Kulsoom Raza | Al-Ma'būd

My name is Kulsoom Raza– founder of Taswiir – with a lifelong passion for visual storytelling rooted in Islamic values. I began this pursuit at 15 – painting murals, designing a textbook cover for my high school, and soon creating thematic profiles for auctions in Toronto. These
opportunities allowed me to connect my art with audiences who share a reverence for history, culture, and traditional beauty. My work is inspired by Islamic history, with visual influence drawn from ancient Persian manuscripts and Mughal paintings. I carefully weave together details of Sa’di’s poetry, the intellectual legacy of Sheikh Tusi, and reinterpret the magnificence of Mughal emperors who commissioned some of the world’s most intricate miniature art. Through this blend of scripture and philosophy, my paintings seek to revive a lineage of devotion within the Persian miniature tradition– one that has gradually faded with modernization and the disappearance of ancient
craftsmanship.

Rendered in intricate detail inspired by 13th-century manuscript art, this Persian miniature carries forward a tradition of painting that celebrates not only devotion to God, but also the pursuit of learning as an act of worship. Every brushstroke honours the importance of
scholarship, spirituality, and community that have defined Islamic heritage through time. The figures in this piece, their ornate setting, and careful embellishments– mirror the radiance of Islam, reminding viewers that it is truly in the remembrance of God where their hearts will find rest. Together these elements affirm that intellect and devotion are not separate pursuits, but rather paths that converge in the search for something far beyond us.
At its core, this painting acknowledges God as Al-Maʿbūd– the One worthy of all worship. In doing so, it situates art itself as an act of ʿibādah, inseparable from the very heritage it seeks to preserve.