Deen Designs - Contemporary Islamic Art

Where the hills are green......

2010-01-04T14:29:00.000-08:00

Salaams all

I recently painted a piece for my father which I thought would share with you here...its the Quantock Hills in Somerset. It doesnt have an Islamic theme on it but you can imagine this scene as such a beautiful place that Allah s.w.t has blessed us with:

Its a new year so new artwork coming soon!!

Peace.

Luscious Lillies

2009-10-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

Salaams all

I have been away for some time so firstly I must apologise! Lots going on, not least of all work and of course a certain someone taking up a lot of time...

But I'm back now alhamdulillah and busy painting and having new ideas every day :)

Here is my first new piece. I love lillies, their scent and the beautiful curling shapes. This piece is for sale - if you are interested let me know!

More soon I promise.....

Ramadan Mubarek! from me and my furry friend

2009-08-28T15:12:00.001-07:00

Assalaamu alaikum all,

First things first - Ramadan Mubarek to everyone!! This blessed month is with us again and that means lockdown on your kitchen cupboards and fridge from sunrise to sunset!!

The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur'an was sent down as guidance for mankind, with Clear Signs containing guidance and discrimination. Any of you who are resident for the month should fast it. But any of you who are ill or on a journey should fast a number of other days. Allah desires ease for you; He does not desire difficulty for you. You should complete the number of days and proclaim Allah's greatness for the guidance He has given you so that hopefully you will be thankful. (Qur'an 2:185)

Fasting is more about staying away from food and drink though - its about self-control and ensuring that your desires do not control you. Fasting is commanded to us from the Qur'an. Fasting is a spiritual thing as well as physical - it means abstaining from food, drink, 'other desires' ;) and also and crucially, lies, swearing, bad language, backbiting, suspicion and bad deeds. It means making the most of this time to reap rewards and to gain forgiveness and blessing, with the grace of Allah s.w.t, FOR Allah s.w.t.

Abu Huraira (RA) related that the Prophet(SAW) said: "If a person does not avoid false talk and false conduct during Siyam (fasting), then Allah does not care if he abstains from food and drink " (Bukhari, Muslim).

During this month the Holy Qur'an was revealed and so it is a precious time for all believing Muslims - and its NOT about just doing what-on-earth-you-want for the other 11 months and then thinking you can rein it all back at this time and morph into the perfect Muslim for 30 days ....tsk tsk no.....whilst good actions during this time are excellent masha'allah you shouldn't just be coming out of the woodwork during this time - Allah s.w.t. is watching us all year round!! So if you make any intention and plan this year and I am intending this too insha'allah , make it this one: to continue to do all that you do during this month, all year round and ahead insha'allah.

Now that I've got that bee out of my bonnet.....on to painting. I'm painting 2 comissions at the moment in time for Eid insha'allah so busy busy busy........but a new addition to my household in the form of a tiny furry friend has hampered my normal painting routine some what!! Something small, cute, naughty and nosy is taking up a lot of my time and rather a lot of interest in my painting!! Hence if you order something from me now and it has a small paw print embedded in the paint then I apologise in advance!!

As you can see he loves to hide amongst in my paint box and get in on the action!!

But!! alhamdulillah, even he is getting into the spirit of this month:

Take care all,
Peace.

A rose by any other name......

2009-08-01T05:20:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest, a wedding gift created for a special couple. The journey to creating this can be seen in the post below. I'm happy to create paintings as gifts for special occasions, dates or even just because you love someone.....so if you are stuck for a present for someone, don't forget about me!!

Can you guess what it is yet?

2009-07-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Salaams all,

Been away from here for a while I know. I kind of lost the feeling for my art - lost my mojo! But the painting powers are back -alhamdulillah!
I thought I'd create a series of posts of work in progress as and when available. This way you can see what I am up to and be sure I am busy working away! I'm currently working on an order, a comissioned piece as a wedding gift. Current waiting time for comissions is just over a month - this varies from time to time...so please get your orders in in plenty of time!

Here are some pics of the piece as it comes along.....can you guess what it is yet?? I expect you can....lol....More pics coming as I paint.....

Everything belongs to Allah

2009-06-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

Salaams everyone,

Its been a couple of weeks or so since my last post - sorry to have not been busier! The truth is the lovely sunny weather meant I was out a lot enjoying it and didnt make time to paint....but now the rain is back ( what a surprise!!) and I have been busy whilst I took shelter.

I really wanted to do a piece surrounding the Earth as a whole.....and now I am pleased to say this is complete! I think I will make this the first in the a series surrounding Creation from the Islamic perspective.

I hope you like it! This piece is for sale but its already had some interest so if you want it - and don't forget there is only one - let me know ASAP. Price enquiry to deendesigns@yahoo.co.uk

Back soon!

peace.

The day after the event before......

