China
dated AH 1261 (AD 1845)
ink, watercolours and gold on paper
402 x 27cm
The text consists of Qur’anic verses, short prayers and invocations, and numerous reprtitions of the basmalah and the shahadah , the latter arranged into decorative shapes such as vases, flowers, a pagoda and the bifurcated sword, dhu’l-fiqar . In addition, there are depictions of the Masjid al-Haram at Mecca and the Prophet’s mosque at Medina, and the last panel encloses the hilyah of the Prophet Muhammad.