Today, there are many different definitions of a true Muslim. This variation is mostly due to cultural interpretations versus religious reasons, for the Quran does not specifically define what a Muslim is, just that a muslim is a submitter of God. The term Muslim, beginning with a capital M, is a post Quranic creation. In most cultures, a Muslim is defined as someone who follows the five pillars of Islam: they recite the Shahada, they perform Salat five times a day, they fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan, they give Zakat, and they go on the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) at least once in their lifetime. There are some discrepancies that arise with this because again, the Quran does not outline “rules” to be a good Muslim. Although many people believe that their position as a Muslim is determined by a personal relationship with God, a universally accepted definition of a Muslim is one who simply follows the first pillar, or one who recites the Shahada, the Islamic testimony or creed of faith.
The Shahada is arguably the most important article of faith for Muslims. Almost all Muslims say that anyone who believes what they recite in the Shahda are part of the Islamic community. The Shahada is composed of two universal parts and a third part particular to the Shia Muslim Communities. The first part is translated to “There is no god but God” and the second part is translated to “and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” Shia Muslims add “Ali, the master of believers, is the friend of God.”
For my project, I created a moon and star wooden cutout inscribed with the Shahada and names of prominent identities in the Islamic religion. The moon and star shapes are used because they are very often attributed to the religion. The symbolism behind the moon and star shapes can be traced back to the idea of ayat, or “signs,” from God. A big component of Islam is the belief in a single miraculous God and the signs and evidence of this lie in the phenomena of the world like the stars and moons. After appreciating those kinds of incredible things, its hard to deny that a divine being created them. A verse in the Quran goes ““(Here) indeed are the signs (ayat) for a people that are wise.” Another goes “Wherever you turn, there is the face of God.” These two verses highly motivated the shape of the medium of my project.
The green and yellow/gold color scheme is related to the colors often associated with Imam Husayn and his family, a person central to Shia Islam. I chose to do this in correlation with my decision to inscribe the third part of the Shahada onto my project. The moon part of the project symbolizes the Islamic community and the stars are raised to signify the great importance of Allah, Muhammad, and Ali who are essentially leaders of this Islamic community. Allah is written in a bigger star than Muhammad and Ali for obvious reasons. The stars are outlined in gold glitter to elaborate their divine importance. All the words are written in Arabic because that is the language the Quran was revealed to Muhammad in.
One of the aspects of the Quran is to serve as a reminder because the human race is very forgetful—the purpose of this project is very similar. I chose this medium for my project for practical reasons. It serves as a “reminder” of my faith. It has a little ribbon on the back that allows it to be hung. I plan on displaying this in my dorm room to act as a reminder of who I am and what I believe in during the busy and rough times, like exam weeks, where I am often religiously forgetful.
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