Tie Your Rope Tightly Around Me and Never Let Go - A Visual Prayer on Holding and Being Held

I’m honoured to share Tie Your Rope Tightly Around Me and Never Let Go (2025), a piece that emerged from a place of deep reflection, vulnerability, and yearning for Divine closeness.

Rooted in the Quranic verse “And your Lord has not forsaken you, nor is He hateful of you” (Surah Ad-Duha), and echoing the command “Hold firmly to the rope of Allah,” this artwork speaks to the universal human experience of reaching, clinging, and sometimes slipping - and the tender hope that even when our hands falter, we are still held.

The piece weaves together rope-like forms that symbolise not only the “rope of Allah” but also the fragile nature of human grasp. Crafted with 23.5k gold leaf and hand-ground pigments on indigo-dyed wasli paper, the shimmering details evoke Divine light piercing the dark night - a quiet reminder that God’s mercy surrounds us even when we feel adrift.

For me, this piece is more than a visual meditation on faith; it’s a personal prayer. As a full-time carer and artist, there are moments when exhaustion and doubt creep in. This work became a space where I could lay down that heaviness and turn it into a plea: O Allah, tie Your rope tightly around us - don’t let us go, even when we are too tired to hold on ourselves.

As part of a five-piece series exploring themes of resilience, healing, and the cycles of light and darkness, this work invites viewers of all backgrounds to reflect on their own moments of struggle and hope. My hope is that it offers solace and connection, whether or not you share the same faith tradition.

Limited edition hand-embellished prints will be available for pre-order from May 15th, each lovingly finished with gold leaf to echo the radiance of the original.

Over the coming days, I look forward to sharing more insights and stories behind each piece in this series - inviting you into a space of contemplation, beauty, and shared humanity. Thank you for walking this journey with me.