Medium & size: 24″x30″ oil & acrylic on canvas. To purchase prints, click here.

“I was made to love three things from your world: women, and perfume, and the comfort of my eye is in prayer.” ~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

“Paradise lies at the feet of Mothers.” ~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

Description: in a dimension that is ruled by ego consciousness, the attributes that gather, unites and thus mold us to embrace love are suppressed. The suppression of these spiritual attributes so naturally embodied by women, has been applied to all institutions governed by falsehood. The feminine principle which has always been revered by all prophets (as) and sages of all ages has been repressed for subtlety, mercy, gentleness, sensitivity represent true power for they propel, revolutionize, heal and restore balance and truth through Love. To encourage the cultivation of these sublime qualities, I wanted to work on a series of paintings about the feminine principle in its original manifestation on Earth.

“Aminata Disamu” is the second painting in the series “Luminous Dark Matter” that started with “Kemet Incandescence”. It is through cultivation of the feminine principle’s attributes that the human soul reaches enlightenment. All the richness inherent to higher  consciousness constitutes a natural resource whence the importance to revere life and the soul, that woman channels with such grace!

The feminine is the catalyst to authentic life, as she restores prosperity, truth and harmony on Earth through love.

~ Amina~Disamu ~

Behold our queen of light!
She who has rung the bells
of our ancestral mind,
she who has kept
the genius of the tribe,
she is the ascendance
from Kemet to Ndolu.
O Disamu,
strum your Harp’s strings,
surround our essence
with the cosmic lake’s Music,
unleash your healing peace
in the waters of our being,
let us hear you converse with Ruh.
O Disamu,
our warrior queen,
you lead the way
toward Divine Majesty!

© 2010 Aïda Touré. | visualsufipoetry.com

Medium & size: 24″x30″ oil & acrylic on canvas.

“And We have created above you seven paths, and We are never unmindful of creation”. ~23:17 Qur’an

“And remember when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am creating a mortal out of potter’s clay of black mud altered. So, when I have made him and have breathed into him of My spirit . . .” ~Qur’an 15:28-29

“And wherever you turn there is the Presence of Hu, for Hu is all pervading, All Knowing.” 2:115 ~Qura’n

“My heavens and My earth do not contain Me, but the heart of My believing servant contains Me.” ~Hadith Qudsi

“The whole earth is a place of worship” ~prophet Muhammad (saw).

Description: “Atoms’ KaBa” is a visual metaphor for inner life. I worked on the painting by intervals for months, it was indeed a journey whose dimensionlessness lingers with me still. I first wrote the poem of the same title and the painting came out of it, slowly. “Atoms’ KaBa” evokes the process of evolution that leads toward the sacredness of all that is, in a context of pure Light, being the very quintessence of everything seen and unseen. “Atoms’ KaBa” is an invitation to turn inward, to embrace the pilgrimage we all are subjected to through the Breath as it flows from and back to The Divine. We are signs of Tawhid, the Unity that governs existence, the Reality that mystics have expressed for eons and which is starting to be acknowledged by quantum physics as the “unified field”. Every atom is a sacred space, whose forces emanate from the Divine Consciousness itself; this places great responsibility on us to awaken to our connectedness with the Cosmos and thus to transcend the conditioning imposed to us by external sources. In such station of consciousness, there no longer is such a thing as separation, no projection of anything being “outside” of ourselves. In this, lies the importance to live in reverence, gentleness and love so we can inwardly retrace the Way to the ultimate Treasure within.

~Atoms’ KaBa~

We gather within you
wave after wave to pull you
and your seven spheres
toward the frequency of Tawhid.
To know oneself is to know Us
beyond the spatial realm,
man is the temple of the Opening
we continuously erect
through the breath,
the sign of Love itself!
The state of being is sacred,
love around infinite Love,
you curl around the Pulse
within or without
it does not matter
for the lover only sees one!
You are a fullness of empty space
praising The Divine.
Know that the KaBa by excellence
dwells in each of your atoms
so revolve my love and
retrace your immanent Source.
(c) 2009 Aida Toure.

