Sufi Zikr – inspiration for a painting

8Jul/078

Sufi Zikr – inspiration for a painting

This is a painting that I revisited and converted its earlier abstract form into a calligraphic experiment. Now the challenge was that in addition to the lack of training in oil painting, I was also a novice in calligraphy. Anyway, the image inside Rumi's tomb that I posted on this blog earlier as well as the three attributes of the Almighty helped me in putting this together. The letters in the centre are Hu (affirmation of the Divine presence and a Sufi chant) and its mirror image. In Rumi's words:

Eternity is the mirror of the temporal, the temporal the mirror of pre-eternity - in this mirror those
two are twisted together like his tresses..(translated by Arberry).

This was truly inspirational as I remembered the lines with a brush in my hand. Another little flash was the three words that I have remembered abundantly thanks to a guide. Alas, I am out of touch with him.

The three words, familiar and lyrical, on the right side of the painting represent the key attributes of Allah : Ar-Rahman(the Beneficient), Ar-Raheem (the Merciful), Al-Kareem (the Generous).

Muslim mystics have chanted these names since centuries in the quest to attain inner peace and closeness to Divine consciousness.

With this little feat, I am sort of feeling peaceful myself.

View entry >>

Tagged as: Al-Kareem, Allah, Ar-Raheem, Ar-Rahman, calligraphy, canvas, Divine, God, Hu, inspiration, Islam, oil, oil-on-canvas, painting, Rumi, sufi, Sufism, zikr Leave a comment

Comments (8) Trackbacks (0) ( subscribe to comments on this post )

Indscribe
July 9th, 2007 - 09:34

bohat umda…kyaa baat hai! great to see such art…it’s rare to see such a painting. Calligraphy looks good…I think it it were done perfectly it wouldn’t have created this kind of impact…
Indscribe
July 9th, 2007 - 09:35

….some mistake….not it it…but ‘if’ it
I Me My
July 9th, 2007 - 15:24

Beautiful!
That explanation brings to mind a poem of Eliot’s; perhaps he borrowed this from Sufi poetry…
“Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.”
RR
July 9th, 2007 - 16:17

Adnan and IMM: great feedback – but I have a long journey ahead …alas
Am touched by your comments
MysticSaint
July 9th, 2007 - 16:59

beautiful indeed!
Shueyb Gandapur
July 10th, 2007 - 13:50

The choice of colours for the background is beautiful.
Irving
July 13th, 2007 - 01:13

This painting came into being
as an abstraction, now the calligraphy
of inspiration has transformed it
into a love poem in color
for Him.

May Allah inspire you always in such beauty.

Ya Haqq!
sadiabokhari
July 23rd, 2007 - 12:09

Defination of a man of god: His company reminds you of the Magnificient, the Merciful, the Omniscient…today your painting reminded me of Him