The Language of the Taj Mahal: Islam, Prayer, and the Religion of Shah Jahan

by Michael D. Calabria

Overview

The Taj Mahal, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1592-1666 CE) as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631 CE), is considered exceptional in the history of world architecture.This book provides a deeper understanding of the Taj Mahal and its builder by examining its inscriptions within their architectural, historical and biographical contexts. The texts adorning the Taj Mahal comprise verses from twenty-two different chapters of the Qur'an but their meaning and significance escapes most non-Muslim visitors or those unable to read them. This book will be the first dedicated solely to the inscriptions in the monument, providing translations, commentary and interpretation of the texts. As well as offering a unique approach to the study of the building, the book uses the inscriptions to expound the foundational elements of Islam, the faith of Shah Jahan and also what the Taj Mahal still means today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780755637898
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/18/2023
Series:	Library of Islamic South Asia
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

Michael Calabria is Director of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Franciscan Institute, St Bonaventure University, New York, U.S where he is also Associate Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies. He has published in the journals South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies and Journal of Religion and Film. He completed his PhD at the Arab and Islamic Studies Centre, University of Exeter, UK.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface & Acknowledgements

Notes on Translation, Transliteration and Dates


Part One: Historical Background

I. The Prince and the Calligrapher

II. The Emperor and the Calligrapher

Part Two: The Texts of the Taj Mahal
The Great Gate (Southern Façade)

III. Return to Your Lord: al-Fajr

The Mausoleum Exterior

IV. The Trumpet Will Sound: Ya Sin

V. Where Are You Going? al-Takwir

VI. The Graves Are Shaken: al-Infitar

VII. You Will Meet Your Lord: al-Inshiqaq

VIII. God Is Well Pleased: al-Bayyinah

The Mausoleum Interior

IX. Look Again! al-Mulk

X. A Seed Sends Forth Its Shoot: al-Fath

XI. A Reward for You: al-Insan

XII. Turn to Your Lord: al-Zumar (39.53-54)

XIII. The Cenotaphs

Upper Cenotaph: Fussilat 41.30
al-Mum'min 40.7-8
al-Mu'affin 83.22-28
al-Baqarah 2.286
al-Hash 59.22

Lower Cenotaph: al-Zumar 39.53
Al Imran 3.185
al-Mu'minun 23.118
al-Hashr 59.22
al-'Asma' al-Husna

The Mosque

XIV. Purify Your Soul: al-Shams & al-Ikhlas

The Great Gate (Northern Façade)

XV. The Future Will Be Better: al-Huda

XVI. With Hardship There is Comfort: al-Shara

XVII.Why Do You Deny Faith? al-Tin

Part Three: Conclusion

XVIII. The Religion of Shah Jahan

Chronology

Glossary

Bibliography

Indexes
1. Index of Persons

2. General Index

3. Qur'anic Citations

Editorial Reviews

Michael Calabria's The Language of the Taj Mahal is n important, unique and thoroughly engaging study of one of the Seven Wonders of the World attracts millions of Muslims and tourists every year. As its subtitle: Islam, Prayer and the Religion of Shah Jahan, indicates, while The Taj Mahal addresses the historical context, art and architecture of the Taj Mahal, its new and primary focus on its religious significance. Calabria masterfully investigates and explains how the personal faith and piety of Shah Jahan influenced its design and construction and how the extensive use of Qur'anic inscriptions reflect basic and core belief and teachings of the Quran and Islam in seventeenth century South Asia.” —John L. Esposito, Professor of Islamic Studies, Georgetown University, USA

“Michael Calabria's The Language of the Taj Mahal is an invaluable contribution to the field of Islamic studies and to religious studies broadly. It offers a unique lens for studying expressions of Muslim faith and spirituality drawing on, as it does, a variety of disciplinary perspectives including art and architecture, history, and theology.
Calabria sees the Taj not just as a “work of architecture but as text” (xii) which allows him to “read” the monument, thus discovering and then, based on meticulous research, explaining the significance of the mausoleum as a whole, as well as of the specific Qur'anic verses inscribed throughout the building complex. An important feature of this work is how it makes the key figures associated with the Taj come alive and facilitate our understanding of the time and place in which they lived.
In effect, Calabria engages in dialogue with the Taj. Even as he illustrates some of its visible (architectural, historical…) treasures, its hidden (spiritual, cultural…) gems become manifest in the process (and vice-versa), revealing the importance of considering the wider humanities context in religious studies.” —Irfan A. Omar, Marquette University, USA

“"In this meticulous work, Michael Calabria unveils the spiritual dimension of the Taj Mahal by reading the monument as a 'holy text'. The author demonstrates that the Taj Mahal is not only a monument of love but also a spiritual testament of Emperor Shah Jahan, an elegant expression of his Islamic Faith that he approached sincerely but lived out imperfectly. The Taj Mahal emerges in the heart of the reader as a whirling dervish who swirls 'time' into moments of 'transcendence'. This remarkable book is an invitation to enter into spiritual conversation with Emperor Shah Jahan, his aide Amanat Khan and the Taj Mahal itself. I recommend the book for those who are interested in history, religions and mysticism."” —Joseph Victor Edwin, Vidyajyoti College of Theology, Delhi, India

From the Publisher