Preservation of Cultural Heritage

also be worthy of consideration in Islam. The natural requirement of something is itself proof that it is also a requirement of Islam. An important and well-established principle in Islamic law is this: “The basic rule regarding things is permissibility” (al-Mabsut by al-Sarakhsi, Vol. 24, p. 77). In light of this legal principle, preserving cultural heritage is certainly a permissible act in Islam. The fact is that nowhere in the Quran or the Sunnah is there any command prohibiting the preservation of cultural heritage. When no such prohibition exists in the Quran and Sunnah, preserving cultural heritage is, by itself, deemed permissible. No further proof is required to establish its legitimacy. Moreover, a study of the Quran shows that there are references which directly point to the importance of cultural heritage and serve as positive evidence in support of its significance. Here are a few relevant references from Islamic sources in this connection. 1. One Quranic verse related to this matter is as follows. God says: “Bring me a Book revealed before this or some other vestige of knowledge” (46:4). In this verse, the phrase atharatin min ‘ilm (some remnant of knowledge) means a remnant of knowledge. I understand this to refer to what is today called the archaeological record or historical record.