PEACE

By Abdulaziz Abdulla

‘Islam’, the word itself means ‘PEACE’. Based on the calligraphy that I have written, I would say that Allah SWT is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. All praise is to him, the King of Kings, the Magnificent and Master of the Day of Judgment. When Allah first created His Angels and other creatures, He lodged them in Paradise where all His creations lived in peace. They just roamed about in the Garden of Paradise, eating from the trees – the Mon Salwa provided to them. They were created in such a way that there was no envy or jealousy or competition amongst them. Prayer and submission to Allah SWT was all that was required of them. It was a peaceful atmosphere. It was Satan who led Adam and Eve astray and created all the trouble.

In the art work, I have tried to show the name of Allah in the ‘square Kufic’ style of Islamic calligraphy. By writing the name of Allah SWT, I have shown that in the Quran Allah has ordained us to live in peace with our brothers and sisters, to show mercy to orphans, the poor and the old and disabled. If we fight it should only be in the name of Allah, and to ‘defend’ Islam.

Next, I have chosen the name of our Holy Prophet (pbuh) to depict the fact that it was through him that Islam, the religion of peace, spread to us in the form of the Holy Quran. Following the commandments of Allah SWT as brought to him by angel Gabriel, Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) showed us the way of life which was both simple and peaceful. He himself lived a life of moderation.

Simplicity and moderation help people live peaceful lives. Women enjoy many rights which were unheard of before. Before the advent of Islam, women were treated unjustly. They were not treated as human-beings, rather as commodities to be bought and sold. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) was the harbinger of human rights. In conclusion, I would like to state that by writing the name of Allah and Mohammad (pbuh), I have depicted ‘PEACE’ in artistic form through my calligraphy. Finally, I have used only cork in my artistic work.