamic point of view.
2. A practical example of preserving cultural or historical records is found in the Quran in connection with Pharaoh. The Quran states that when Pharaoh, who was a contemporary of Moses, drowned and died, God said to him: “We shall save your body this day, so that you may serve as a sign for those who come after you: for many people are indeed heedless of Our signs.” (10:92)
This verse clearly shows the significance of preserving historical remains so that later generations may learn from them.
As is known, the body of this Pharaoh was mummified after death according to Egyptian custom and placed in a pyramid. This mummified heritage of Egyptian culture was preserved under God’s plan until it was taken out from an Egyptian pyramid in the late nineteenth century. Using the modern method of carbon dating, it was established that this was the same Pharaoh who drowned during the time of Moses. This preserved body of Pharaoh is still kept in the Cairo Museum today as evidence of the Quranic verse mentioned above.
As is known, Pharaoh was a polytheist king. Despite this, God willed that his body be preserved. This shows that not only ordinary elements of cultural history, but even the body of a polytheist king, can be preserved. On this basis, it would be correct to say that preserving the two-thousand-year-old Buddha statues in Bamiyan is as desirable in Islam as it is in other traditions or disciplines.
3. In the context of the history of the Children of Israel, the Quran states that they possessed a hereditary Ark (a chest) that was preserved from generation to generation as a source of reassurance for them. In this Ark, relics belonging to the families of Moses and Aaron were preserved. In other words, this was exactly what is called cultural heritage in modern times. The Quran shows that this hereditary Ark was considered so important that, on one occasion, angels carried it from one place to another (2:248).
I believe this is a clear example in the Quran of preserving cultural heritage. It underscores both the importance of cultural heritage and the fact that preserving it across generations is not against divine law.
4. The Quran describes one quality of the believer as al-sai’h (9:112), meaning travelling across the earth and, by seeing the remains and dwellings left behind by earlier nations, taking lessons from them (28:58). Repeatedly, the Quran states: Say, “Travel about the land and see what was the end of the deniers.” (6:11)
Accordingly, Islam requires that historical remains be preserved in their original form so that those who see them may learn lessons from them. If historical remains are not preserved, the educational objective of Islamic travel will be lost.
5. Culture is always the heritage of a group or a community. Every community has the absolute right to protect its culture. In matters of culture, it will not be judged whether it is in accordance with Islam or against it. Whenever a community regards something as its culture and wishes to preserve it, this right will be granted to it. Just as this right is recognized in secularism, it is equally recognized in Islam.
An example of this can be seen during the caliphate of the second caliph, ‘Umar al-Faruq. When Jerusalem (Aelia) was conquered, ‘Umar himself traveled from Madinah to Jerusalem. At that time, the agreement concluded between the Islamic Caliphate and the Christian community included, among other provisions, a clause stipulating that the items present in Christian churches would be preserved—such as the statues of Mary and Christ and the sacred wood on which, according to Christian belief, Jesus was crucified:
“This is the assurance of safety granted by the servant of God, Umar son of al-Khattab, the leader of the believers, to the people of Aelia. He grants them security for their lives and their property, for their churches and their crosses, for the sick among them and the healthy, and for all those who follow their faith. Their churches shall not be inhabited by others, nor shall they be destroyed. Nothing shall be diminished from them, from their premises, from their crosses, or from any of their possessions. They shall not be compelled in matters of their religion, nor shall any one of them be harmed.” (Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 3, p. 609)
These things were part of Christian culture, yet the agreement stated that the Christian community would have the right to ensure that their churches would not be demolished and that no harm would be done to their cultural heritage. They were free to protect their culture in whatever way they wished.
From this precedent set by the second caliph, it becomes clear that every community has the right to preserve whatever it considers to be part of its culture, whether it lives under a Muslim government or outside it. No government has the right to interfere in the cultural affairs of any group. The preservation of culture is a matter that should remain free from governmental intervention.
An important point in this regard is that in matters of international significance, Islam’s norm will be the same as the norm agreed upon by other nations. This principle in Islam, concerning international norms, is derived from certain established precedents found in the practice of the Prophet of Islam e.
For example, in the later period of the Prophet of Islam e, a man from Yemen named Musaylimah claimed prophethood. He sent a delegation of two men to the Prophet of Islam e in Madinah, conveying the message that the Prophet should acknowledge his claim. During their stay in Madinah, they committed a punishable offense. The Prophet e stated that had it not been the established practice that envoys are not punished, he would have punished both of them (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 2761).
This statement of the Prophet of Islam e clearly shows that if something is internationally accepted, it will also be accepted in Islam. In light of this principle, preserving cultural heritage is as important in Islam as it is in the view of other nations. In the modern world, cultural heritage and historical monuments are preserved with great importance, and the same will undoubtedly be the case in Islam. In this matter, Islam has no separate method that differs from others.
The Prophet of Islam e was born in Makkah, where date palm trees did not grow. Later, he migrated to Madinah, where there were date orchards. One day, he passed by an orchard outside the town where people were climbing on date palm trees and carrying out hand pollination. He advised them not to do so.
The following year, the date crop yield was poor. When the Prophet asked about the reason, the people said that he had advised them against pollination, whereas good yields depend on it. On hearing this, the Prophet of Islam e said: Continue doing what you used to do, for you know better about the affairs of your worldly life (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2362).
From this statement of the Prophet e, an important principle becomes clear—namely, the distinction between matters of belief and those of worldly affairs. In Islam, matters of life that by their nature belong to worldly affairs are not made part of belief; rather, they are governed by knowledge and scholarly inquiry. In such matters, whatever is established as correct through research is accepted as correct. This applies to fields ranging from agriculture and horticulture to engineering, history, and similar disciplines. The preservation of cultural heritage or historical monuments also falls within this category of matters that are subject to research, not to faith.
In summary, both in principle and in practical precedent, it is established that Islam’s position regarding the preservation of cultural heritage or historical monuments is the same as that adopted in other traditions and academic disciplines. If, for any reason, a monument located in a Muslim country is considered unsuitable to be retained there, it should not be destroyed. Rather, it should be transferred to interested countries or institutions so that it may be preserved in museums.
The destruction of the Buddha statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, in 2001 had no basis in Islam. It was an act of extremism, and according to the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet e, extremism has no place in Islam. (Al-Risala, April 2007)
