In the Name of Allah, The Lord of Mercy, The Ever-Merciful.

It was 2 years ago, on 21 Rabiul Akhir 1439, the fourth month of the Hijrah calendar, to be exact. I was in Aksaray, Turkey for a student exchange program. My exams were over, alhamdulillah, so I spent the night sketching for my shawl project.

As I was drawing leaves, it dawned on me to look into the Quran for inspiration.

The phrase “the heaven and earth” caught my eyes. The leaves that filled my sketchbook signifies what’s on earth, I thought. And looking at my colour choices, MashaAllah, they reflected the green skies – aurora borealis! A heavenly element, yes?

For me, it was a moment of epiphany. From then on, I made it my mission to find my artistic inspiration from the verses of the Quran, as my way of glorifying The Lord, The Creator of the heavens and earth and everything in between.​