Sunday, February 27, 2005
Reflections
Aslaamu Alaikam
Greetings of peace from the depth of my heart and soul
Praying everyone is well.
My apologies for taking down the Tranquilart website temporarily, and I hope that you will all be patient until it goes back online. This is not Daughter of Adam typing however here are some reflections I wrote earlier this week:
Oh my limbs, my dear limbs the cry was heard -
You were the cause of destruction,
And from you issued forth my salvation,
And now even you are leaving me to my misery?
Why?
Is this Your Sign oh Creator of these limbs so fine and beautiful;
So perfected there are -
With them we grasp the rope you throw unto us and with them do we hold onto the threads of faith.
And with them we weave dreams of hope, in each is this rebellious limb brought to humility.
And in the stitching of this thread do we attain an element of control over their actions.
Actions which could be potential for our spiritual downfalls on the one hand -
Actions which could steer this spirit into a state off realisation on the other.
Actions without intentions,
Actions without thought of consequences.
But Your continued Grace oh Lord of the Forgiver of my Father Adam,
Your Grace continues to bewilder me. For I feel like a free deer running in the forests of life. I have already fleed from the treaches of being. I am the bird who flew from the cage with clipped wings; I am the fish who survived on shore; and the star that shone bright during the day - for I am simply what my Lord is making of me.
Peace and prayers
Wasalam, Duas
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Saturday, February 19, 2005
Part 2: The Garden
Asalamalaikum,
Greetings from this nomad - May God Almighty Bless everyone to be at peace and Guide us unto His Light, ameen.
(part 2... see part 1 here)
As I have said many atime; Tranquilart is based on the spiritual notion of returning and finding peace.
This ‘return’ is to our natural state of salvation; where ultimately the peace resides. It is also the place where we belong, or rather, originate from. This is none other than the Garden of Paradise itself.
I remember as a young kid playing with my siblings and our friends on a piece of wasteland which was due to be constructed where we lived…
Mum would step outside when it was time to go back and shout out our names – calling us back home. And we would stop our games and rush to her call.
Rush back to our abode.
An abode which was our security.
An abode which was our refuge.
An abode where we felt safe.
An abode commonly known as ‘home’.
When one begins to look at their home, one realises that there is a strong sense of belonging, attachment and love for this place. And consequently we hear the term ‘home-sick’ when one is absent or away from this place of comfort. Feelings of being homesick have been experienced by us all to varying degrees at some stage of our life. And we try our best to make the temporary dwelling as ‘homely’ as possible – either by surrounding it with things that we are familiar with or by consciously doing the things we did at ‘home’.
When we finally ‘return’ back home after the period of being elsewhere we feel refreshed and revitalised. Our tired spirits find comfort in the fact that we are ‘back’ in our place of tranquillity and relaxation prevails.
Good Night & God Bless - May we all return safely back to the place our spirits call 'home'.
ameen.
Peace & Prayers
Wasalam, duas
*some descriptions of Paradise
Greetings from this nomad - May God Almighty Bless everyone to be at peace and Guide us unto His Light, ameen.
(part 2... see part 1 here)
As I have said many atime; Tranquilart is based on the spiritual notion of returning and finding peace.
This ‘return’ is to our natural state of salvation; where ultimately the peace resides. It is also the place where we belong, or rather, originate from. This is none other than the Garden of Paradise itself.
I remember as a young kid playing with my siblings and our friends on a piece of wasteland which was due to be constructed where we lived…
Mum would step outside when it was time to go back and shout out our names – calling us back home. And we would stop our games and rush to her call.
Rush back to our abode.
An abode which was our security.
An abode which was our refuge.
An abode where we felt safe.
An abode commonly known as ‘home’.
When one begins to look at their home, one realises that there is a strong sense of belonging, attachment and love for this place. And consequently we hear the term ‘home-sick’ when one is absent or away from this place of comfort. Feelings of being homesick have been experienced by us all to varying degrees at some stage of our life. And we try our best to make the temporary dwelling as ‘homely’ as possible – either by surrounding it with things that we are familiar with or by consciously doing the things we did at ‘home’.
When we finally ‘return’ back home after the period of being elsewhere we feel refreshed and revitalised. Our tired spirits find comfort in the fact that we are ‘back’ in our place of tranquillity and relaxation prevails.
Good Night & God Bless - May we all return safely back to the place our spirits call 'home'.
ameen.
