Sharifah Zuriah Aljeffri

SOLO ART EXHIBITION BY SHARIFAH ZURIAH ALJEFFRI

AR-RAHIM, AS-SALAM, AL-ADL/COMPASSION, PEACE, JUSTICE

NOTES FROM THE ARTIST

In the name of God, the Most Gracious and the Dispenser of Grace

We are confronted with conflicts and differences all the time. Allah's artistry produces the wonderful variations, but instead of embracing these plurality, differences in ethnicity and cultural backgrounds, ideologies or political beliefs become the cause of conflicts. But sometimes these conflicts are found among people of the same faith. As a Muslim, I am saddened at the fighting that is going on among Muslims themselves. And very often Islam is being used to oppress one group against another. Take for example, the treatment of women. Time and time again, Islam has been used to deny women the basic right to a life of dignity, equality and justice. And yet we know that is not Islam that oppresses women, sanctions violence but narrow interpretations of the Qur'an and influenced by socio-cultural practices, values and prejudices. Allah's eternal message of equality, justice and compassion has been ignored. We must not believe in such narrow and bigoted interpretations, but look into the Qur'an and discover for ourselves the spirit of equality, justice and compassion so insistently enjoined in the Qur'an.

I paint the Attributes of God: Ar-Rahim (The Compassionate), As-Salam (The Source of Peace) and Al-Adl (The Just) to convey the need for Compassion in our hearts, Peace in our relationship and Justice in our action in order for us to have a harmonious co-existence. Without these attributes, we commit injustice.

Rahim also means the womb which is a precious gift from God. It is through the womb that God gives life. And it is through the womb that generation after generation of human beings are born on earth. We must respect the womb and through this, extend our respect to all humankind.

Ramadhan is a special month for Muslims as it is the month of fasting and in this month we are constantly reminded to be more caring, forgiving and loving. The experience of fasting brings forth a feeling of taqwa (God consciousness) and a complete submission to the will of Allah. I paint Allahu Akhbar, Subahanallah and Alhamdu Lillah. These are supplications that we utter in zikir and they give me inner peace and inner strength.

We repeat Allah swt and our beloved Prophet Muhammad saw many times in a day as we say the Shahada; Allah swt is invoked hundred times in zikir; and the Surah Ya Sin, believed to be the heart of the Qur'an, is recited on special days and occasions. In our search for social justice, equality and inner strength, we must submit ourselves to Allah swt.

Sharifah Zuriah Aljeffri
October 2003