GRAVITY - AYAT-AL-KURSI Print

Inspiration I’m asked often about personal inspiration and have come to the conclusion this stems from my fascination with beauty. Things that look beautiful, please the soul. And things that please the soul are from our Creator. Beauty takes many forms. From the intricate details of a leaf, the miraculous sky, the insanely beautiful stones, minerals and diamonds, buried deep beneath the mountains. I have come to realise, the way they look and are designed can only be divine. Then of course there’s the influence of the Holy Qur’an. Without doubt this book is the blueprint for life. It is my guiding rock and inspiration. Indeed, whilst travelling life’s journey, I’ve found that absolute beauty is entrenched within it. Whilst we can translate, I believe Allah chose the Arabic language because of its richness and amazing aesthetic quality. Transcribing Islamic calligraphy takes a lifetime to learn yet when done properly, it is so pleasing to the eye, it becomes mesmerising. I thank the Almighty for opening my eyes to it when He did and allowing me to choose this line of work. I have in fact always found peace in the teachings of Islam. But since working with Islamic art and Islamic calligraphy, my intimacy with Islam has intensified to a point where I wholeheartedly believe, Islam is transformational. For me Islam gives meaning to an otherwise meaningless world. And it is because of this that I seek to create something that can stand testimony for my love and commitment to our Creator. I find solace and enlightenment in creating Islamic art and always strive to ensure the commissioner of said piece, experiences the same. Style Islamic art and Islamic calligraphy is the epitome of art, in my eyes, second to none. Its immediate distinctiveness is recognisable all over the world. But what fascinates me more is the way the sacred words stir an unmistakeable spiritual emotion. In modern terms this is often called the ‘wow’ factor but it’s been shown time and again, it’s purely because of its divine aesthetic nature. This holds true even with modern creative styles and materials. Islamic patterns are historically entrenched whilst equally modern. They have stood the test of time and only go to enshrine the belief that Islam is for all ages… Artwork An original Asheeq piece can sometimes take hundreds of hours to complete. From the initial idea to the final ready to hang artwork, each is hand crafted and unique in every respect.