notifications_active Weekly Meshkat-e Noor Session: Thursdays at 20:30 at Haj Reza Mosque
What is the standard by which we distinguish beauty from ugliness, and what sets them apart? Does beauty have a single meaning, or can it vary according to different things, such as the collective beliefs of a group?
Beauty has a single meaning. It is like light, one of God’s creations. What changes is the relationship between things and this beauty. Collective beliefs do not create beauty; rather, they can cloud our judgment and make what is ugly appear beautiful. A beautiful thing partakes of beauty, and as long as this relationship continues, beauty endures.
Beauty and a beautiful object are two distinct things. A beautiful object is one that partakes of beauty; in other words, it has a particular relationship with beauty. As long as that relationship continues, so does its beauty. When the relationship is severed, beauty fades and ugliness takes its place.
Beauty, like light, is one of God’s creations, while ugliness is like darkness. The relationship between the things of this world and beauty is what gives meaning to the distinction between the beautiful and the ugly.
Beauty has an origin and a final destination; it has a centre of centres. The degree of beauty is determined by how the things of this world relate to that centre, and by the nature and extent of their connection to it.
Beauty has a single meaning; what varies is the relationship of things to beauty. Beauty is like the sun, and beautiful things like those that receive its rays: their beauty depends on how much sunlight they partake of.
People’s thoughts play no part in creating beauty. But when thought goes astray, it can make beauty difficult to discern and sometimes even turn it upside down: making the ugly seem beautiful and the beautiful seem ugly!