"My Lord, Have Mercy Upon Them"A Dua For Parents

Quran 17:24 

"My Lord, have mercy upon my parents, for they did raise me when I was small".

Another beloved verse of the Quran. I hope and pray Allah (swt) has mercy upon my parents (and sister) InshaAllah. My Parents raised me well Alhamdulillah. From an early age they taught me Equality. They instilled it in me with their actions and words. My mom is white and my dad is black - and they had to fight to be together. They taught me what it was to be kind, to be brave and to be humble. They gifted me with open-mindedness and encouraged me to see past stereotypes and misconceptions. If my parents hadn't raised me in this manner, I probably wouldn't have a Pakistani best friend (which I do), I probably wouldn't have married him (which I did) and I doubt very much I would be Muslim (which I am). I'll be eternally grateful to my parents for who they are, and for who they have allowed me to be. MashaAllah. My Lord, please have mercy upon them, because although they are not Muslims themselves, They are the reason I AM .

Kelly

The Aurora Project

"You is Kind, You is Smart, You is Important" - Aibileen [The Help]

"You is Kind, You is Smart, You is Important".

After watching 'The Help' again last night I just had to post this beautiful statement. The main character in the film, Aibileen, raises the daughter of a well-off white family who fail to show little Mae the love she needs as they don't think she is "pretty" enough. Aibileen, a black house-maid, constantly reminds Mae that she is Kind, Smart and Important, in the hope that she grows up to be the change that America so clearly needed.

I love this film, as upsetting and hard-hitting as it is. Based on the novel of the same name, it's set in the 1960s America in which racism was still rife. Black individuals were treated as though they were a different species, not allowed to eat at the dinner table of white families or use their bathrooms! To think that all of this was the norm only 50 years ago makes my heart heavy, yet thankful for the change. I know America's problem with racism still exists today, but MashaAllah they now have a black president! Something that would never have been forseen 5 decades ago!

It makes me think about my own Grandma, and the life she could have had if she had chosen to leave Grenada and go to the USA instead. Would she have been a house-maid? Instead she came to the UK. She worked hard here and was able to earn money in a job that allowed her to feel somewhat free.

Anyway, my point is, when you're facing hardship, when people tell you you're not good enough. Remember, you are Kind, Smart and Important. With what is happening in the world right now, we need to unite. Maybe these people who are committing terrible crimes of war were never told they were any good. Maybe they were never shown kindness. Only they know, along with Allah (swt).

Kelly
The Aurora Project

Disappearing Sunlight - Getting Paintings Finished in Winter!

#Working How hard is it to get paintings finished in winter? Unfortunately the natural sunlight you need doesn't seem to hang around for long these days! I'm leaving this for today until tomorrow's sun returns, InshaAllah!

I'm working on a new print using black card and acrylics. InshaAllah I aim to put a pretty piece of Calligraphy inside this floral background. I've tried to manipulate the acrylic brush strokes to imitate oil paint. Alhamdulillah I'm pleased with it so far! I'll keep you posted! 

What're you up to this weekend? :)

Kelly
The Aurora Project

iPhone 6S (White and Silver) - and My First (And Poor) Attempt AtKnolling!

iPhone 6S!

It's childish and materialistic I know, but I love my new iPhone upgrade. In actual fact, I did request the Space Grey - but funnily enough, hopeless Virgin Media sent me this White and Silver ensemble. In all fairness though, I was secretly pleased! It's beautiful! 

The 6S seems like an amazing phone and hopefully it will assist me in my ongoing artistic journey. I thought I'd try my first amateur knoll pic! On the left we have Prayer beads (tasbih) given to me by my mother in law. On the right is a cute Sun I made using an amazing technique with Hama beads (you lay the beads out in the pattern you want and then iron them together to form an adorable plastic badge). ☀️ I've made loads of things with them! Check them out! 

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Kelly
The Aurora Project

Guess who got stickers! Hand Made Improve Your Packaging!

Guess who got stickers! I'm like a kid! But yes we have stickers and I'm very excited! I'll be sharing them with you on the packaging of your latest orders. IA #suraharrum

The Calligraphy reads "And He placed between you Love and Compassion". 

SubhanAllah!

Kelly
The Aurora Project

The Pakistani Flag - Hand Painted Mini Canvas

Pakistan Flag. Hand painted as part of our 'Roots' collection. The Roots of my Husband. The thing I love so much about Islam is that we are all equals as Muslims. There exists no hierarchy - the colour of one Muslim does not make them better than another Muslim. It is only in our Piety that we are looked upon more favourably by God. Our Prophet Muhammad (Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam) said so Himself! Whilst it's important to remember and be proud of our different roots, I feel it's more important to remember that together we make up a much bigger group, Humanity. Let's make that something to be proud of too!!

