Beauty as a Moral Concept in Islamic Heritage and its Relation to Our Present and Future

This lecture highlights the importance of understanding beauty as an ethical concept in the broad sense, encompassing both the tangible and the intangible and linking ethics and aesthetics under one umbrella. The research is based on a comprehensive, methodological study that reveals the pivotal role played by the concept of ihsān—which integrates both beauty and goodness—in the Qur’anic moral worldview. The talk links these concepts to the cultural output of the Islamic civilization in its various forms; intellectual, artistic, and architectural. The discussion also addresses the individual's relationship with their surroundings and the impact of Western modernist thought, which separates humans from nature, on shaping our perspectives. It emphasizes the importance of approaching urban planning in a holistic manner, linking essence with appearance, present with past, and the spiritual with the worldly, thus enabling us to live in harmony with our heritage and with the surrounding universe.

Amira Abou-Taleb is a Visiting Scholar of Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki in Finland, where she previously earned her PhD. Her research focuses on the interplay of ethics and aesthetics in the Qur’an and their connection to lived reality. She is the creator of the course “Beauty & Reason in the Arab/Islamic Civilization” which she taught at the American University in Cairo before teaching it at the University of Helsinki. She is passionate about community service and contributes to NGOs working in the fields of environmental awareness, women's empowerment and public health. Prior to her academic career, Amira was an advertising executive working in Cairo and Los Angeles. Her recent publications include an article titled "Iḥsān: A Mandate for Beauty and Goodness in Family Relations" in the book Justice and Beauty in Muslim Marriage: Towards Egalitarian Ethics ​​and Laws, published in English by Oneworld and in Arabic by Kotob Khan.

** This lecture is free for the public but requires registration and will be conducted in Arabic.

It is organized in collaboration with the «Critical Approaches to Heritage and history» module as part of the BIAS-AME 2025 Diploma program.

This Project is implemented with the support of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture – AFAC, through a grant from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation – SDC.