Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- To promote the cultural and historical heritage of Uzbekistan, disclose the true values of the religion of Islam, from 7-30 November, within the international festival of social sciences in United Kingdom, an exhibition of Islamic art inspired by the hadiths collected by the great scholar Imam Al-Bukhari was launched. 

The exhibition was organized by Dacore IT LLC, the University of Leicester in the UK and the Imam Bukhari International Scientific Research Centre under the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan with the support of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in the London. 

The exhibition put together eminent masters and young artists who have taken part in international festivals and cultural events. All of them are united by spiritual love and spiritual knowledge. Among the participants of the exhibition are famous miniaturist Davlat Toshev, experienced artist of oriental book illumination Kamoliddin Abdullaev, young and talented artists: calligrapher Sheikha Abdullaeva, graphic artist Yokub Beknazarov and photographer Mukhiddin A Lee. The internationally recognized chamber orchestra of national instruments of Uzbekistan "Sogdiana" created a new composition "Zikr" especially for the exhibition.

The Director of the International Research Center Imam Bukhari Dr. Shovosil Ziyodov noted: “The significance of the event is that Islamic art has a long history throughout the Muslim world, and, of course, the contribution of Central Asia to Islamic art is invaluable. Therefore, we should take care of this and pass this legacy on to the next generation. As calligraphy and the art of architecture continue to exist to this day, they need to be developed and encouraged in ways they can be passed on to students with the help of teachers. As art help to spread only positivity and unites people"

Ovidio (Abdulatif) Salazar, a an award-wining documentary filmmaker currently active in the UK, said of the exhibition: “Thank you again for inviting me to the opening of the Bukhari Islamic Art Exhibition. I was very impressed by the immensely talented and varied artists. It was wonderful to witness how they managed to integrate and artistically express the hadiths from the collection of Imam Bukhari. It really inspired and shows how we can use tradition to present, as you correctly said, Islam as a religion of beauty and peace. "

Islamic art is one of the richest and most widespread oriental arts, which is still being discovered. Mysterious and full of symbols, Islamic art is very attractive and has a deep meaning, which is devoted to understanding of the Creator and His greatness through every materialistic and nonmaterialistic link across the entire Universe. Although there are different paths (madhabs and tariqas) of understanding the Almighty in Islam, all lead to one source—the Holly Quran. The understanding of Quran came to Muslims through the messenger Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him, henceforth abbreviated to p.b.u.h.) who was the role model for all Muslims. Hence, Islam can be understood by reciting and learning Quran—the holly book integrating whole canons of Islam—and Sunnah, the way of prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. Thousands of scholars rigorously studied the Prophet’s p.b.u.h. life and his teachings. The most well-known among them is Imam Al Bukhari, a renowned Islamic scholar, traveller, and Philomath. His collection of true hadiths (words and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. accepted as a major source of religious law and moral guidance) called “Sahih ul-Bukhari” is the second important book for Muslims after Quran. Imam al-Bukhari collected over 600,000 hadiths from thousands of Islamic scholars (Sheikhs) and selected only 7,397 verified ones for inclusion into “Al-Jami as Sahih” which became a guidebook for Muslims.

Reflecting on the studies and journey of Imam al Bukhari in collecting only sahih (authentic) hadiths, this exhibition is organised to allow some highly creative artists to share the message of noble Islam as a peaceful, wise, and tolerant religion founded on universal values that are relevant for everyone. All art pieces are produced especially for this exhibition and are inspired by one or several hadiths from Sahih Bukhari.  

Imam Al Bukhari’s birthplace Bukhara, the city located in present-day Uzbekistan in Central Asia, was part of a magnificent land which gave the world thousands of scholars who contributed a lot to Islamic studies and explained its core principles through peace and enlightenment. Bukhara was also the centre for Islamic civilisation and the hub for Islamic renaissance (the period spanning the 9th and 10th century). Therefore, majority of art forms known today originated in Bukhara and were transmitted to the rest of the world via the Silk Road. To this day, the secrets of all these art forms are being kept by masters and are passed down from one generation to the next through practice. 

Thus, this exhibition provides a rare opportunity to gain insight into that period, to learn about treasures of this magic land both historically and contemporarily, and to rediscover these truly inspirational art forms through the contemporary presentation of traditional arts.

As Islamic teaching is comprehensive, it is impossible to convey it in a single exhibition. Nonetheless, with purity and cleanliness as one of the most important and primary pillars on which both outward and inward state of a person rest, the creative works comprising this exhibition invite us to reflect on the five themes mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari—mind, spirit, body, soul, and life