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Complete list of originals for sale, silkscreen and other prints in my Calligraphy Catalogue. Commission info here.

After making Angels recently, the word Jinn suggested itself quite naturally. The word I used here is actually jinni جنّي, singular form of jinn.

There is no better scholarly source for jinn studies than Ibn Arabi (whom I discovered years ago while researching jinn, precisely, for Malaak – a whole other line of thought). Without getting lost into pages and pages of discussion, I want to point out that the primary meaning of the word jinn is "hidden, invisible to the eye", which is why he describes 3 ways of understanding it as mentioned in the Qur'an:

1- God created 3 races of rational beings: Angels, Jinn and Men. Jinn are intermediate beings between the spiritual nature of the former and the earthly nature of the latter. They belong to the imaginal, the world of archetypes, and this may be why they are said to inspire artists and poets (Arabic even has a verb, waswis, to refer specifically to jinn whispering in one's ear)
2- Jinn is a general term referring to "all that which is concealed: angels and other beings".
3- The jinn refers to the invisible part of the human being, their inner world, as opposed to what is visible of them (body, actions).
These may not be be mutually exclusive, but can be seen to point to a complex, interpenetrating reality.

The notion of concealment, of elusiveness, drove my design: the word must be there, but where is it? An interesting detail: the design is twelve-fold, but it is only after finishing the piece that I came across the quote; "It is said that jinns were originally concentrated in twelve tribes...."

Materials: Acrylics, gilding
Paper: Bockingford 300 gsm, 50x50cm


Process here: [link]

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Submitted on
January 25
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91.9 KB
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800×850
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:iconsergiofx:
Mood: Confused ~sergiofx Jan 26, 2013  Professional Interface Designer
I thought Jinn referred to demon.... :confused:
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:iconmajnouna:
`majnouna Jan 26, 2013  Professional General Artist
Nope...
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:iconeilidh:
`eilidh Jan 26, 2013  Professional Digital Artist
I really like what you did with this word. The maze-like path between the 4 / 12 sections could be seen as reflecting the interconnectedness of the meanings in your description. And the red dots... in my game-schooled imagination, I could see them as either barriers or gateways. Also fitting!
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:iconmajnouna:
`majnouna Jan 28, 2013  Professional General Artist
Very nice! Thank you, I'm going to play a little more with this after showing it to a wise artist friend...
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:iconeilu1183:
~eilu1183 Jan 25, 2013  Hobbyist Traditional Artist
The color choice and the thick lines make it such a strong image. I also love the maze-like appearance, very fitting.
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:iconmajnouna:
`majnouna Feb 27, 2013  Professional General Artist
Awesome, thank you!
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:iconktobermanns:
*KtObermanns Jan 25, 2013  Professional Traditional Artist
Oh goodness, wow. WOW. This is incredibly special, gorgeously labyrinthine. Thank you so much.
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:iconmajnouna:
`majnouna Jan 25, 2013  Professional General Artist
Oh, that's great! I thought it may look too basic compared to other pieces, but personally I get a very strong vibe from it, so it's nice that others pick it up too!
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:iconktobermanns:
*KtObermanns Jan 25, 2013  Professional Traditional Artist
I definitely find it to be powerful.
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:iconfawad87:
~fawad87 Jan 25, 2013  Student
nice work!
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