2009-05-05T15:04:00.001-07:00

Assalaamu alaikum and peace to all,
Yesterday was the Charity Event in Leyton, the Football Match ( Asianos vs Bengali League - Asianos won! ) and the women's Bazaar. It was a great day out with a good turn out despite the rain and the bazaar was full of people having a good browse round - munching on the sumptious cakes, sipping tea and buying hijabs, jilbaabs while the kiddies had their faces painted. I had a stall in the middle, sharing space with dear friend/family member and fellow artist Uzma Malik and it was lovely to see so many people! If you were there and picked up my flyer to this blog, thanks for looking in!! :)

Photos from the event below - some of these pieces have now sold and more are on their way!

Uzma Malik showing off the goods.....

More photos of the football match can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31119325@N07/sets/72157617630590987/

'Til next time...
Peace.

Good vs Evil ??

2009-04-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

Salaams again,

Second post of the day! As some of you may have noticed via the links below ( Where else am I ?) I'm also a member of the Deviant Art community. Not been a member long, a month maybe - anyway its a great place to share and see art, specifically digital art.

They are running a competition in association with Wacom with the theme of Good vs Evil. I've been mulling some ideas around because whilst I'm sure I'm not going to win anything ( some of the art on there is amazing!) I really like this theme and its got me thinking about what the concept of Good vs Evil means to me.

Islamically 'good' would translate to Allah s.w.t. and 'evil' to Shaytaan. Now I'm obviously not going to paint a depiction of Allah ( goodness no.....) or Shaytaan as how we perceive both of them is way off the mark. The traditional images of the old man in the sky with the big white beard and booming voice , ensure that we put Allah swt and his power in a 'box' when we should realise that He is both unlimited in his capacity and attributes and nothing like that we can imagine. Old man in the sky - not even close!!

“Allah! There is no god but He - the Living, the Eternal, the Self-Subsisting. No slumber takes Him nor does He rest. Everything in space and on Earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede in His presence without His permission? He knows what happens before, after and behind them. No one can gain anything of His Knowledge except as He wills. His throne extends over space and the Earth. He does not tire in guarding and protecting them. He is the most High, The Supreme.” (2:225)

Likewise if we picture Shaytaan as a little dancing devil with a fork and horns, we leave ourselves open to his capacities on us....he's not called the 'Sneaking Whisperer' for nothing!

There's more to evil than this little devil!!

Then I got to thinking about light and dark....strong demonstrations of good and evil and of course, a joy to paint in any way. Allah tells us in the Qur'an that He will bring us out of the darkness into the light:

By it, Allah guides those who follow what pleases Him to the ways of Peace. He will bring them from the darkness to the light by His permission, and guide them to a straight path. (5:16)

So at the moment I'm thinking about light and dark....but I also feel that there are wider representations of good and evil in the world....Essentially, there is good and evil in everything...hmmmm......this theme is an excellent one because there is so much I could do with this! I'm also really loving large flowers at the moment, up close detail and lots of colour so I'm leaning towards a rose and thorns.....but then again the light/dark theme has so much potential! Sun, moon, stars....subhanallah there are signs all around us. Decisions decisions...

For details of the Deviant Art competition you can find out more here:

http://news.deviantart.com/article/76573/

I'll keep you posted on what I decide!

In the meantime, be GOOD!

Peace. :)

Do you not see that......

2009-04-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

.......we bring forth fruits of varying colours?

Salaams to all,

Finished the second piece! I decided to do a pomegranate in this piece similar to a popular one from a year or two ago but this time with a different ayat....Took me about 10 hours in total I think, painting all those tiny juicy bits was time consuming! I really love the colour of the pomegranate and the way when its cut open you can really see how it forms.....all those juicy bits mmm mmm ; ) and its a super-food antioxidant! One of the few fruits mentioned by name in the Qur'an...wow Allah s.w.t is really spoiling us....yum yum

Anyway here's a pic of the finished piece:

I hope you like it!

This, along with the long mountain piece will be available at the Charity Football Match, Auction and Bazaar mentioned below. For a reminder, check out the Facebook group:

http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=10271539826&view=all#/group.php?gid=62469035782

Peace :)

He who has made the mountains....

2009-04-13T11:44:00.001-07:00

Mountain conquered!

Salaams and peace to all,

So I finished my first piece for the charity auction on May 4th in Leytonstone (details below) .....so I have put my time of this long weekend to good use! ;)

Here's some pics of the finished piece.... apologies for the not great pictures, I need a new camera!

This piece, along with another ( yet to be created!) will be available at auction on
Bank Holiday Monday May 4th 2009 at:
Leyton Football Stadium
282 Lea Bridge Road
London E10 7LD
Tickets to be sold on the door and prior to event.
Prices: £5 - All Proceeds Go To Palestine and Gaza via Interpal.