Description: I painted “Kemet Incandescence” for the album cover of “Ancestral Devotion” the new CD by Jazz musician Lonnie Plaxico. The piece was inspired from Africa’s ancient art that captures the spirituality of African culture, its reverence for the feminine principle and the sacredness of music. In experimenting with this different yet ancient genre of two dimensional art, I experienced such proximity to my roots, I plan to explore it more. Through this painting, I wanted to honor the sacred feminine as well as the origin of the spiritual tradition of Light now known as “Sufism”.

~ Kemet Incandescence ~

Inner lamps all lit,
a billion ecstasies
are now speaking of Hu;
each, gracefully interweaving

in the Universe’s womb;
whispers of light are induced
in the pure child’s mind
through the rays of Shams,

royalty bestowed by the Divine.
You see, nobility never exiles,
although ever coveted by the fallen ones,
it dances in and out of these truths

the African genius has laid like gems
in the depths of humanity’s collective self,
yes we are these muses who bore
Kemet Incandescence,

through our Harps, Flutes and hands,
revealing the Music of the spheres
the pineal gland is immersed in:
Bismillah ir Rahmanir Rahim…

© 2009 Aïda Touré.

Illumination at the Door (24″ x 30″ oil & acrylic on canvas)

“…And He is with you wheresoever ye may be…”
~ 57:4 Quran

Description: the visual landscape of this painting came from this poem I composed about the culture of egolessness, love and contemplation which magnifies the quality of our life, of our overall human experience. “Illumination at the Door” suggests enlightenment and the discovery of our inner beingness that always expands as it is an octave of the Reality the soul floats in… Striving for peace, concentration, humility, contentment and heart generosity causes our inner doors to open and when they do, nothing the world of illusion imposes even matters, because it immensely pales in comparison to our authentic Reality, this exquisite Reality that allows us to stand and exist in the fullness of the grace bestowed upon us by The Creator solely.

~ Illumination at the Door ~

The subject tonight is love,
come out of your ego

and watch it dance around itself
until complete dissolution.

Let The Beloved be,
there is no use for “I”, “you”

nor “we” anymore,
Illumination is at the door;

can you hear its Knocking?
Who will get up and answer?

Whose heart is pure enough
to endure this Ringing inside?

The Sun has risen at midnight!
There will be no sleeping tonight,

there will be no unfulfilled
longing tonight!

Only this continuous beating,
only this Sound that brought

galaxies at prophet Muhammad’s (as) feet;
Jibreel (as) stood at the Limit,

Miraj upon Miraj,
no pen will write beyond that…

© 2008 Aïda Touré.

“And of everything We have created pairs”
~51:49 Quran

Description: “On the Edge of Union” came out of this poem. This painting evokes the intertwining of opposite poles, which sustained by Love, leads to blissful flowing with The Divine. On the painting, the opposite poles are expressed through the feminine and masculine principles: the left side of the piece symbolizes the feminine principle nurturing its sacred activities, the right side symbolizes the masculine principle’s conscious protection of the feminine’s sacred work that serves to sublimate life. The pull to such fusion manifests on all levels of existence, within the individual, without, in Nature and the Cosmos… Our potential for Harmony with the purest Reality lies in understanding the purpose of our polar opposites, without the repression of any of them for each has a specific role that enhances and gathers the other which eventually leads to Wholeness, to alignment with our Essence. Throughout history, the enlightened selfless souls who conveyed the divine Message to mankind existed “on the edge of Union”, they encouraged us to cultivate our innate full potential. Once mankind learns anew to transcend materialism and to revere and balance out the activities of their opposite poles, the world will reflect more harmony, compassion, unity and peace inshAllah.

~ On the Edge of Union ~

The Universe totters in the palm
of Love in circle and laughter,

rocking between worlds
the saint’s heart mirrors

as he burns with the desire
to walk off the Earth to step

into the Invisible, soul naked
and wild he exists on the edge

of Union, mingling with Ruh (as)
and its friends in chorus:

“We are in Love for the sake of
The One whose Majesty beautifies us!

We can’t take any more of this, someone,
anybody, please borrow our mouths…”

copyright 2008 Aïda Touré.