Peace & Prayers
Wasalam, duas
*some descriptions of Paradise
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If Islamic art is a Remembrance of the Divine, then 'The Garden' is the reminder of the supreme dwelling the spirit must revert to.
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The Garden has been a key feature of the centuries of splendid artwork that has been produced by the Islamic world. Floral designs were a symbolic representation of the Garden of Paradise; they served to console views of man as the 'Fallen' entity elevating his role as a Gods' viceregent.
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Surrounded by floral depictions man is able to see celestial reflections on the earthly ground he treads.
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The Prophet Of God Almighty (peace be upon him) said:
"Allah will say to the inhabitant of Paradise: O inhabitants of Paradise! They will say: O our Lord, we present ourselves and are at Your pleasure, and goodness rests in Your hands. Then He will say: Are you contented? And they will say: And how should we not be contented, O Lord, when You have given to us that which You have given to no one else of Your creation? Then He will say: Would you not like Me to give you something better than that? And they will say: O Lord and what thing is better than that? And He will say: I shall cause My favor to descend upon you and thereafter shall never be displeased with you." [Related by Sahih al-Bukhari, Muslim & at-Tirmidhi]
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Getting ready for the Tranquilart Challenge - being as cruel as I am.. I decided to test the medics, humanities and theology students to paint on a canvas entitled 'The Garden'. Rules were: There was to be no figurative art / English text or Flags (!) - pure creativity... There was no clarification given for those poor first years who asked me: 'What Garden do you mean?' Quite deliberately! Initially the two canvases were done by a specific gender.. until creativity over-powered the atmospehere and 'infiltration' occured! So essentially the resultant canvases represent a collective effort :-) The aims were many.. here are the main 2: first to get individuals to realise that change can be made in ones' life, secondly to actively think about the Garden. Amazingly enough the students did really well and it was a trying task to get them to stop once they got started! The end result?... well two beautiful canvases - one for the men and one for the women... and Tranquilarts' message (in case you guys havent read it behind the canvases): "Study Hard & Shine A Light For the World" God Bless you all and thanks for having me there! See you soon - oh - and a quick prayer for my hand please :~)
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The infamous Tranquilart stall! Praises are to God Almighty alone by Whose Grace literally hundreds and hundreds of pieces of 'tranquil art' are adorning the homes of the warm-spirited individuals who decided to support this project from when it was at its embryonic stages to when it started to grow. For without the kind words, actions, and encouragement from you all - Tranquilart would never have gone beyond the vicinity of my room to raise many several hundreds for charity. Praise the Lord a Billion times, and then a Billion times again.
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Friday, February 18, 2005
Yes the Tranquilart logo - the universal metaphor for change: une butterfly! From the cluttered; distort way of thinking to a clear and focused direction of thought. Man is a being which has been blessed with the ability to undergo spiritual transcendence; and the vehicle for reaching the heightened state of change and illumination is by praising God Almighty and in His Remembrance.
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The philosophy of change is inculcated in the painting activity in a manner which helps our artists to see that change IS actually possible! Not only did these fellas refuse to paint when I asked them - but they also denied they could paint! Most comments I got from these guys were that they couldnt draw, paint and had no creative element to them whatsoever! This is what they told me prior to starting on the canvases. And it is comparable with our attitudes to our own selves too; often we dont have the confidence to believe we can make active 'changes' to our way of thinking and acting. We tend to overlook our strengths and potentials. We readily make our weaknesses form the basis of our life and shy from the gift of change that God Almighty has blessed us with. For man has been blessed with the opportunity to seek His Lord.
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Budding artists rushing to make a change in their life... lets get some shots of arty people at work now..
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more students decide to participate and take on an active thinking on the subject matter...
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These guys were so inspired by their freshly discovered talent - we may be heading for a Midlands arts bonanza! Pave way for the new paintbrush dons!
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The crowd gathers as one of the newly discovered 'artists' fails to read the sign which says the canvas is entitled 'The Garden' ...
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issues with the 'hellfire' are resolved as the flames are converted into a brown valley with a flowing stream!
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They are dreams wrapped in layers of colour; colour of hope; colour of ambition; colour of dependence and the colour of faith.
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Hey I know you guys wana clear up and go home.. but please oh Daughter of Adam - can I have one last go at this stuff?!
