2017 "Longing for the Divine" Calendar

andalusian arts | award-winning calendar
Longing
for theDivine
2017

ANDALUSIAN ARTS presents the 2017 edition of its award-winning Longing for the Divine
calendar. In a world where change is the norm, these aphorism-photo pairings suggest that
some things—like the quest for the Divine—are timeless. We hope that wherever the calendar
is exhibited, each month's presentation reflects this sense of the Sacred.
ANDALUSIAN ARTS serves both the mainstream retail and Islamic corporate markets. We offer customized, premium product designs to embassies, the
hospitality industry, for-profit businesses, and NGOs that have been successfully used as fundraisers, purchase incentives, patron appreciation, and as a
component of a larger company branding strategy.
Our clients and retailers have included: Borders Bookstores Inc.; Calendars.com; Partners West; TNT; Guidance Residential; the Intercontinental Hotel (MENA
Region); Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism (London); UMMA Community Clinic (Los Angeles); Averroes Academy (Chicago); the Marriott Hotels
(MENA Region); Astrolabe Islamic Media (N. Virginia); Islamic Society of North America (ISNA); and the Unity Center (Greater Michigan).
All photographs are protected by the indicated copyrights • “Longing for the Divine” © 2002–2017 Andalusian Arts, LLC • Produced by Mohamed Marei
Designed by Sohail Nakhooda • Additional design by Maher Yusuf • Special thanks to Hani Samman, Omar Samman, Zeina Shahzada, Nidal Al-Qudairi, Imad
Nimer, and Anaya and Nafisa Marei • Islamic dates used throughout the calendar are based on the criteria adopted by the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA)
and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) • Holidays are likewise based on the FCNA/ISNA criteria, as provided by Khalid Shaukat’s moonsighting.com
Due to the nature of lunar calendars, actual dates may vary by one and, rarely, two days.

Longing for the Divine
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
“The blank space in the modern heart is a
God-shaped blank” –Julian Huxley
Within each of us is a faculty that quests for
something beyond itself. A colorful gallery
of psychiatrists, anthropologists, poets, and
others have reflected on this insistent urge
to grasp at something larger than our own
identity. For Muslims well-versed in the letter
and spirit of their tradition, this thirst has been
identified as the desire to know our Creator,
the Divine.
Allah—the Arabic word for God—hasn’t left
us to our own devices in this lifelong journey.
The task of all prophetic messengers from
Adam to Jesus to Muhammad (peace and
blessings upon them all) was two-fold: first,
to reveal or revive manners of conduct that
would bring us in harmony with the universe,
and second, to develop our hearts and souls so
that we may fall in love with Him: “My servant
approaches me with nothing more beloved to
Me than what I have made obligatory on him,
and My servant keeps drawing nearer to Me
with voluntary works until I love him. And
when I love him, I am his hearing with which
he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand
with which he seizes, and his foot with which
he walks. If he asks Me, I will surely give to
him, and if he seeks refuge in Me, I will surely
protect him.”
Some reflection points to the value of this
sacred tradition, words that convey an explicit
methodology for traversing the path. This,
among other things, underscores the Islamic
worldview: a practical prescription of how to
live a saintly life in the midst of a busy world,
exemplified in the person of the Prophet (God
bless him and give him peace). In a world gone
mad with eighty-hour work weeks and alwayson
communication, it is this call to calm hearts
and restore them to sanity that is most needed.
There is an old tale of the sun and the wind
competing with one another as to who would
succeed in getting a young man to remove his
jacket. The wind blew and blew, all to no avail;
each violent puff, more insistent than the one
that preceded it, prompted the man to wrap
himself ever more tightly. The sun, on the other
hand, did what it does best: it simply smiled.
The coat came off immediately.
We are taught that Allah is beautiful, and that
He loves beauty. Throughout the fourteen
centuries of Islamic civilization, evidence
of this beauty has been amply evident: the
geometric pattern painted on the ceiling of
a mosque, the rhythmic motions of prayer
beads in saintly hands, or a lover absorbed in
prostration, where nothing matters except his
Beloved, his Lord.
The Prophet (God bless him and give
him peace) supplicated, “I ask You for
the longing to meet You,” and this singleminded
determination to transcend a life of
automation and routine is a high aspect of the
Prophetic Way.
A traditional saying approaches it from
a slightly different angle: “I was a hidden
treasure and I longed to be known, so I created
the world that I may be known.”
We journey seeking the Divine for no purpose
other than to fulfill destiny, for this longing
is the very purpose of creation. The path has
been paved and is well-worn.
What remains is to travel.

