Time Perception and the Sense of Sight in Islamic Traditions Hannelies Koloska.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Koloska, Hannelies, editor.

Series:

Chronoi , 2701-1453 ; 25

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (VIII, 200 p.)

Place of Publication:

Berlin Boston De Gruyter, [2026]

Language Note:

In English.

Biography/History:

Hannelies Koloska , The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

Summary:

What does it mean to see time passing? This volume argues that the perception of time is inseparable from acts of seeing and the cultural frameworks that direct the gaze. While much has been written on Islamic notions of time or vision separately, their intersection has rarely been explored. Bringing together case studies from Qurʾānic studies, law, theology, poetry, architecture, and museology, the volume opens a new field of inquiry into the visual construction of temporality in Islamic thought and expression. It traces how sight shapes and is shaped by the experience of time-from the observation of celestial motion in early law (Hentschel) and Ibn Qutayba's epistemology (Lahav), to dreams that collapse temporal boundaries (Amir) and the Qurʾān's creation of memory through vision (Koloska). Further chapters explore poetic duration (Aweida), architectural means to engage cyclical time and reflect eternity (Kol), and the museum as a modern temporal agent (Tütüncü Çağlar). A concluding philosophical dialogue (Shardlow) activates Islamic and Western perspectives together, opening a new field for studying how vision makes time are deeply related. The volume addresses scholars of Islamic studies, philosophy, art history, and theology interested in perception, temporality, and comparative thought.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

1Introduction: Time and Vision in Islamic Traditions / Hannelies Koloska

Vision, Law, and Temporal Order10

11Observing the Moment / Yunus V. Hentschel

35Dreams as Collapsing Time and the Question of Tradition / Or Amir

51Vision and Time in Ibn Qutayba's Traditionist Islam / Yehonatan Yahav

Poetic and Qurʾānic Temporalities68

69Creating Time through Memory and Vision / Hannelies Koloska

87The Vision of Time in Ṭarafa ibn al-ʿAbd's Muʿallaqa / Ula Aweida

Material Cultures and Time Perception120

121Illuminating Time / Inbal Kol

139Curating the Past: The Ottoman Imperial Museum and Historical Consciousness / Filiz Tütüncü Çağlar

Philosophical and Comparative Perspectives174

175Reflecting Islamic Time Perception through Western Contemporary Philosophy / Jack Shardlow

Notes:

This eBook is made available Open Access under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed August 05 2026)

ISBN:

9783112240038