At Sakina Design, we strive to share the beauty and diversity of Islamic art with everyone, regardless of faith, race, or ethnicity. In line with this goal, we hope everyone enjoys our newest wall art. It is a contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese Islamic art.
As Islam spread to different cultures, there was always a melding of the faith and the local culture. In China, one of the manifestations of this was in the style of calligraphy. The Chinese have a long and respected tradition of calligraphy, with a very strong sense of aesthetics. It was therefore only natural that some Chinese Muslim calligraphers would combine their love of the Arabic script with their own sense of aesthetics, resulting in what is now known as Sini script (Chinese script).
Haji Noor Deen is one of those master calligraphers skilled at both Chinese and Arabic calligraphy, specifically utilizing the Sini script. Here he combines the two in an elegant and meaningful manner. Looking at the artwork one immediately sees the Chinese character for ‘tranquility’. However, another message is revealed when looking at the artwork from the side. Tilting one’s head to the left will reveal the Arabic script that reads ‘SubhanAllah’ (’Glorious is God’). Here Haji Noor Deen not only links the two languages but also the concepts of remembering Allah, and achieving tranquility.
“… for without doubt, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.” (Qur’an 13:28)
We hope you enjoy this artwork and that it brings peace and tranquility to your home. Please enjoy it and share its beauty and message with your friends and family.
Spring is here again and with it, the beginning of wedding season. I’m sure many of you have already started sending in your RSVPs. Maybe you’re even considering giving our contemporary Islamic artwork as a gift for the new couple. Or maybe using our elegant greeting cards to express your best wishes.
Whatever your plans, we thought we would take advantage of this opportunity to share some knowledge with you.
As you may know, the Prophet (SAWS) said, “The best speech is the Book of Allah (Qur’an), and the best way is the way of Muhammad (Sunnah) … ” (Bukhari). In light of this we suggest using ayat from the Qur’an and du’a of the Prophet (SAWS) in your greeting cards. So, if you know anyone getting married in the near future, maybe you can use one of these suggested greetings:
“And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts); verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.” (Qur’an 30:21)
— OR —
‘May Allah bless for you (your spouse) and bless you, and may He unite both of you in goodness.’ (Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah)
Where does your Company Logo come from? Is it Turkish?
We at Sakina Design do our best to combine the contemporary and traditional, creating a unique and elegant look. This concept goes beyond our products, permeating our entire company, including our name and logo. Judging from the response, we’ve been successful … if not a bit confusing. Some have even asked if we’re Turkish, to which we reply … hayir.
Joking aside … we do want to spread some clarity on this issue. We’re a U.S. company based out of southern California. Our approach is to pull on traditional Islamic art and give it a contemporary look.
To represent the traditional we have taken the name ’sakina’, which is the transliteration of the Arabic word for ‘tranquility’.
And to represent the contemporary we use a very clean and modern font. The connection to the original Arabic is retained by keeping the corresponding dots of the Arabic letters. The letter ‘a’ at the end of ’sakina’ is also reversed to make it look more like its corresponding Arabic letter. All this gives our logo a somewhat Turkish appearance. A society which also bridges the eastern and western worlds.
We hope this helps to answer your questions and clarify any confusion.
Quality products start with quality designs. For this we thank our obsessive-compulsive graphic designer, who does not rest until every last detail is perfect. She spends considerable time contemplating the use of our products before even designing them. As a result, you will notice our wall art and greeting cards are flexible and convenient. Because of this process, our wall art can be used individually to fill small spaces, or combined to fill larger spaces. This insightful design strategy was also applied to our greeting cards. By using a “greeting insert” we allow our customers to use the same card for any situation.
After finalizing the design, we proceed to the next step, identifying manufacturers who can meet our quality standards. For our wall art, we work with a U.S. framer who hires craftsmen committed to high quality standards. Together we selected a recycled wood product that was not only eco-friendly and contemporary, but also stronger than any virgin wood. The printing process for the wall art naturally involves minor variations and imperfections as part of the process. However, if we feel these variations take away from the quality of the artwork, we do not allow it to be framed. This is accomplished through a painstaking process of going through each piece of art individually.
For our greeting cards, we utilize one of the latest techniques to create an elegant look and feel, laser die cutting. This technique is applied to high quality 100% post-consumer (PCW) recycled, chlorine-free paper. We also use thicker paper in order to maintain rigidity and give it a high quality appearance and feel. Instead of the traditional petroleum based inks, we use more eco-friendly soy-based inks. However, we don’t stop there. We also ensure that the inks contain no toxic heavy-metal compounds.
I hope this helps to explain some of the steps we’ve taken to produce quality merchandise that we hope will set a new standard for “Islamic products”.