Present your heart
to the endless expanse of Light
and let it breathe
hafiz
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
5
4
5 6 7 8
9
3 1 2
New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day
observed
3 4
6
7
10 8
11
9
10
11
12
12 13 14 15
13
16 14
17
15
18
16
17
18
19
19 20
21 22
20
23 21
Martin Luther King
Day
24 22
25
23
24 25 26
26 27 28
29
27
30 28
Australia Day
1
Jumada I
29
2
30
3
31
4
1
2 3 4
5 6 7
8
5
9
6
10
7
11
8
Jibreen
© Lucie Debelkova
DECEMBER 2016
FEBRUARY
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3
1 2 3 4
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
26
27
28
JANUARY 2017
Rabi‘ II/Jumada I

My only cure
is Your presence
abu sa‘id
1
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
29
2
30
3
31
4 5
1 2
3 4
6 7
5 6
8 9
8
10 11 12
7
9
10
11
13 14
12 13
15 16
14
15
17 18 19
16
20 17
21
18
19 20
22 23
24
21
22
25 26
23
24 25
27 28
Presidents Day
26 27
29 30
1
Jumada II
28
1
2 3 4
2 3
4
5
5 6
6 7
7 8
8 9
Cordoba
© Sohail Nakhooda/KRM
JANUARY
MARCH
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 2 3 4
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
29
30
31
26
27
28
29
30
31
February
Jumada I/Jumada II

Your faith is incomplete
until you love one another
prophetic tradition
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
26 27 28
29 30
1
2 3
1 2
3 4
4 5
5 6 7
6 7 8 9 10
8
9
11
10
12
11
12
13
14
13 14 15 16
15
17
16
18
17
19
18
Daylight Savings Time
begins
19
20 21
22
20 21 22
23 24
23
24 25
25 26
26
27
27 28 29
28
1
29
2
30
3
31
4 1
Rajab
5
2 3 4 5
6 7 8
Abu Dhabi
© Lucie Debelkova
FEBRUARY
APRIL
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4
1
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
26
27
28
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
March
Jumada II/Rajab

Why settle for mist and spray
when standing before you
is the Ocean itself?
attar
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
26 27 28 29 30 31
27 28
29
1 2
3
4
1
5
2
6
3 4 5
9 6 7
7 8 10
11
8
12
9
13
10 11 12
13
14 15 16 17
14
18
15
Good Friday (Canada,
UK, Australia)
19
16
20
17
18
19
20
21 22 23
24
21
25
22
Easter
Easter Monday
(Australia)
26
23
27
25
24 28 29 2
26
1 27
28
3
29
Night Journey
(Al-Isra’ wal-Mi‘raj)
Anzac Day (Australia)
Sha‘ban
4
30
5
1
2 3
6 7
Sur
© Lucie Debelkova
MARCH
MAY
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4 5 6
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
26
27
28
29
30
31
28
29
30
31
April
Rajab/sha‘ban

Never break someone’s heart
in it dwells
the Beloved Himself
bistami
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
1
4
6
4 5
6 7 8 9
10
30 2 3 5
Early May Bank
Holiday (UK)
11
7 8 9 10
11
12 13 14 15
16
12
17
13
Night of Salvation
(15 th of Sha‘ban)
18
14
15
16
17
18
19 20 21 22
23
19
24 20
Mother's Day
25
21 26 27 28
29
30
22
23 24
25
26
1 27
Ramadan
2
28 29 30
3 4 5
31
6
1
7
2
8
3
Memorial Day (US)
Spring Bank Holiday
(UK)
4 5 6 7
9 10
11
12
Seville
© Sohail Nakhooda / KRM
APRIL
JUNE
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
2
9
16
23
30
3
10
17
24
4
11
18
25
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
7
14
21
28
1
8
15
22
29
4
11
18
25
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
7
14
21
28
1
8
15
22
29
2
9
16
23
30
3
10
17
24
May
sha‘ban/Ramadan

