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GenEd 1134

Jibril Mahdi

The calligram I have created features a fish within a bed of seaweed with the Arabic word Allah written within it. The calligram was inspired by an image of a fish with Allah written within its body, and I wanted to create my own interpretation of this powerful symbol of faith.

In Islamic tradition, fish are considered a symbol of faith and are associated with Prophet Yunus (Jonah) who was swallowed by a whale and eventually freed after he repented to Allah. The fish in my calligram represents the strength and power of faith and the idea that even in the most difficult circumstances, one can find solace in Allah.

The word Allah is an important symbol of Islam, representing the name of the one true God. I wanted to incorporate this word in my calligram in a unique and creative way. I used Arabic calligraphy to write the word Allah and placed it within the body of the fish. The alif is found within the seaweed, and the rest of the word can be found within the body of the fish. This not only creates a striking visual image but also adds depth and meaning to the calligram, reminding viewers that Allah is present not only in the natural world around us but also within ourselves.

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47. Willie Lowry For this project I chose the word “Tawhid”. For “scenery” I used the main symbols associated with all 3 Abrahamic religions and then had Tawhid written into the starry night sky. This night sky could resemble a number of stories associated with all the books. Such as the Isra and Mi’raj which are a part of the night journey where Muhammed ascended to heaven and spoke with God. From the Torah, Jacob, or Yaqub, as known in Islam, wrestled with God under the night sky and that is where he received the name Israel. And in the Bible Jesus, or Isa, was taken away to be crucified late at night. Tawhid is a term that relates to the oneness of God. This idea can be taken literally as God being one entity, and that there are no gods other than God. This phrase can also be related to the unity of God. Unity, as characteristic of God, being uncompromisable and acting as a single being. God as the joining force between all things and people. The idea of God being supreme is, of course, a common trait shared between the Abrahamic religions. Beyond that fact, I chose these symbols along with this word as a representation of the “oneness” of these religions. Despite different ways of practice, different main figures, language barriers, and many other differences, these religions all pray and aim to serve, the same God. I wanted to highlight how they are distinct and yet together by replacing the star associated with the moon with the star of David. Despite the separation there is still an undividable unity between these groups, even if it does not always seem that way.

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Calligram