Sabia the Arabian Mystic © 2013 Aïda Touré

Zaid ibn Aslam related that the prophet (pbuh) saw a vision and told his companions about it. The Prophet Mohamed (pbuh) said, (in a dream): “I saw myself following a herd of black sheep. Then a group of white sheep came (and mixed with the black sheep) until they (the white sheep) became so many that the black sheep could no longer be seen in the herd of sheep.” Abu Bakr, the companion of the Prophet (pbuh) and the interpreter of dreams, said, “Oh Messenger of Allah, as for the black sheep, they are the

Arabs. They will accept Islam and become many. The white sheep are the non-Arab Persians, etc. They will accept Islam and become so many that the Arabs will not be noticed amongst them.” The Prophet Mohamed (pbuh) then said that an angel had interpreted the dream the same way.

Description: 40″x30″ oil & acrylic on canvas. This piece entitled “Sabia the Arabian Mystic” is the sixth one of the series Luminous Dark Matter. My intention in painting “Sabia the Arabian Mystic“ was to celebrate Black Arabia whose descendants’ glorious standing in history has been forgotten. There is a deep-layered meaning to this intricately detailed piece: the subject “Sabia” is enrobed in light, the book she holds is a metaphor for her heart, the seat of Knowledge which is the very foundation of the native Arabs’ rich culture. What compelled me to conceive this painting is the prejudice against the dark skin Arabs (in Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, Mauritania, Sudan, North Africa) who for centuries have been oppressed and called “slaves” on a land that is originally and historically theirs as the Arabian peninsula was part of East Africa (the Kush empire) until it was invaded. Thus “Sabia the Arabian Mystic” symbolizes the exalted ancestry of the native Arabs whose great history has deliberately been obscured and whose dignity and rights are violated on a daily basis. It’s primordial to reestablish authentic history so that the sublime common origin of all beings subsides the centuries-old lowliness and criminality of racism. May the Divine fill our heart with humility, grace and love so that we gain greater understanding of our unified origin and thus realize the equality of all.

~ Sabia the Arabian Mystic ~

From the Black Light,
you blew particles
to the souls of the first soul,
gracefully holding the pen
of existence itself,
you dictated these secrets
to the euphoric beings
who embodied your cosmic,
whirling obscurity,
the very sign of Luminosity~
Look, your ancient Scrolls
scurry across space still,
and moved, we shed tears!
O Eastern Wind,
you who selflessly taught
the Way of the pure Heart,
we rejoice for you have come
anew to mirror the glory
of Allahu’s Love!

© 2013 Aïda Touré

Les Savants de la Voie Lactée © 2013 Aïda Touré

Description: 30″x40″ oil & acrylic on canvas.

“The Milky Way’s Savants” celebrates the manifestation of high culture on earth, how it reaches us through the birth of enlightened souls, as well as the abundance their  presence brings to our lives collectively.

This painting thus captures the descent of evolved spiritual culture, that is commanded by The Divine One and coveted for eons by unloving, disconnected forces who to this day design schemes to take ownership of this high culture with its materialized vestiges. This phenomenon is observed in Timbuktu, Mali to this day where tangible expressions of this high culture, crystallized by African savants, continue to be looted even after centuries.

“The Milky Way’s Savants” addresses this ultimate reality: true richness that results from spiritual intelligence is under divine command only thus beyond material grasp, therefore it descends on earth as the Divine One wills, beyond the comprehension of those who covet it. Because high culture is a form of natural resource, embedded in the very fiber of our being, societies who receive the varied shades of this genius will always be coveted, attacked and invaded as long they’re not prepared to defend themselves against it.

The creative evolution of this painting was particularly intense, working on it I’ve learned a lot about the expansion of Love. The Sufi poem that offered this painting is below in French and English.

~ Les Savants de la Voie Lactée ~

La voila la prosternation de l’esprit éclairé,
manifeste et majestueux; siècle après siècle,
présent sous les mêmes cieux,
de la Nubie jusqu’à Tombouctou.
O qu’ils luisent ces empires fondés
sur le socle de Rouh (as)
de mondes en mondes, nous sommes
ces lanternes en forme humaine,
depuis Atlantis jusqu’à Kemet,
les mains dans la main de Tehuti (as)
nous traversâmes les frontières
afin de répandre notre Savoir
convoité par les envahisseurs.
Ce patrimoine de l’Afrique porté
par les Savants de la Voie Lactée
se révèle à travers l’âme de l’opprimé,
héritier légitime des pharaons pieux d’Egypte,
O enfants Noirs, ravivez vos mémoires
et scintillez de toute la gloire
instillée en vos glandes pinéales!

© 2012 Aïda Touré

~ The Milky Way’s Savants ~

There is the prostration of the enlightened spirit,
manifest and majestic, century after century;
present under the same heavens
from Nubia to Timbuktu.
How luminescent these empires
founded upon Ruh (as)
from worlds to worlds,
we are these lanterns in human form
from Atlantis to Kemet,
our hands in the hand of Tehuti (as)
we crossed the borders to spread
our Knowledge coveted by invaders.
This African heritage borne by
the Milky Way’s Savants
is revealed through the soul of the oppressed,
legit heir of the pious pharaohs of ancient Egypt,
O Black children, revive your memory
and shine with all the glory
instilled in your pineal glands!

