Theoretical Elucidation of the Link between Islamic Ethics and Architecture: An Approach Based on Value Measurability

Islamic architecture can be regarded as a domain in which values and teachings derived from Islam are manifested through space, form, and spatial organization. Since the worldview of any society plays a decisive role in shaping the built environment, Islamic architecture is inevitably influenced by the epistemological and value system of Islam. However, the majority of studies on the foundations of Islamic architecture have predominantly focused on doctrinal and jurisprudential dimensions, while the role of ethical values in the production and evaluation of architectural works has received comparatively less attention. This is despite the fact that ethics, alongside belief and jurisprudence, constitutes one of the fundamental pillars of Islamic teachings and can play a significant role in shaping spatial qualities and guiding human behavior. One of the main obstacles to incorporating ethical values into architectural studies lies in the abstract nature of these concepts and the difficulty of transforming them into comprehensible and measurable criteria. Consequently, diverse interpretations of concepts such as justice, chastity, moderation, honesty, and human dignity have complicated the development of shared criteria for their manifestation in architecture. This study, emphasizing the necessity of attending to the ethical dimension in Islamic architecture, examines the possibility of converting ethical concepts into operational indicators. It proposes the use of an indexing approach as a methodological capacity for transforming qualitative and subjective concepts into objective and assessable criteria. The primary aim of this research is to elucidate the position of ethical values in Islamic architecture and to propose a theoretical framework for identifying and measuring the manifestation of these values in the built environment. This study is fundamental in nature and employs a qualitative approach. Data were collected through documentary and library-based research, and analyzed using logical reasoning and conceptual analysis. The findings indicate that the adoption of an indexing approach can facilitate the transformation of ethical values into architectural criteria, thereby contributing to the explanation, evaluation, and realization of Islamic architecture grounded in ethical values.

کلیدواژه ها:

Islamic architecture ، Islamic ethics ، moral values ، worldview ، indexing ، built environment