“Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim” – In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind, begins every chapter of the Qur’an bar one.
Beginning everything in the name of God adds a different dimension to our actions. It helps us align ourselves to The Merciful, and to purify our intention. It centres us to our true purpose, namely to worship The One.
As I begin this website, I pray that it is aligned to that purpose, and that what I express here demonstrates my striving to lead a God-conscious life, albeit it in a complex world, and in a very imperfect way.
This image is calligraphy written on ebru.
Calligraphy is an Islamic artform that draws on the special place that The Qur’an has in the lives of Muslims. The calligraphy in this image is digitally drawn by me, copying a historical style.
The Ebru—paper marbling—in the background is done by me. Ebru is an ancient Turkish artform, where special inks are suspended on water and gently moved. Paper is then placed on the water, and the inks are transferred. I profess no great skill at it, however it is one of the artforms I spend time on because I love its ethereal and transient qualities, which remind me of the transience of this world. The piece I chose for this post is “technically imperfect”, however I like the form, as it feels organic – like a garden. PLUS – as a self-confessed “perfectionist”, I have worked hard to accept my perfect imperfections.
It is my hope that this website will be a place of purpose, and of beauty, and that you gain something meaningful from the posts, which I will strive to make as authentically from me as possible.
I tend to write from the heart, for as the Arab proverb says, “What comes from the heart, reaches the heart.”
In peace.
Sarah Joseph