Description: this piece was inspired from this poem. The “Veil” theme externally relates to the modesty of women, a custom that disturbs many materialists but which has been observed worldwide in many noble traditions for eons. Also there is a deeper meaning to the “Veil” theme here: unceasantly, the veils that conceal the mysteries of existence lift themselves for the soul to dance through and to revel in its pure state of bliss. The reverence of wise souls come from the beholding of this divine reality… In my maternal culture, “Marundu” is the name of a Princess which is in this context an allegory for the soul as it innately is royal due to its properties, attributes, origin and its capability to move beyond limits… this painting developed gently in a dreamlike way.

~ Marundu’s Thousand Veils ~

Bismillah, Love compels us
to circle in bliss like
the universe and its spheres.
We mingle with every atom

that exists only to entice the soul
to its Beloved. Come, let us
meet on the edge of Al Fatiha!
Come and hear the Music of Light,

Let us dangle from Inertia,
palms upon the ground
like the Christ (as),
we bow in Islam,

secrets interwoven with secrets
we endure Al Khidr’s (as) company,
our hearts leaping from body to body
we gather around the Word,

we are these lovers whose existence reveals
the thousand veils Marundu wears.
Lo! The Moon begins its praises of The Divine:
“Al hamdulillah il rabil alamin!

I curve in silver to lit
the awakened lovers
upon their prayer mats,
their lips upon the angels’

as suras unite all creation
women reflect Mary’s (as)
universal style, institutions
aim to ban modesty, still

the light envelops humanity
with its infinite kisses.”
Suddenly we long to retreat,
Somebody else will continue this…

© 2007 Aïda Touré.

Description: I started working on this painting during Ramadan. “Al Fattah: The Opener” is one of the 99 sacred names of The Creator who opens hearts to His Favor and Grace, He illuminates the Universe and our being with mercy and love. I painted this sacred Name as the “opening” theme is always relevent to being, creativity, prayer, breath, love and existence itself. To read the poem that goes with “Al Fattah: The Opener” painting click here.

~ Al Fattah: The Opener ~

Lo, it’s Tahajjud time!
You lay your prayer mat

upon the whirling floor,
Surrender~Islam at the core:

“Bismillah ir Rahman ir Rahim”
your heart gently opens like

the mauve night sky
swirling to the Throne’s music;

its immense beauty drives
the stars and galaxies to tears:

“There is no us without
the tenderness of this

multi-layered Opening all
lovers wear like hidden robes!

O, how sweet this vertigo:
celestial bodies crazed

by the heightened sense
Love breathed upon their lips!

Ya Fattahu, You opened
our collective pulse to the Truth,

now all we observe is
the glory of being Nothing!”

© 2007 Aida Touré.

“And follow not the bidding of those who are extravagant, who make mischief in the land, and mend not (their ways).”
26: 151-152 ~Qur’an
“As for that Abode of the Hereafter We assign it unto those who seek not oppression in the earth, nor yet corruption. The sequel is for those who ward off (evil).
28: 83 ~Qur’an

In memory of: Askia Muhammad Touré, Ahmed Baba, Fodié Saréna Touré, Cidy Moktar Touré, Cheikh Amadou Bamba, Samory Touré, Dr Cheikh Anta Diop and my father Dr Abdoulaye Touré.

~ Sahelian Luminaries ~

Lit with a billion ecstasies
we speak with no words,
being one another’s lanterns

we build hidden empires
coveted for their excellence.
Look, the Moon fills with sobs

as our hearts turn to Love, lo!
The truth slips in and we taste
the nectar of Union; it is this

vertiginous sweetness Askia Touré’s
lips kissed, communities in circles
contagiously journeyed by to endure

the grace of Islam too!
Lights in human form in prostration
for centuries between worlds,

alternately from the seen to the unseen,
caravans of gold get returned
to the poor; Justice knocks

at every door! No one I know
would shy away such reality!
Tonight we stay awake to reap

the benefit of this Longing
slowly fed to us with gigantic
golden spoons: no interruption please!

Love is always unfurling like
the Creation’s ongoing recitation
of the Holy Qur’an.

Bismillah, hear the pulling in and
you succumb to the purity of Ruh (as).
We die just like this, before dying.

© 2007 Aida Touré