This brief movie represents my attempt to create a calligraphic design that would best represent my understanding of Allah as the expression of the unity of all things as well as the God of Compassion. Initially I envisioned a design that would incorporate the letters of Allah in a kind of yin yang effect. The yin yang is a favorite symbol of mine as it represents a Taoist understanding of the unity of all things, and the union of what appear to be opposites: dark/light, female/male; giving/receiving, and so forth. I do think of Allah in this way as well: One who breaks down barriers, who created and knows the true union of all things, as well as One who is compassionate.
    I also incorporated photographs I took at the Great Mosque in Xi’an, China, a beautiful place that exemplifies how Islam transcends just one culture or time period. The music I chose is from Aa’shiq-al-Rasul’s album “The Sultan of Madinah” and the track is called “Beloved.” I cannot imagine life without music, and think that so much of it from Bach to rock and jazz to what I included in the soundtrack here is inspired from the same source. Muslims call this Allah.