section 1: Introduction
section 2: African or Oriental?
section 3: Our personal view
section 4: Anomalies in kilims
section 5: Islamic notions of good and evil
section 6: The American market
section 7: "Kilim, the complete guide", extracts
section 8: Berber tribes | conclusion
section 6
Good and evil in Islam
Unfortunately, much of the literature describing the manufacture and history of kilims contains misconceptions of Islam or, worse still, ascribes their production and design to the pagan beliefs which the weavers and their communities gave up when they became muslims thirteen centuries ago. Western writers on the subject rarely attribute to Islam a motivating force in the design and manufacture of kilims.
Thus one excellent website (4), after providing a lengthy analysis of the ancient and pagan meanings of motifs found in Berber kilims, only finishes by saying:
“Islam's influence on the Moroccan aesthetic was not merely one of constraint,
rather one of celebration and devotion. Artisanal objects are created
as an act of worship and tribute to God through the devotional work of a
believer. In fact, the very act of decoration is considered a meditative
practice bringing the artist ever closer to oneness with God. “
Whether or not the ancient symbols which are said to be found in the kilim still carry the meanings which have been ascribed to them, it is impossible to be sure. It does seem clear that nearly all kilim makers have wholeheartedly adopted Islam and that this most pure, monotheistic religion would have removed or diminished any belief in the efficacy of the symbols.
Westerners, including muslims in the west, seem likely to misrepresent art of this kind - valuing the rug for the integrity of its manufacture or the use of ancient symbols to articulate a pattern. The Moroccan rug sellers are well aware of this bias in their western customers and are only to happy to describe the meaning of certain symbols within the rugs design.
I think there are good reasons to not subscribe to this anthropological approach - I doubt that the makers of the kilims any more than the western buyer, actually believes in the efficacy of these symbols, they have instead found in these geometries a rich vein for their imaginations as well as a means of restating their identity. In the better pieces they are looking forward rather than backward to the next life described in the Qur’an.
But if we can knock down one, quaint and condescending notion of these peoples, another is thrown up in its place: this time the muslims’ notions of barakha (from the Arabic for blessing) and jinn (from the Arabic for spirit people, both good and bad) are misrepresented so that they appear fertile superstitions inspiring the production of kilim makers rather than respectable, theological concepts from the mainstream of Islam.
These were ideas expounded by Westermarck in 1926 (5) and demand revision if we are to approach a truer understanding of the artistic and religious motivation for these flatweaves.
"Barakha" can be translated as God’s blessing; it is outside the power of the weaver or other muslim to give any article this blessing - that is the prerogative of Allah alone. What is within the weaver’s power is to approach their work with a purity of intention and with the hope that their work will be blessed and bring rewards to its maker, its owner or the wider community.
Islam stresses the importance of intention in all actions; it teaches that actions are rewarded according to their intentions. Thus, if a weaver intends to earn money by her work she will only receive a reward from Allah according to this intention. But if the intention is to earn money in order to sustain her family, this is considered a more noble intention. Among the most noble of intentions is that of solely seeking the pleasure of Allah - by acts of worship which can include any approved action done for the sake of Allah. This is why muslims begin most if not all activities with the basmillah - bismillahir rahmanir rahim, (In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful). They seek to transform their whole life into an act of worship in which all activities are undertaken for God. This is achieved by acquiring knowledge of the religion and acting according to its strictures on all matters to do with daily life.
The muslim’s conception of the "jinn" is defined by the Qur’an - it is not a pagan superstition but part of the muslim’s belief. The Qur’an describes two races which Allah created - man and jinn. Like mankind, the jinn can be good or bad. The jinn are made from fire where man is made from clay. Satan - the fallen angel, Iblis - is one of the jinn who refused to obey his creator and vowed to tempt mankind away from the true purpose. The Qur’an describes how Iblis tempted Adam and Eve and how many jinn seek the destruction of man’s soul.
It is usual for the muslim to begin any action with the basmillah and it’s counterpart - seeking refuge in Allah from Satan; all prayers and recitations of the Qur’an, begin with these two utterances and it is highly likely that they would also be on the lips of a weaver each time she started at the loom to focus her intentions.
Thus, the notions of barakha and jinn are elements of the muslims conception of good and bad, purity and evil, beauty and ugliness ...... and they are found in all things, even the best things can become sources of evil - for example, family life if it results in making too high demands upon the individual can be destructive; a parent’s love for a child can be too compelling; the muslim must balance all the different aspects of life to succeed and the life of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, is the best illustration of this.
This is why the “mistakes” we see in kilims have significance: were the kilim-maker to become too proud of their own skill, to seek perfection in their work and place too much importance upon their own abilities and creations, this would place them in danger. To be an act of devotion their work needs to show humility, an acknowledgement that their skill is given them by God, their materials and leisure provided by God ...... any beauty which they create from their labours is a small light from Allah, a hint of the unlimited beauty created by Allah in the next world .
khenifra souk
Textile market (or souk) at Khenifra, Middle Atlas, February 2001
4. maison kenzi
5. “Ritual and Belief in Morocco”, referred to at pages 144-5 of “The Fabric of Moroccan Life”