InshaAllah (God Willing).

Kelly
The Aurora Project

"He Placed Between You Love and Compassion" - Islamic Glitter Note

"He created us in Pairs!"

Kelly
The Aurora Project

Allah (swt) and Prophet Muhammad (saw) - The Perfect Islamic CanvasGift Set

The Perfect Set!

So excited to introduce our brand new Canvas Set!

Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala

Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam

Two stunning hand painted canvases measuring 40x30cm (16x12") each!

Gold painted sides. Embellished with Gemstones.

£35+pp. Available on in our online gift store, Etsy or EBay :) AVAILABLE IN OTHER COLOURS TOO!

www.theauroraprojectuk.etsy.com

Kelly
The Aurora Project

"Allah Does Not Burden Us With More Than We Can Bear".

Quran 2:286

"Our Lord, do not impose upon us, that which we do not have the strength to bear". 

Another favourite verse of mine. And MashaAllah the first verse that rang true in my heart and warmed me to Islam. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala knows us, better than we know ourselves. You can handle this hardship, else you would not have been put through it. Subhanallah!

Kelly
The Aurora Project

A Popular Image - InshaAllah I Will Paint This One Day!

Allah

Subhanahu wa Ta'ala

Al-Basir (The Seer of All)

Without doubt this is one of my favourite images - I see it all over Instagram and Tumblr. InshaAllah I would love to paint a piece inspired by this image. Does anyone know who created it? It's so simple, but pure and perfect - just like Islam!

Kelly
The Aurora Project

Religion in a Nutshell - A Truly Amazing Quote by Carl Sagan

"We contemplate our origins like stardust pondering the stars" - Carl Sagan.

What a truly beautiful, magical quote! We question how and why we're here as though the answers haven't already been written. They are written. In the books of Religion. Yes, I reverted to Islam, because for me, it's writings, explanations and teaching are so pure (MashaAllah). We're here because Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala placed us here. There is no compulsion in religion, but He asked us to pray to Him, to follow Him to gain entry into the next life. For me, nothing else made sense. We ask why O why are we here? And I found the answers in the Quran. 

I totally appreciate science, but for me, there is no denying that we were placed here by God. 

Although Carl Sagan was a Scientist (and from what I read, didn't really agree with religion as such, I feel this quote sums up all religion perfectly! 

What do you think?

Kelly
The Aurora Project

"And He Found You Lost" - Islamic Glitter Note

Quran 93:7 "And He found you lost and guided you". 

N E V E R  shall I tire of these words. 

Leaving you with this verse before bed. Goodnight all!

Kelly
The Aurora Project

InshaAllah - if it is in His Plans, it Shall Be!

Insha'Allah!

My Child, for what reason are you so sad? Wipe away your tears, my Love. Don't you know, Allah has a plan for us all...

When you're down, look around! You'll see things that you'll thank God for, and things you'll thank God for sparing you of!

It's all in His plan!

If He so wills it to be!

Insha'Allah!

Kelly
The Aurora Project

Quran verse Al-Isra 17:24 - Hand Painted Islamic Canvases

Hand painted canvases with Islamic Calligraphy. Both read the beautiful verse for Parents "Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small." Lovely sister wanted a personalised gift for her parents and her in-laws - just to say Thank You for all that they had done for her. Such special pieces. I personalised them with their names (also in Arabic) either side of the Dua. I absolutely love creating custom pieces! Just let me know what you're looking for! 

Personalised Canvases!

Made for Any Occasion!

The Aurora Project

Worldwide shipping!

Etsy, EBay and through our blog.

www.theauroraproject.etsy.com

Kelly
The Aurora Project

"And He Found you lost"...in New York City?

Here's my favourite verse from the Quran again! "And He found you lost, and guided you". The quote I made looks pretty cool with the New York backdrop...and nooo unfortunately we don't live in the Big City, or America for that matter. We're in little old Birmingham in the UK. We have this huge New York City poster on the wall of our Apartment though...we can all but dream!

Where's your dream city?

Kelly
The Aurora Project

"And He Found You Lost and Guided You" - Quran 93:7 - MINI CANVASES £5 + PP

"And He found you lost and guided you" (Qur'an 93:7) My personal favourite verse.

The Starry background indicates how I felt when Allah (swt) Found and Guided me. I really was Lost - in the Stars, wondering what would become of my life. Alhamdulillah, I am so blessed. And Forever Grateful.

MINI CANVASES NOW AVAILABLE - only £5+pp. Choose your verse!

Kelly
The Aurora Project