Thursday, May 19, 2016

Islam is Peace

By Carine Ezzedine



Dimensions: 297x420mm (WxH) / Resolution: 300 pixels/inch
Media: Digital (Adobe Illustrator)
Technique and style: Calligraphy and illustration portrait

The concept I illustrated in the art piece came from the inspiration I got from a video I watched recently. It talks about how Islam in general is not a part of any negative territory or a bad thing in the society like other disbelievers view it or makes it this way. Islam is all about faith, peace, positivity, and optimism. Islam is a medicine. It’s a cure for all your problems,“fal deen yosr wa laysa 3osr” and that is فالدين يسر و ليس عسر"”, meaning “Islam is ease and not Hardship.” Islam shares many religious figures and historical events with Judaism and Christianity, which indicates that Islam wants or proves itself in the societies that it is a peaceful religion and doesn’t want any conflicts within each person and the other.  

What I did through the illustration is that I used Adobe Illustration one of the programs that I use and illustrated like a gate to implement something like an entrance to peace and ease of life through Islam with some of the Arabian patterns/style. Then the person is made from phrases and ayat from the Quran that can meditate and give us hope and relaxation. I wanted to show how reading one word or sentence and how just praying can give you a connection with god. Not only in Islam, but other religions too. A prayer can give you motivation and lead you to become a better person and have a relationship with God; a personal one, especially when you are struggling in big things or even small things. Moreover, I added, “Islam is Peace” in Arabic and wrote it in a way that it looks like one word; “الاسلام” I made the word peace in Arabic bold so we can see that the word Islam in Arabic has the word peace in it. Islam means surrender of one’s will to the true will of God in the effort to achieve peace and Salam, which means peace, is the root word of "Islam".This can literally summarize everything and solve everything you are going through internally and externally, or even the whole society we live in. Islam is a complete way of life that governs all facets of life such as, social, economical, physical, spiritual, moral, etc…

On the other hand, the person in the middle raising his hand to the light on the top right corner praying to rest his mind or for harmony and amity to the world or for any spiritual help. Moreover, the man is made up of phrases and words in Islam starting with the Basmala, which is right under the hands of the person. The Basmala “Bismillah Alrahman Al Rahim” “
"بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم"
The Basmala is usually written and said before every surah in the Quran and when some one wants to do something. The phrase means In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Then I started adding ayat that I like and make me feel blissful and have the sense of serenity, peace, and power. So I started with “Give us victory over the disbelieving people, أنت مولانا فانصرنا على القوم الكافرين”. It’s from surat al baqarah, and it’s asking God for help and power over the terrorists and the disbelievers to show them that they are right and don’t have any judgment towards any other religions or beliefs. Moreover another thing that influenced me to write was “O You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. He is an outright enemy to you.” (Holy Quran: 2, 208) Additionally, I wrote one of the five pillars in Islam, which is the declaration of faith and hope.

The reason I used calligraphy and text in my art piece is because I also got inspired from the Arabic posters and paintings that pass by me everyday on pinterest such as, Mahmoud Fathy and Tarek atrissi. Their artworks grab my attention a lot since they combine text or calligraphy with other objects or even writing them in the same look or shape of this specific object or even animals and people. There is one that grabbed my attention, which was using calligraphy and drawing it as a sufi; it’s very beautiful and eye catching. 

To conclude, the word “Islam” is derived from the word meaning “peace” in Arabic. Islam is a religion revealed to mankind with the intention of presenting a peaceful life where the infinite compassion and mercy of God manifests on earth. God calls all people to live by the moral values. He sets so that compassion, mercy, peace and love can be experienced all over the world, since Islam essentially calls for peace and fosters a life in absolute sincerity and honesty before God. Therefore it is vitally important for an individual to believe in God with his own will and aspiration, and observe God’s commands and advice through personal conscientious contentment.

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Carine Ezzeddine, analogue at birth, digital by design. A Lebanese panda-loving designer and a coffee-drinker, born and raised in her second home United Arab Emirates. She speaks about her work and life, striving to become great at her job. Besides, she wants bigger things in life, loves when inner kid takes command, finds passion in creating visual stuff, and prefers on always trying new adventures.


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