The concept of ’99 names of Allah’ derives from the actual ninety nine names for Allah as inscribed in the Quran: the wise, the bountiful, the merciful and so on.

Ninety nine artisan women from Chitral in Pakistan have participated in the making of the textile artwork entitled ’99 names of Allah’ which measures almost 2 metres square. Each woman was allocated one name. Their task was to research and interpret the name they had and what it meant to each of them, often seeking help by speaking with neighbours, family members and even the local mullah.  

The script is written in Urdu and each button - there are 3200 in total - has one word embroidered on it, thus forming a sentence explaining the meaning. What the women understand by the meanings is very poignant and it is this that makes ’99 names of Allah’ such a unique piece of art.

A similar piece using the same concept of embroidered buttons called ‘My Prayer Is…’ has toured with the Blake Prize in Australia and was short listed as one of the finalists.

The ’99 names of Allah’ is one of the three limited edition Urdu embroidered calligraphy art works, and each piece has a different colour combination.

The artisans collectively decided to put some of the finances gained from ’99 names of Allah’ into the community fund that has been established in Chitral, which in turn will help subsidise the education for the children living there.

Showcase Gallery will exclusively display ’99 names of Allah’ throughout the holy month of Ramadan in August.