Contain Me – 2024
Contain Me is a large-scale installation that reimagines a pivotal moment in Islamic history: the Prophet Muhammad’s return from Hira’s cave, shaken by his first revelation, and the quiet strength of his wife Khadijah, who wrapped him in a blanket and affirmed his calling.
Through a larger‑than‑life cutout painting of Khadijah and Muhammad in a moment of intimate refuge, the work centers Khadijah not as a secondary figure, but as the emotional and spiritual catalyst behind the birth of Islam. Their embrace is framed by an octagonal golden halo and placed before a mural of Islamic geometric motifs. The background design is built from a traditional grid, but its silhouette precisely mirrors the contours of the cutout figures — integrating their presence into the sacred geometry itself.
This installation is part of a larger series exploring the lives of the Mothers of Believers, including The Scribe, which portrays Hafsah bint Umar, guardian of the Qur’anic manuscripts. Together, these works challenge historical erasure and affirm women’s active integration into Islamic art, history, and cultural production.
Through a larger‑than‑life cutout painting of Khadijah and Muhammad in a moment of intimate refuge, the work centers Khadijah not as a secondary figure, but as the emotional and spiritual catalyst behind the birth of Islam. Their embrace is framed by an octagonal golden halo and placed before a mural of Islamic geometric motifs. The background design is built from a traditional grid, but its silhouette precisely mirrors the contours of the cutout figures — integrating their presence into the sacred geometry itself.
This installation is part of a larger series exploring the lives of the Mothers of Believers, including The Scribe, which portrays Hafsah bint Umar, guardian of the Qur’anic manuscripts. Together, these works challenge historical erasure and affirm women’s active integration into Islamic art, history, and cultural production.
Contain Me, installation view at Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2024. Cutout painting of Khadijah and Muhammad placed before a screen-printed mural of Islamic geometric patterns and Arabic calligraphy.
Contain Me (Close‑up) – 2024 – Cutout painting of Khadijah and Muhammad before a screen-printed canvas.Soo Visual Arts Center.
Khadijah - The Embrace
Khadijah’s response to Muhammad’s first revelation is central to this work. Recognizing the gravity of the moment, she brought him to her cousin Waraqa, a Christian scholar who confirmed her intuition that Muhammad was a prophet. Khadijah’s authority did not end there—she continued to support him morally, emotionally, and financially, becoming the foundation on which early Islam stood. This installation brings her forward as the primary agent she was, not the secondary figure she is often reduced to.
Contain Me, gallery view. 2024 – Installation – 42 × 13 × 9 ft – MIA
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Contain Me, mid-range installation view. MIA..
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Contain Me (Close‑up of mural) – 2024 – Installation – 42 × 13 × 9 ft – Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA).
Artistic Approach
I chose to portray this moment by imagining the intimate embrace between Khadijah and Muhammad and rendering it as a larger‑than‑life cutout painting. The octagonal golden halo emphasizes the sanctity of the moment, while the cutout format allows the figures to stand in physical space rather than remain confined to a frame. Positioned before a mural of Islamic geometric motifs, the figures become both image and presence—embodied, monumental, and unignorable.
Contain Me – 2023 – Painting – 37 × 27 in – Minneapolis Institute of Art.
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Contain Me (Back view) – 2024 – Installation – 10 × 10 ft – SooVAC.
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Process and Development
The work evolved through layered experimentation with scale, geometry, and narrative framing. The cutout painting, the halo, and the mural were developed in dialogue with one another, each element refining the others. The close‑up details—such as Khadijah’s hand resting on Muhammad’s shoulder—were painted to convey tenderness, authority, and the emotional weight of the moment. Every component was built to honor Khadijah’s role with clarity and reverence.
Contain Me – 2024 – Digital sketch for mural.
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Design studies for Contain Me, exploring Islamic grid structures and calligraphic integration. The calligraphy spells “Khadijah,” framed by floral and ornamental motifs.
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Mothers of Believers Series
Contain Me is part of a broader series exploring the lives of the Mothers of Believers. This includes The Scribe, which portrays Hafsah bint Umar, guardian of the Qur’anic manuscripts. Together, these works challenge historical erasure and affirm women’s central contributions to Islamic art, history, and spiritual life. The exhibition title, Contain Me, echoes Muhammad’s plea to Khadijah, while also expressing my desire for my voice to be held within Muslim traditions and the wider human community.