Sakina Design is not only a company, but a cause that aspires to create a new standard by which Muslim businesses are judged. Like many Muslims in America, we have become frustrated with the quality and standards of many Muslim-run businesses. While we respect these pioneers, and thank them for the foundation they have provided, we feel it is time for a change. Not only should the Muslim-American community have access to Islamic products, but at standards that match or exceed those in the current U.S. marketplace.
Our principal complaint is the lack of Islamic decorations designed specifically for the Muslim-American consumer. What we see are products designed for overseas markets being imported to the U.S. They are either overly ornate or otherwise unappealing to our sense of taste and style. We also find most of these products to be low-quality, so even if we do like them, they appear cheap or break easily.
We believe the Muslim community deserves better. And we feel that the term Islam and Muslim should be attached to high quality products. Products that are designed and manufactured in accordance with the Islamic principle of ihsan (excellence). Products that appeal to our unique sense of aesthetics, that are durable and long-lasting, that are produced with their environmental impact in mind, and that take into consideration the health, safety and dignity of our fellow human beings.
And so the idea of Sakina Design was born. Here we produce contemporary, high quality, eco-friendly home decor, which pulls on the rich tradition of Islamic art. We uphold the highest standard of honesty in our business dealings. We also do not take or give interest and believe that charity should be an integral part of any good business.
At Sakina Design, we not only hold ourselves to these standards, but hope that we will set a new standard for Muslim businesses, and all businesses. This is possible only with the help and participation of the Muslim-American consumers. We will do our part in establishing and upholding these high standards, and we ask our customers to support us and all companies that uphold these ideals. Together we can change what is expected of Muslim businesses, and be proud of the label ‘Muslim Business’.
Remember to also take advantage of the first ten days of Dhul Hijja.
The Prophet (SAWS) said, “No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these (first ten days of Dhul Hijja)” (Bukhari)
Utilize this time to donate to charities, volunteer, reconnect with friends and family, fast, and perform other acts of worship, charity, and kindness.
The Prophet (SAWS) also used to encourage giving gifts to increase the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood. So don’t miss out on our Eid Al Adha sale. All of our products have been marked 10% off for the entire month of November.
However you choose to celebrate the holiday, we at Sakina Design wish you an Eid Mubarak!
Many people have approached us, concerned that our wall art may not fit the space they want to decorate. However, we feel confident that our artwork can fit almost any area. We specifically chose the square shape for this reason. Depending upon the size and shape of the space you want to fill, you can order the appropriate number of pieces, and arrange them accordingly.
For example if you want to fill in the area above you sofa, you might want to use three pieces of art arranged horizontally:
Or maybe you want them arranged diagonally:
If the space is tall, you can purchase four pieces and arrange them in a square:
Maybe there is an area underneath or above a staircase you want to fill:
Use two pieces to fill in a narrow area.
Smaller areas can easily be filled by a single piece:
The beauty of the square shape is that it provides almost unlimited flexibility. Combine our geometric patterns with calligraphy to fit your style and decorating needs.
Please share your creativity with everyone. Submit photos of our artwork in your home and we’ll choose some of them to post on our blog.
Did You Know that Sakina Design is an Eco-Friendly Company?
Being eco-friendly usually costs more and requires more effort, while it may not be appreciated in the end. So why do it?
O children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: but waste not by excess for Allah loveth not the wasters. (Qur’an 7:31)
It is reported that the Prophet (SAWS) once saw Sa’d performing wudu and he (SAWS) said to him: “Why are you wasting all this water?” Sa’d said “Is there wastefulness even in performing ablution?” The Prophet (SAWS) said “Yes, even if you were performing it from a river of running water”. Ahmed (7025) [2/291]
With this in mind we utilize our resources to the best of our ability. For example, not only is Sakina Design wall art framed in recycled wood but it is manufactured entirely in the USA, to reduce wasted fuel and pollution. The plant that produces these frames shares our philosophy and uses the leftover sawdust to power the furnace that heats the plant and produces the wood frames.
Additionally, our greeting cards are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, processed chlorine-free. The inks are soy-based rather than petroleum-based to reduce pollution and make the recycling process easier. We also avoid any inks that have toxic heavy-metal dyes. Finally, the packaging has been minimized to reduce waste.
We ask our customers to help us in this endeavor. Please help us and earn some good deeds by recycling the packaging at your local recycling center.
Packaging
Recycling Instructions
Polyethylene Plastic Bags
Recycle with Type 4 plastics
Cardboard Boxes
Recycle with corrugated cardboard products
Chipboard Envelope Liners
Recycle with cereal boxes, shoe boxes and similar products
We at 
