In honour of my late mother

Gardens of Jannah

Three large-scale original paintings rooted in the Qur'anic verses that comforted me through my mother's illness and passing.

See the Paintings

Released February 2025 at the annual online auction

Tap a painting to read the story behind it.

SOLD

Giver of Peace

This painting walks us through the emotional journey of someone facing terminal illness, drawing on powerful prophetic stories and duas to provide guidance, hope, and comfort.

PERSONAL COLLECTION

Departing Soul

This painting captures the departing journey of a righteous soul as described in a Hadith.

SOLD

Breeze of Jannah

This painting is inspired by the phrase “A mother’s dua is like the breeze of Jannah.”

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My Journey Through Grief & Art

The Story

In Honour of My Mother

SalehaNasim's daughter

After a two-month battle with pancreatic cancer, my mother returned to her Creator peacefully on the 11th of Muharram, the month of Allah.

Throughout her journey she remained an active and joyful soul, making those around her laugh despite her pain. Allah blessed us with the opportunity to care for her.

She lived a life of service to others. The masjid was overflowing at her janazah, with hundreds of people. As I stood among the crowd, I couldn't stop smiling and repeating, "Alhamdulillah."

So what quality of ours will make someone drive across the city in the middle of a work day to attend our janazah?

This journey taught me that illness can be a profound opportunity to seek forgiveness, earn rewards and grow closer to Allah before returning to Him.

As her daughter, it's my duty to carry on her legacy. These paintings are rooted in the Qur'anic stories that gave me comfort, and my hope is they bring solace to others, as they did for me.

May Allah bless you and your loved ones, forgive us all, and grant our parents Jannatul Firdous. Ameen.

Where the paintings are now

Giver of Peace The Palm, Dubai, UAE
Departing Soul Toronto, CanadaMy personal collection
Breeze of Jannah California, United StatesA cancer centre

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The Full Collection

See all three paintings up close.

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The Details

Rivers, gardens and layers of texture. Tap any photo to see it larger.

Gardens of Jannah limited edition Islamic art prints by Saleha Contractor

Limited Edition Prints

Departing Soul & Giver of Peace, Now as Prints

Two paintings from this collection are available as limited edition prints, 50 of each.

Shop the Prints

Saleha Contractor with her Gardens of Jannah paintings, made in honour of her late mother

Magazine Feature · Dubai

My Artistic Journey & My Mother's Legacy

A Dubai magazine shared the story behind this collection and my mother's legacy.

Read the Feature

Own an Original

How the Annual Online Auction Works

I release one collection of original paintings each year, at a one-day online auction open to collectors worldwide. There are no private sales or commissions, and collectors set the price of each painting.

Every original arrives with a signed Certificate of Authenticity.

Own an Original Painting

Owned by collectors worldwide