Five essays explore aspects of aesthetics in classical Islamic thought in light of contemporary theories, offering new perspectives on Islamic art and architecture with examples ranging from the Qur'an and the Alhambra to the works of present day artists and philosophers. Tracing the roots of Islamic aesthetics back to the works of the philosophers of the Middle Ages such as Avicenna and Averroes, Valerie Gonzalez finds that aesthetic theory in Islam must be seen within the much wider context of parallel thinking on theology, ethics, physics, and metaphysics. She balances her analysis of this philosophy (moral, logical, and scientific) of beauty with the equally important analysis of the perceptual experience of beauty.

五篇论文结合当代理论探讨了古典伊斯兰思想中的美学方面，提供了伊斯兰艺术和建筑的新视角，从《古兰经》和《阿罕布拉经》到当代艺术家和哲学家的作品。瓦莱丽·冈萨雷斯将伊斯兰美学的根源追溯到中世纪哲学家阿维森纳（Avicenna）和阿维罗伊斯（Averoes）的著作中，发现伊斯兰美学理论必须放在神学、伦理学、物理学和形而上学平行思考的更广的背景下看待。她在对美的哲学（道德、逻辑和科学）的分析与对美的感性体验的同等重要的分析之间取得了平衡。