The universe is a mirror
And concealed in an atom
are infinite suns
shabistari
2
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
28
3
29
4
30
5
31
6 7
1 2
8 3
9
4 5 6 7
10 11 12 13 14
8
9
15
10
16
11
12
13
14
15
17 18 19 20 21
16
22 17
23
Father's Day
18 24 25 26
27 28
19
20 21
Night of Power
(Laylat al-Qadr)
22
23
29 24
1
Shawwal
25 26 27 28 29
2 3 4
5 6
30
7 1
‘Eid al-Fitr [or +1 day]
2 3 4 5
8 9 10 11
Nakhal
© Lucie Debelkova
MAY
JULY
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
7
14
21
28
1
8
15
22
29
2
9
16
23
30
3
10
17
24
31
4
11
18
25
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
2
9
16
23
30
3
10
17
24
31
4
11
18
25
5
12
19
26
6
13
20
27
7
14
21
28
1
8
15
22
29
June
Ramadan/Shawwal

Opportunity
is a treasure beyond value
and the sands of time
a thief
saadi
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
29 30 1
2
3
4
5 6
7
25 26 27
1
28
Canada Day
8
2 3 4 5 6
9 10 11 12
Canada Day
(additional holiday)
Independence Day
13 7
14 8
15
9 10 11 12
16 17 18 19
13
20
14
21
15
22
16
17
18
19
23 24 25 26
20
27
21
28 22
29
23 1 2 3
4
Dhul Qa‘da
24
25 26
27
5
28
6 29
7
30
8
31
1 2
9 10
Chenini
© Lucie Debelkova
JUNE
AUGUST
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3
1 2 3 4 5
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
25
26
27
28
29
30
27
28
29
30
31
July
Shawwal/Dhul Qa‘da

Gentle showers blossom flowers
not thunder
elevate your eloquence
not your voice
rumi
7
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
30
8
31
1 2 3 4
9 10 11 12
13 5
14
6 7 8 9
10
15 16 17 18 19
11
20
12
21
13
14
15
16
17
22 23 24 25 26
18
27 19
28
24
20 29 30 1
2 3
21
22 23
Dhul Hijja
25
4 26
5
27 28 29
6 7 8
30
9 31
Day of ‘Arafat
10 11
1 2
12 13
3 4
5 6
14 15
Istanbul
© Sohail Nakhooda/KRM
JULY
SEPTEMBER
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1
1 2
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
30
31
August
Dhul Qa‘da/Dhul Hijja

He is with you
wherever you are
qur’an 57:4
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
27 28 30 31 1 2
6
7
8 9
10
11
5 29
‘Eid al-Adha
[or +1 day]
12
3 4 5 6
13 14 15 16 17
7
8
18
9
Labor Day (US,
Canada)
19
10
11
12
13
14
20 21 22 23 24
15
25 16
26
17 27 28 29
1 2
18
19
20
Muharram
21
22
3 23
4
New Islamic Year
1439 ah [or +1 day]
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
5 6 7 8 9
10
Ashura
11
1 2
12
3 4
13 14
Jabal Hafeet
© Lucie Debelkova
AUGUST
OCTOBER
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
27
28
29
30
31
29
30
31
September
Dhul Hijja/muharram 1439

Gratitude for a blessing
is itself a blessing
shafi‘i
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
11 12 13
14 15 16
17
18
8 9 10 11
19 20
Columbus Day (US)
12
21 22 23
13
24
14
Thanksgiving Day
(Canada)
25
15
16
17
18
19
26 27 28 29 30
20
1 21
Safar
2
22
23
24
25
26
3 4 5
6 7
27
8 28
9
29 30 31
10 11 8
12
2 3 4
13 15
1 14
16
5 6 7 8
17
18 19
SEPTEMBER
NOVEMBER
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2
1 2 3 4
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Tunis
© Lucie Debelkova
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
26
27
28
29
30
October
muharram/safar

