"Light of the Sufis: The Mystical Arts of Islam"

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More About

• The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
• Ahmad ibn Ajiba
• Sufi Islam
• Religion

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The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is already the only museum in the southern U.S. with a gallery devoted entirely to Islamic art; this week, the museum heightens its commitment to the genre with "Light of the Sufis: The Mystical Arts of Islam," focused entirely on art related to Sufism. The 18th-century Moroccan Sufi saint Ahmad ibn Ajiba called Sufism "a science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the divine." Collecting 50 works from the ninth century to the present day, the exhibition delves into both the spiritual and the scientific aspects of the faith, and includes light fixtures from mosques, beggars' bowls, laser-etched poetry manuscripts, lustrous ceramic tiles, paintings and photographs of Sufi dervishes. Each work conveys Sufism's deep emphasis on learning and knowledge - and the importance of light, considered a primary channel for communion with God. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 12:15 to 7 p.m. Sundays. 1001 Bissonnet. Through August 8. For information, call 713-639-7300 or visit www.mfah.org. $7.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: May 16. Continues through Aug. 8, 2010