Comparative Study of Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light and the Church on the Water Based on the Mystical Concept of Journey to the Horizons and to the Souls (by emphasizing the Islamic Approach to God)

The present study investigates the Church of the Light and the Church on the Water by Tadao Ando and compares them based on the [mystical concept] of the journey to the horizons and to the souls , as suggested by Quranic verses, narratives and Islamic architecture. This comparison is also performed based on the approach to the Creator and the way He is worshipped. Hence, the present study is an interdisciplinary study and uses an analytical approach. The goal of this study is to investigate the so-called journey to the horizons and to the souls based on the type of the position of God and the way it is addressed by comparing the Church of the Light and the Church on the Water. The core question of the study is: “How and in what manners is the journey to the horizons and to the souls represented by the Church of the Light and the Church on the Water in order to accomplish the perfection of worship at a religious site?” Considering the intrinsic and internal sense of worship, the findings of this study suggest whether the religious site is a church or a mosque, there must be a transition from the journey to the horizons [divine signs] to the journey to the souls, in order to meet the purpose of the place, i.e., worshipping God. This motion is notable in the manner of designing these two churches. Meanwhile, the journey to the horizons in these two sites is not similar to that in mosques, with the Church of the Light embracing an inward journey to the souls with the presence of the heart and mystical intuition and the Church on the Water enjoying a journey to the souls conducive for man’s faculty of reasoning and intellection.