If you fear to weep tomorrow
be compassionate
to those who weep today
abu bakr
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
29 30
1 2 3 4
10
11
12 13 14
15
9 31
16
Daylight Savings Time
ends
23
5 6 7
17
12
24
13
8
18 19 20 21
14
15
9
16
25 26
27 28
10
17
22
Veterans Day (US)
Remembrance Day
(Canada)
11
29 18
1
Rabi‘ I
19
20
21
22
2 3
4
5 6
Thanksgiving
23
24
7
25
8
26
9
27
10
28
29 30
11 12
13
1
14
2
The Prophet’s Birthday
(Milad al-Nabi)
[or +1 day]
15
3
16
4
5 6
17 18
OCTOBER
DECEMBER
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 2
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Sanaa
© Lucie Debelkova
29
30
31
24
31
25
26
27
28
29
30
November
safar/Rabi‘ I

At times
the most expressive reply
is silence
imam ‘ali
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
26 27 29 30 1 2
9
10
11
12 13 14
8 28
15
3 4 5 6
16 17 18 19 20
7
8
21
9
22
10
11
12
13
14
23 24 25 26 27
15
28 16
Hanukkah
29
17
18
19
20
21
30 1 2
3 4
Rabi‘ II
22
5 23
6
24 25 26 27 28
7 8 9 10 11
29
12 30
Christmas
Boxing Day (UK,
Australia)
13
New Year's Eve
31
14
1
2 3
15 16
Shiraz
© Lucie Debelkova
NOVEMBER
JANUARY 2018
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3
5 6 7 8 9 10
4
11 7
1 2 3
8 9 10
4
11
5
12
6
13
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
26
27
28
29
30
28
29
30
31
December
Rabi‘ I/Rabi‘ II

Jibreen
© Lucie Debelkova
s m t w t f s s m t w t f s
1 2 3
1 2 3 4
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 26 27 28
2003-2014 Calendar Marketing Association
Awards for “Longing for the Divine”
• Gold, Best Subject (Corporate)
• Gold, Best Subject (Customized)
• Gold (2x), Best Finishing Technical Achievement
• Silver, Best Subject (Retail)
• Silver, Best Non-Profit (Customized)
• Bronze, Best Typography
• Bronze, Best Color Separations
• #1 Amazon best-seller (2014)
january • Jibreen february • Cordoba march • Abu Dhabi
“beautifully designed and produced … visually compelling, and
the quotes inspiring”
— Rochelle Kessler, LA County Museum of Art
“a calendar that will lift your heart and open your mind”
— Robert Arndt, Editor, Aramco World
“this exquisite and elegant calendar reminds us of the
breathtaking beauty and tranquility that typifies
traditional Islam” — S. A. Schleifer, Director,
Adham Center, American University in Cairo
“I am not a Muslim; but as I gaze on these beautiful
photographs … peace comes to me”
— Pamela Nice, Associate Director, Center for
Faculty Development, University of St. Thomas
april • Sur
may • Seville
june • Nakhal
Following its double-category, Amazon #1
bestselling calendar, Andalusian Arts
presents the 2017 edition: Twelve images
by world-class photographers highlight
the meditative tapestry of the Muslim
world, coupled with the aphorisms of
luminaries like Hafiz, Rumi and Saadi...a
sweeping, breathtaking view of traditional
Islamic spirituality.
Present your heart
to the endless expanse of Light
and let it breathe
hafiz
july • Chenini
augusT • Istanbul
september • Jabal Hafeet
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
4
5 6 7 5 8
9
3 1 2
New Year’s Day
10 8
New Year’s Day
observed
11
9
10
3 4
11
12
12 13 14 15
6
13
7
16 14
17
15
18
16
Martin Luther King
Day
17
18
19
19 20
21 22
20
23 21
24 22
25
23
24 25 26
26 27 28
Australia Day
29
27
30 28
1
Jumada I
29
2
30
3
31
4
1
2 3 4
5 6 7
8
5
9
6
10
7
11
8
deC emB er 2016
feB ruary
JANUARY 2017
Rabi‘ II/Jumada I
SAN 257-053X
october • Tunis
november • Sanaa
december • Shiraz
Andalusian Arts
www.AndalusianArts.com
• info@AndalusianArts.com
© “Longing for the Divine” 2002-2017 Andalusian Arts
US Tel: 310-694-3762
Printed in Jordan