The arts in an environment permeated by Qur'anic morality

In the Golden Age, the bounty, abundance, wealth, beauty, arts, and improvements will mark every instant of life. People will always meet beauty and, like the moral excellence they display, the places in which they live, as well as their gardens, home decorations, clothes, music, entertainment, artworks, paintings, and conversations, will become more beautiful. Consequently, people will experience all of the beauties that Allah mentions in the Qur'an. In one verse, Allah states that the faithful believers will be given a beautiful life in this world:

What is with you runs out, but what is with Allah goes on forever. Those who were steadfast will be recompensed according to the best of what they did. Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will give them a good life and recompense them according to the best of what they did. (Surat al-Nahl: 96-97)

The Qur'an calls attention to the fact that the environment of those who abide by Allah's commands will be transformed into a kind of "Abode of Peace." Allah also gives the good news that He will reward people for their fine morality, and give a better life in this world and an infinite life in the Hereafter.

Allah calls to the Abode of Peace and guides whom He wills to a straight path. Those who do good will have the best and more! Neither dust nor debasement will darken their faces. They are the Companions of Paradise, remaining in it timelessly, forever. (Surah Yunus: 25-26)

We can imagine the daily life, arts, economy, and social life that will exist in the Golden Age, for the Qur'an prescribes an understanding that comprises every instant of life. This understanding is based on doing good works that will find favor in Allah's sight, and adopting the best, most accurate, and rational conduct. This Qur'anic understanding and the wisdom it offers will cause a heretofore unprecedented and superior understanding of arts to flourish.

In our day, the majority of people involved in different branches of the arts consider art as a materialistic profession that will earn them fame and a high standard of living. Most of the time, they make art not for art's sake but for money. Their sense of art is driven by a concern for profit or fame rather than following their own inspiration. For this reason, they undertake no serious effort and feel no need to expand their horizons to produce novel works of art, for they only desire immediate material returns. However, the telling attribute of an artist is his or her ability to think freely and deeply, and thereby produce unique works.

Meanwhile, even if an artist is committed to produce quality works and succeeds in doing so, those responsible for the business part of this undertaking fail to support his or her endeavor, for such works may not be profitable in the prevailing market conditions. In our day, instead of appreciating a work's artistry, meaning, aesthetics, and quality, many art galleries present productions that lack taste, artistry, quality, and meaning.

The Golden Age will eliminate such views, for material concerns that corrupt artistic values will disappear when everyone receives their share from the prevailing abundance and welfare. This free state of mind will allow artists to devote all their attention to displaying their talents in a peaceful atmosphere. People will realize that art is a divine beauty, and finally will give all types of art their due attention. Inspired by the beauties that they see in Allah's creation, artists will produce remarkable works. The Qur'an's values and the wealth of senses that these values bring will generate in people the will to produce ingenious works.

Another reason for this flourishing of the arts will be the abandonment of any tendency to portray hideousness, which is a popular tendency today. The penetration of nihilist and pessimistic beliefs into society, along with the prevalence of materialist philosophy, accounts for this tendency. Hideousness is valued, and productions introduced under the guise of art cause people to drift toward pessimism, tension, and depression. The themes of such art is often death, pain, hate, loneliness, purposelessness, and meaninglessness. This situation is a natural consequence of the chaos and destruction inflicted by unbelief on the human soul. In the End Times, all of these psychological disorders will disappear, and humanity will experience the joy, happiness, and security brought about by the Qur'an's values. This will, in turn, transform the arts into an endeavor that depict beauty rather than hideousness.

Advances in the Arts

The Qur'an gives a detailed account of such a society's life. Those who comply with the Qur'an's commands can readily recognize the right and beautiful and eliminate what is undesirable, since they are guided by their conscience and reason. Consequently, those who have based their morality on the Qur'an's teachings will render invaluable services in the arts, music, theatre, and literature.

As the above examples suggest, Allah provides all believers with the understanding of aesthetics, art, and beauty, both in Paradise and in daily life. In the Qur'anic sense, art cannot be confined to music, literature, and painting, for art fills every field of life with its own vigor. Believers display their understanding of the arts in a number of ways; speaking beautifully, being witty and humorous, being able to use the tone of voice in a fine manner, having a taste for clothes, home decoration, landscaping, cooking tasteful dishes that also look pleasing to the eye, preparing aesthetic tables, showing affection and love, sincerely expressing the affection felt for children, for instance, or likewise, displaying respect and love to an elderly person or hosting visitors.

The Golden Age will be a period when people will strive to engage in art and present beauty to other people with their works of art, looks, conversations, and conduct.

Advances in Cinema, Theater and Music

People need to broaden their horizons in order to understand the Golden Age's superior and unique arts. Most contemporary works of art either lack creative power or are imitations, for most people make no effort to think and produce new ideas. Meanwhile, any novelty is imitated and thus quickly loses its originality.

Monotony also manifests itself in music-making. For instance, a song's performance is limited to certain instruments, while a musical work may have many variations. Being resistant to true innovation, narrow-mindedness and competition underlie this lack of ingenuity. People tend to imitate popular works, since they prefer fame and material gain over aesthetic values. For this reason, despite belonging to different genres, the identical rhythms, melodies, and lyrics are repeated.

This is also why innovative theater plays are not produced. For centuries, the same plays are repeated with minor alterations. The characters' conversations, answers and behaviors become so similar that a regular theater-goer almost knows them by heart. The actors' actions, voices of tone, style, and way of addressing are far from natural.

However, in the Golden Age, everyone will learn how to take pleasure from the surrounding beauties and will strive for perfection. Its welfare will enable artists to produce amazing works of art. In music and other branches of art, various and unique works will be produced. Perfectly original video clips and forms of entertainment will make every instant of life more enjoyable and vivid.

Some contemporary artists produce fine works of art. But due to the reasons mentioned above, they are few in number and thus their works are accessible to only a mere handful of people. In the Golden Age, however, these works will be available to the public.

These are only a few of the Golden Age's unique advances. In an environment where people comply strictly with the Qur'an's commands, the believers' lives will become perfect. In the following verse, Allah informs us that the only reason why people remain deprived of blessings is unbelief:

Were it not that mankind might all become one community, We would have given those who reject the All-Merciful silver roofs to their houses, silver stairways to ascend, silver doors to their houses, silver couches on which to recline, and gold ornaments. (Surat az-Zukhruf: 33-35)