GenEd 1134

Experiencing Allah in Nature

For my message, I chose to make a photo collection of how one may experience the aesthetics of Islam through nature. In this course, I learned that Islam is not a set of rules and beliefs, but also an emotional experience. I took these photos when I truly felt overwhelmed by God’s magnificence, and I think they embody the deeply personal experience one can have with God. For example, standing on a mountain in Jordan, one may feel terrified of God’s vast power, yet relieved by the inherent beauty and greatness of God. Thus, in many of the images, the humans and human constructions pictured are small and seemingly irrelevant compared to the magnificent nature that surrounds them which highlights the superiority of God. I feel this represents the power of God and the complete submission one feels toward God in Islam. 
The audience of this photo collection is those, particularly in the West, who think of religion in black-and-white terms, and who may feel religion is simple, narrow, and singular. I aim to show that religion is actually heavily based on one’s perceptions of the world — one can find worship and love for God simply by stepping outside. Because of this, people worship in very personal ways. Regarding Islam, many think the only way to worship is through ritual prayer. While this is certainly a form of prayer, worship, and submission can also stem from experiencing and appreciating the beauty of God. I chose to add Quranic verses on the images that I feel encompass the emotion of each. I specifically chose an English translation of the verses because I think that Western audiences would benefit most from my message: In the West, I feel that secularism has marginalized the diversity of religion and worship, and ridiculed the spiritual aspects of worship that I explore in my photography. I was inspired to add verses to my photographs because oftentimes reciters of the Quran become emotional while reciting, attesting to the importance of the emotional experience of worship in Islam. 


 

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