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GenEd 1134

Michael Pecorara

Salaam Alaykom wa Bismillah al Rahman al Raheem My calligram is inspired by Quranic verse 16:68 which states, “And your Lord inspired to the bee, “Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct”. The idea that everything from the leaves on trees to a simple bee all have the potential to submit to God seemed really comprehensive to me and made me think of Islam and submission to God as a universal and communal act. I made sure to include 8 bees at the behest of my Muslim roommates who explained that the number 8 had a special meaning in Islam as it is the number of angels carrying the throne of Allah in heaven as well as the number of gates in heaven. I thought that this numerology would give a divine quality to my work. I was also really inspired by the quote from the Persian poet Saadi who states, “Every leaf of the tree becomes a page of the sacred scripture once the soul has learnt to read.” The idea that even the twigs of Quincy courtyard could have meaning derived from them once someone truly has understood the Quran makes the power of Islam and comprehension of the Quran seem limitless. The bees are made of construction paper and the Arabic writing itself is interspersed with leaves and twigs that I found in Quincy courtyard. I made this calligram communally with two of my Muslim roommates and my girlfriend and it was a great way for me to learn more about the Quran and experience Islam. Thank you for this opportunity.

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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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Michael Pecorara Salaam Alaykom wa Bismillah al Rahman al Raheem My calligram is inspired by Quranic verse 16:68 which states, “And your Lord inspired to the bee, “Take for yourself among the mountains, houses, and among the trees and [in] that which they construct”. The idea that everything from the leaves on trees to a simple bee all have the potential to submit to God seemed really comprehensive to me and made me think of Islam and submission to God as a universal and communal act. I made sure to include 8 bees at the behest of my Muslim roommates who explained that the number 8 had a special meaning in Islam as it is the number of angels carrying the throne of Allah in heaven as well as the number of gates in heaven. I thought that this numerology would give a divine quality to my work. I was also really inspired by the quote from the Persian poet Saadi who states, “Every leaf of the tree becomes a page of the sacred scripture once the soul has learnt to read.” The idea that even the twigs of Quincy courtyard could have meaning derived from them once someone truly has understood the Quran makes the power of Islam and comprehension of the Quran seem limitless. The bees are made of construction paper and the Arabic writing itself is interspersed with leaves and twigs that I found in Quincy courtyard. I made this calligram communally with two of my Muslim roommates and my girlfriend and it was a great way for me to learn more about the Quran and experience Islam. Thank you for this opportunity.