This is going to be a huge fundraiser insha'Allah and will be a Charity Football Match between the Champions of the Asian League vs. Champions of the Bengali League! Plus a bazaar with lots of stalls ( see me there!) and the Auction.

For more information and to find ticket outlets, check out the Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=62469035782

Look forward to seeing you there insha'Allah :)

Now to get cracking on the next one.........!

Time waits for no man....or woman!

2009-04-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

The Importance of Not Wasting Time.

So its Good Friday tomorrow and we have a looooooooong 4-day weekend!woo hoo!! :) What to do with my time?? Well I have a wedding to attend, spend time with family and friends but ultimately I have more time to myself this week then most weeks due to the Bank Holidays ( I work full-time.)

So I'm sitting here with the whole time stretching ahead of me and its tempting to kick back, chill out and relax, surf the net, 'have a coke and a smile 'as my hubby might say......after all, I deserve it right?? but I got to thinking, that time is of course a blessing, ultimately we do not know how much time we really do have....so what does Islam say about time?
Time is incredibly precious - it waits for no man ( or woman!)

This hadith just about sums it up: "There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing good." (Bukhari 8/421)

Ultimately, according to Islam, our purpose on this earth for which we were created, is to worship. Theoretically we waste HUGE amounts of time on TV, internet, chat, and other sort of leisure past-times that might be fun and relaxing but serve little real benefit..I mean sure you can watch educational things on TV, have educational and benefical talks but look at how much trash TV there is nowadays - we've all watched it from time to time right?? (hope its not just me!) ....Now its pretty hard to devote every second of your spare time to worship to Allah , though really that is what we should strive for. But a few minutes each day I'm sure all of us can spare, to pray and to ponder, show some gratitude and remember our belief:

I have only created Jinns and Men, that they may serve Me. No Sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should feed Me. For Allah is He Who gives (all) Sustenance, Lord of Power, Steadfast (for ever). Qur'an (51:56-58)

So I've got this long weekend - really I need to put it to good use! So that means I should do some painting insha'Allah. My paintings, in case any of you did not yet know, feature English ayats of the Qur'an. I like to use these as they reflect my background but also because its a way of showing the beauty of the words of Allah and how this is reflected in the world around us....Dawah ( inviting those to the way of Islam) is an obligation incumbant on every Muslim and there's a variety of ways to do this - I'd like to think my art serves something towards this insha'Allah.

O ye who believe! Fear Allah, and let every soul look to what (provision) He has sent forth for the morrow. Yea, fear Allah: for Allah is well-acquainted with (all) that ye do. Qur'an (59:18)

anyway - that means getting off here and getting busy with the paint! Im working on a large long canvas at the moment, for the Charity Auction on May 4th in Leytonstone ( will post details soon) and I need to put some of the finishing touches. Will post pics here soon when its done!

And as for the rest of my time this weekend?? well ultimately it is not to waste it, to put it to good use, to put it to halal use, in ways which are beneficial for me and those around me insha'Allah....:)

I'll leave you with this hadith:

Narrated Abdullah Bin Mas`ud Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said:
"A man shall be asked concerning five things on the day of resurrection: concerning his life, how he spent it; concerning his youth, how he grew old; concerning his wealth, whence he acquired it, and in what way he spent it; and what was it that he did with the knowledge that he had."

tick tock, tick tock......;)

So.....Introducing Deen Designs

2009-04-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

Assalaamu alaikum!

So here I am in my new home! After 2 years on my other site I thought now is the time to branch out into the world of blogs! So here is Deen Designs new home - where I can keep you all up to date with what I'm up to and where I am...My new art-for-sale website will be opening soon insha'Allah but the aim is to keep this site as my online diary...

What have I been up to recently??

Well, 2009 has been quite a busy year so far....Jan and Feb were filled with commissions and gift pieces and then at the end of March, I took part in the Ladies' Gala Event hosted by the wonderful shamateachesbollywood http://www.shamateachesbollywood.com/ a very talented lady! Funds went to Medical Aid for Palestine(MAP)'s emergency Gaza Appeal http://www.map-uk.org/ I donated 2 pieces to this wonderful event, for Auction, and alhamdulillah everyone was very generous! Congrats to the new owners of 'Guide Us to the Straight Path' and 'Trust in Allah' - your money for my art went to a great cause! Check out the pics here!

I'm also taking part in the Charity Football Match, Auction and Bazaar for Gaza on Bank Holiday Monday May 4th 2009 - more details on this soon! And remember, the rest of my art that I sell year round 10% goes to Islamic Relief http://www.islamic-relief.com/ or a charity of your choice!

Its very important to me to take part in these charity events and use my skills in a way of gratitude and to give something back for the wonderful gift I have been given alhamdulillah :) I don't take it for granted for one minute - pinch me if I ever do!!