© 2012 Aïda Touré

The First Realm 40″x30″ oil & acrylic on canvas © 2012 Aida Toure

“And remember when thy Lord brought forth from Children of Adam, from their reins, their seed, and made them testify of themselves, (saying): ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said: ‘Yea, verily. We testify…’ ” 7:172 ~Qur’an

“Bow down with those who bow down” 2:44 ~Qur’an

Description: 30″x40″ oil & acrylic on canvas. This painting entitled “The First Realm” captures a theme dearest to my heart, I had to nurture it within for a long time before even attempting to crystallize it because from the moment it came to me it was such an important subject that I wanted to take the time necessary to accomplish this work so today I’m grateful to be able to share it in its completed form. “The First Realm” is about the pre-cosmic state of Surrender~Islam that has been instilled in the human soul by The Most Beautiful. This painting was my way of celebrating our quintessential nature which reflects immense beauty for in this state, our attributes are manifested in their pure form without any interferences of the ego so these attributes whose source is divine seem to carry us, each with its own distinct fragrance and universe. Indeed this painting relates to true wealth, wholeness and pure humility before The Most Majestic, this reverence is the constant position of the soul before The Divine Being so in order to embrace it anew we must consciously turn inward with love and gentleness. For me, this painting probably is the most significant one I ever did because it celebrates the very essence of Islam and the majestic unfolding which takes place when we align with our innate sense of Surrender, all this naturally leads to contemplation and awe of the Divine One. Below is the poem that inspired this piece.

~ The First Realm ~

Love settled on the seven lakes of your soul,
quieted by the latitude of its own being,
it ever permeates your pulse;
with each of its divine dictation,
you align with the spherical movements
every atom of the Creation offers,
microcosm of the Cosmos,
we are light-filled quarks.
Lo! There are the celestial symbolic
that the Moor mystics inscribed
upon the scintillating waves
of the two Easts;
O how sumptuous the Radiance
of their presence that extends all the way to here!
My love, robed in golden silk,
prostrate and move toward the Throne
of your soul where “Am not your Lord?”
was carved in letters ornamented
with the Light of Muhammad (saw),
can you hear the spheres’ discourse now?
“Meditate, join us and keep quiet,
you will now witness
the ecstatic dance
of Allahu’s Breath.”

© 2012 Aïda Touré

Prelude to Majesty © 2012 Aïda Touré

“And the stars and the trees both prostrate themselves to Allah.” ~55:6 Qur’an

Description: this 40″x30″ oil/acrylic painting is entitled “Prelude to Majesty” it was inspired by an event in the life of my great grand father who was a Sufi saint. The piece represents a visual conversation between the surrendered soul and the majesty spread out before it, constantly exhibiting its breathtaking beauties. It is during this phenomenon that the heart realizes its true nature and immersion in its Source. The bliss that arises from it permeates each breath that we take, it is the grandest love to experience; accessible to all yet it takes conscious nurturing of inwardness to know this sacred love. Compared to its Reality, the painting captures but a fragment of this grace. The feeling of pure joy I felt through this whole creative process lingers even after completion of the piece, it was moving to work on it. The poem that offered “Prelude to Majesty” is below. After the sight of the sacred healing tree, what is to be beheld is beyond anything ever seen before…

~Prelude to Majesty~

Al ikhlas, spherically ambient,
the heart leans on immanence,
look, we shed our selves,
souls dancing and whirling
in prelude to majesty, turn by turn,
we pick up the gems the prophets
scattered on the grounds for us;
in each one, a luminescence
infinitely undefined,
there are many paths in one
lo! in Hu’s pleasure,
lovers are refined.
Do you see the veil lifting?
Love speaks with no mouth,
we are interwoven with the signs
laid around us like sublime kisses.
Our all, lost in this splendid beauty,
we rejoice for the Garden is near,
Rubies dangle from the healing tree,
its branches prostrate with the star
in osmosis and the worlds let out:
“here, taste the bliss
that composes your soul,
in this cosmic musical scheme,
rise as it is yours to know,
yours to wallow in,
yours to revel in.
Be like the child,
free, in tune with the Light,
whirl my loves!
The sun is up with us tonight,
that is how deep this Love runs;
let it tame the ego that defiles your glory!”
After this aural revealing,
we helplessly leave ourselves,
eager to embrace the Fragrant~
Tonight we hear the Truth as it is,
dissatisfied with the world,
Azzan is all that resounds
now nothing left to enounce…

© 2012 Aïda Touré

Night of Beauties © 2011 Aida Toure

“It is He who doth take your souls by night.” 6:60 ~Quran
“He makes the night for rest and tranquillity.” 6:96 ~Quran
“The Sign of the night have We obscured.” 17:12 ~Quran

Description: 24″x18″ oil and acrylic on canvas. I started to work on “Night of Beauties” a few weeks ago, this painting was inspired by my fascination with Nighttime and all that its majesty can reveal to the heart in peace and stillness. I wanted to allow this piece to evolve from start to finish at Nighttime so it could capture the energy relevant to the theme during this whole creative process. “Night of Beauties” evokes many realities: the envelope of all mysteries, the bed of rest for the soul, the time to blossom in prayer for the saint, the moment where the veil of artifices lifts to show the one true Reality. “Night of Beauties” also evokes the sacred moment when the soul gushed from the divine Spirit to embrace the human experience. This painting has a definite mystical symbolic which makes it unique and close to my heart.

~ Night of Beauties ~

The tenderness of your Presence
has led to this bliss,
glow wrapped in the Glow
we near the Unknown,
knelt down,
one with the freedom
humility offers
the one who’s pure.
Bismillah,
my indigo heart
is stilled by
this Night of Beauties,
let us ornament ourselves
with the sumptuous Namelessness
sages spoke of,
let Love silence us,
let it adorn our pulse!

© 2011 Aïda Touré