Maghreb | Allah | Arabic Calligraphy
Inspired by Surah Al'Asr "The Declining Day"
"Allah"
This is a print of an Islamic painting by Saleha
Calligraphy: "Allah"
The Story
This painting is inspired by Surah Al’Asr’s “The Declining Day.” When Allah swt says, “I swear by the time,” the word He swt used for time is one that comes from Easir, which translates to juice in Arabic. Picture liquid pouring out when you squeeze a fruit or vegetable.
Asr actually means that time is dripping away. Notice how the time between Asr and Maghreb goes by so fast? Once Asr hits, we know we’re at the tail end of the day. Similarly, Allah swt is warning us that we are losing time.
The glistening light represents life, and the darkness surrounding it symbolized death. We are in the Asr of our life. We have little time to figure out how not to be a failure. The first condition to save ourselves is to recognize that we don’t have time. For a believer, that means to turn to ALLAH, seek his forgiveness and engage in ibadah—do what brings you closer to Allah, salah, dhikr, charity, beautify your character.
The pouring effect represents the idea that the day is running out of time—it’s dripping away. The crescent symbolizes a night that is surrounded by crashing clouds. Leaves symbolize life and growth, but when they’ve fallen and darkened, they remind us that “to him, we belong, to Him we shall return.”