Interview: Aisha La’Don Epps-Abdul Rahman
February 28th, 2008 by Menachem Wecker
Aisha La’Don Epps-Abdul Rahman currently resides with her husband and three children in Sacramento California. As a homeschooling mother of three, she dedicates her time to providing ongoing support and advice to women in order to assist them in living a purpose filled life. She is currently working on an online network for Muslim women, muminah.net, as well as writing a women’s Hadith handbook.
She enjoys reading, writing, graphic and web design, and of course spending time with her family and friends, and learning more and more each day.
I asked Aisha about the importance of art in her life, art and Islamic law, and how, if at all, art carries gender implications in Islam. Here are her replies. (Image: courtesy of Aisha La’Don, and see her article “The Role History & Religion Play in Art.”)
Bismillah Al Rahman Al Raheem
Assalamu Alaikum,
I don’t believe that there are any preferences when it comes to Islamic art, nor any expectations as far as who should do what art. Many women have taken the hobby of doing Henna as a hobby as well as professionally. Men do not take this art on more than likely due to the physical contact that is required, and at no time should a man or women touch unless they are married or family.
Women also used henna for beautification, and so it was heavily used by women, and occasionally by men in order to dye their hair.
I personally do Henna, and calligraphy. Textile may be a bit more physically demanding and so it is done more amongst men than women. But it depends on what type of textile. Clothes, rugs, etc. Calligraphy is done by both however; more by men, I think based on their ability to read Arabic.
I am an African American, but I know culturally many Arab women can neither read nor write Arabic. They can speak it and that is it. I was very surprised to learn this from several of my Jordanian friends.
When we are children we learn to speak simply by hearing and speaking with our family, but not until we are sent to school do we learn to read and then write. For some of my friends who moved to America at a young age or were born here, they learn Arabic because it is spoken in the home, but at school they are taught to read and write English, and sadly forget the importance of their own language.
More emphasis is placed on educating men, because they are the bread winners, and women are taught to be modest, and take care of the children and the home, especially overseas.
It has only been more recently that women started working out of the home. It is also a known fact that women need to be able to teach their children, and without educating your women, where would the children be.
All this however is culture and not Islam. It is difficult for me to say, because I am an American, and my culture is different.
Theologically there have been many women scholars of Islam, but not as many as there are men. Study of religion could take a life time. And it is difficult for women to put all her time into this, take care of a home, children, and family.etc. Men do not have as much of a responsibility in
this department. Allah (God) has made men the maintainers of women, and this is their biggest responsibility. We each are responsible and obligated to give various rights to others such as friends, family, neighbors, wives etc. but often women are tied down with their hands full of fulfilling these responsibilities which may take more of their time.
Now in today’s times and being an American Women with a very supportive husband I am probably one of the few women that has this time, but it is because of who I am as a person, and my personality that I am able to do what appears to be so much, with such little time. I am studying Islamic Philosophy. I have dedicated myself to learning about the rights and responsibilities of women in order to assist women in living a purpose driven life that is fulfilling and rewarding to them spiritually, mentally, financially etc. Whether it be assisting with educating our children. (I home school mine) starting a business (I have a degree in business, and have had a few businesses for a few years) or learning more about our purpose in life, learning more about ourselves, learning more about our religion, our God and what he expects from us as women. Learning how to be a good friend, and neighbor, wife, and mother etc.
Prior to committing myself to this work, I felt unfulfilled, like life was just passing me by. I love art, and did web design, graphic design as a small home business. But it was not enough. I enjoy helping others reach their goals and objective, and now that I have committed myself to that
purpose those things as well as calligraphy and Henna are more of a hobby and an outlet, a way to express my emotions. I don’t advertise them as business and only some people know that I have a small business as a Graphic Designer.
One, because based on who I am, I am not always in a mood to create art, and I feel that my best work is when I am in a creative mood and it’s from my heart, not forced because of a deadline. So I usually do various things and have those waiting when needed for clients.
Also when it comes to Islamic art you have to be careful not to over step the boundaries of Islamic Law. Allah (swt) says not to create any images that have a living soul. There are differences of opinions amongst the scholars if that is two or three dimensional objects, whether that includes photography or simply statues and or drawings.
To be on the safe side I try and look at images in a different way. Technology has really helped me with that. I can blur faces, or create a silhouette, etc. I am of the opinion that if the image is beneficial and is used to teach than it is permissible, you however will not find pictures of family and friends hanging on the walls of my house where I pray.
I take family pictures and create online photo albums and scrapbooks to document the life of my family and my history, especially as an African American Muslim because we do not have much of that, and I want that for my children.
The most important thing however is that Allah (swt) knows our intentions, and on the Day of Judgment this is what he will judge us on. Our true heartfelt intentions, and my intention as a Muslim women is to submit my whole self to him completely, and to do what he commands me to do, and not do the things in which he has forbidden me to do based on the best of my understanding, not based on my own personal desires.
I hope that this has been helpful to you in finding out about the place of art within Islam. I am in no way a scholar, I am just a student and I pray that Allah forgive me for anything that I may have said that was incorrect, and reward me for those things that I said correctly, because it is those things that came from him, Ameen.
Jazhallahir Khair
Aisha La’Don Epps-Abdul Rahman