Archive for April, 2012
For this project I decided to paint a mihrab symbolizing the Eight Doors of Jannah. As the mihrab indicates the direction of prayer (qibla), it seemed appropriate to use this image as a guide towards Jannah. Inscribed upon these doors are the Asma al-Husna, as remembrance (dhikr) of Allah is central to Islam, and thus to the passage through these gates. The ayat [59:22] along the bottom of the painting reinforces this, as well as emphasizes Allah’s omniscience.
Rather than ascribing each of these gates ritualistic meaning, as is done in various accounts of hadith, I have chosen to interpret these gates as qualities on the way to one’s reunion with Allah.
- The adornment forming the outermost gate is intended to convey the beauty emanating from Jannah, and the desire for all of nature to press itself to the divine. This first gate I consider to be that of testimony/shahada, since recognition of Allah is one of the most basic principles of Islam.
- Beyond this gate is that of humility/submission, again one of the primary tenets of the religion. This is one of the doors containing the Asma al-Husna, as a reminder of the awe one should feel in the presence of Allah.
- The third gate is green, but otherwise unadorned. This door represents peace, playing off of the dual association of Islam with salaam and with the color itself (green often being used to describe Jannah).
- The subsequent blue gate symbolizes truth, and is again inscribed with the Asma al-Husna, as Allah is the One Truth [22:60].
- Next are the doors of justice (green), love (blue), and faith (black). These last three doors are built upon a foundation of purity (white), which for these purposes is also considered a gate. I have depicted the final door (faith) as black rimmed in gold to represent wholehearted trust in Allah, with the edges revealing only the slightest glimmer of what lies beyond.
April 29th, 2012
In thinking about my final response for this class, I decided that I wanted to create something that embodied the diversity of Islam, while at the same time conveying some of its shared ideals. I wanted to emphasize the idea of Islam as a unifying faith, but one which is subject to different interpretations on an individual basis. I chose to focus on capturing light, as this is a medium that is at once a symbol of knowledge, faith, love, and purity. Light’s malleable and elusive nature makes it particularly appropriate, as an understanding of God is anything but straightforward. This piece uses a variety of textures and surfaces to illustrate the many ways in which this light can be reflected and absorbed.
In addition to the different shapes and textures, I tried to hint at a depth of meaning by making this piece difficult to capture from a single angle. The topography of the aluminum, the shifting pattern of the glass marbles, and the contrast between the brilliant corner of white and the iridescent gold base are meant to mimic how the practice of Islam defies characterization.
The light of Islam is universal, but is reinvented by every surface that it illuminates.
April 29th, 2012
This piece is in response to our readings on the spiritual act of listening.
Of all my creative responses, this is the most personally meaningful to me. Having lived my entire life alongside the ocean, I have come to see its nearness as central to my existence. For me, there is nothing in the world that stimulates such a visceral emotional response as the sight, sound, and smell of the ocean.
I realize how much of a hippie/pagan this makes me sound like, but I really cannot deny the ocean’s importance in my life.
There are very few things that I felt the need to bring to Harvard with me from home, but seashells were at the top of the list. Shells, in addition to “containing the ocean”, contain memories. The simple act of holding one to my ear brings me tranquility, and gives me hope. More so than photographs, the shells I have brought with me are an anchor for my life.
Given this background, suffice it to say that I can agree with the idea of shells as a medium for transmitting the divine Word.
I decided to show this visually by painting the interior of this shell a bright gold.
April 29th, 2012
If you are profligate, if you are pure/You are but water mixed with dust, no more/A drop of trembling instability/And can a drop resist the surging sea? (2318-19)
This piece was inspired by our reading of The Conference of the Birds, by Farid ud-Din Attar. Rather than depict the birds themselves, I chose to focus on the hoopoe’s description of the effect that a single feather from the Simorgh had on the world.
In this painting, the feather’s descent is shown as a disturbance of the ocean beneath it. The ocean is at once receptive and violent, as the feather’s coming upends its previous state of tranquil ignorance. This disturbance incites a fervor that ripples around the world, and is the catalyst that allows the birds to reach their full potential. The splendor of the feather alone is not enough to guarantee a successful journey, but it is the spark that they were unknowingly awaiting.
This brings me to a seeming discrepancy in my work: the Simorgh let a single feather float down to the world, yet this painting shows the descent of two. The second feather, indistinguishable from the first, is the mirror which lies hidden in the breast of each of the birds. The birds union with the Simorgh is dependent on their discovery of this “secret counterpart” within themselves, yet this feather would never have been brought to light if not for the outward manifestation of the Simorgh’s existence.
I was really taken with the beauty and depth of this poem, and know it to be one that I will return to long after this class is over.
April 29th, 2012