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Thursday, February 03, 2005
Tranquilart or Tranquil Art? Part 1
Asalamalaikum from the depths of my heart and soul :)
Greetings of Peace and Salutations of Tranquillity to all that exists,
As tranquilart.com reaches its first birthday, I feel now is the right time for exploring some of the messages this project hopes to impart. The support over the last year has been immense and it is only right that we start to open up an insight into what the Tranquilart philosophy constitutes.
This is part one and gets the ball rolling for us…
I have mentioned before that Tranquilart is a concept; a way of thinking and ultimately acting. It revolves around spiritual notions of returning and finding peace. Both of which, one may argue are open to interpretation and misinterpretation. However, if the Truth is One – then neither are incorrect nor open for alternative analysis. The understanding thus derived must be the One understanding – and that is what the Reality of Tranquilart is.
So what then is the difference, if any, between Tranquilart as a concept and Tranquil Art? Would I be adding confusion by saying that Tranquil Art is the element of ‘acting’ within the concept of Tranquilart? And if this is to be accepted then wouldn’t one wonder whether we have the absence of the first element which makes up Tranquilart i.e. the ‘thinking’ part?
And if we further continue, and accept that there is an absence of this part – then where does the ‘thinking’ come from? Where do we derive the thoughts; philosophy; and underlying ideas? For these things are what makes Tranquilart a wholesome concept.
If man is a thinking being then surely this suggests that he is a contemplative being also.
And why does one contemplate? Why do we insist on meditating and pondering? And what is it that we ponder over?
Is it our past actions, present state or future events?
Or is it simply our life?
Where we are heading and what the consequences will be when we arrive there?
Or the uncertainty of not knowing where one is heading? And the subsequent insecurities that arise as a result?
For surely, these are thoughts that enter our minds and frequently set up an abode within us. It is only with the strengthening of direction and focus in life that these thoughts are put into perspective.
However, if Tranquilart asserts its foundation on revolving around notions of returning and finding peace, then surely these thoughts have already found a direction?
I am not a philosopher, and have never claimed to being one, as I have said elsewhere – these are the words of a dreamer, simply dreaming about reality.
Good Night & God Bless
Peace & Prayers
Wasalam, duas
Greetings of Peace and Salutations of Tranquillity to all that exists,
As tranquilart.com reaches its first birthday, I feel now is the right time for exploring some of the messages this project hopes to impart. The support over the last year has been immense and it is only right that we start to open up an insight into what the Tranquilart philosophy constitutes.
This is part one and gets the ball rolling for us…
I have mentioned before that Tranquilart is a concept; a way of thinking and ultimately acting. It revolves around spiritual notions of returning and finding peace. Both of which, one may argue are open to interpretation and misinterpretation. However, if the Truth is One – then neither are incorrect nor open for alternative analysis. The understanding thus derived must be the One understanding – and that is what the Reality of Tranquilart is.
So what then is the difference, if any, between Tranquilart as a concept and Tranquil Art? Would I be adding confusion by saying that Tranquil Art is the element of ‘acting’ within the concept of Tranquilart? And if this is to be accepted then wouldn’t one wonder whether we have the absence of the first element which makes up Tranquilart i.e. the ‘thinking’ part?
And if we further continue, and accept that there is an absence of this part – then where does the ‘thinking’ come from? Where do we derive the thoughts; philosophy; and underlying ideas? For these things are what makes Tranquilart a wholesome concept.
If man is a thinking being then surely this suggests that he is a contemplative being also.
And why does one contemplate? Why do we insist on meditating and pondering? And what is it that we ponder over?
Is it our past actions, present state or future events?
Or is it simply our life?
Where we are heading and what the consequences will be when we arrive there?
Or the uncertainty of not knowing where one is heading? And the subsequent insecurities that arise as a result?
For surely, these are thoughts that enter our minds and frequently set up an abode within us. It is only with the strengthening of direction and focus in life that these thoughts are put into perspective.
However, if Tranquilart asserts its foundation on revolving around notions of returning and finding peace, then surely these thoughts have already found a direction?
I am not a philosopher, and have never claimed to being one, as I have said elsewhere – these are the words of a dreamer, simply dreaming about reality.
Good Night & God Bless
Peace & Prayers
Wasalam, duas
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So if all appears glittering - does that mean it really does glitter? Is it a mirage of the minds eye?
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And thus the clarity of thought is the clarity of the spirit, which in essence brings out the clarity in action.
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