A recurring theme throughout our class when discussing Islam is love. Whether it be love for Allah or the love God has for us, another name for Him is ٱلْوَدُودُ (the Most Loving). Or the love we must have for our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  that we see in the Busiri’s Burda, where another name for him is “Beloved.” Or the love for Hazrat Imam Ali RA that is expressed through poems and songs that refer to him as “Mawla.” My favorite emphasis on love comes from Rabia al- Adawiyya, who reminded us to worship out of love not fear of hell nor hope of heaven. 

In this drawing, I took inspiration from a painting and necklace I own and combined them to create a heart with a flower growing out of it. Allah is highlighted with silver within the veins of the heart, and half of the petals of the rose. This symbolizes that our hearts must beat with the right intention, which can serve as a seed for us to be closer to God. It serves as a visual representation of how an individual can begin transforming the egotistical self into the God-centric self, and this is when you can be in the presence of God. I edited the ring of light around the drawing to symbolize this ‘noor’ (light) to mark the closeness with Allah. In this case, the rose represents “seeing God” because it has the beauty of His creation, and I find nature as one of the most prevalent reminders of His presence. 

Additionally, I chose the heart specifically as the root of where we can find God because a verse that struck me was in Surah Nisa where Allah sealed the hearts of those who disbelieved, and I find the opposite-believing in God and fulfilling the covenant of doing so- also starts in the heart (Quran 4:155). The heart is also an essential part of living, and writing Allah in there emphasizes the importance of remembering God in this life. In a way, your heart sees God and can transcend and blossom from there.