2015 "Longing for the Divine" Calendar

LONGING
for the
DIVINE
2015
andalusian arts | award-winning calendar

ANDALUSIAN ARTS presents its award-winning 2015 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 each month's display reflects this sense of
the Sacred wherever the calendar is exhibited.
ANDALUSIAN ARTS is a producer of print and gift items for both the Islamic corporate and retail markets. Our product line includes calendars, premium
greeting cards, and commissioned prints. We offer customized product designs to embassies, corporations, and non-profits; these have been successfully used as
fundraisers, purchase incentives, patron appreciation for non-profits, corporate giveaways, and as a component of a larger company branding strategy.
Our clientele/partners/retailers include: Borders Bookstores Inc.; Calendars.com; Partners West; TNT; Guidance Residential; the Intercontinental Hotel (Middle
East); Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism (London); UMMA Community Clinic (Los Angeles); Averroes Academy (Chicago); the Marriott Hotel (Middle
East); Astrolabe Islamic Media (N. Virginia); Islamic Society of North America (ISNA); and the Unity Center (Greater Michigan).
Cover photo: Tunis © Lucie Debelkova• All photographs are protected by the indicated copyrights • “Longing for the Divine” © 2002–2014 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 Umm-ul-Qura calendar,
which has been accepted by the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and the European Council for Fatwa
and Research (ECFR) • Holidays are based on data 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 pace). 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.
“And I hastened to You, my Lord, to please
You” (Qur’an 20:84).

Whoever kindness graces
is beautified by it
prophetic tradition
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
28 29
31 1 2 3
7
8
9 10
11 12
6 30
New Year’s Day
The Prophet’s Birthday
(Milad al-Nabi)
4
5
13 14 15
6
8 9 10
16 17
7 18 19
11
12
20 21 22
13
14 15 16 17
23 24
25 26
27
18
19
28 29
Martin Luther King
Day
20
21 22 23 24
30 1
2 3
Rabi‘ II
25
4 5
26
27 28 29 30 31
7 8
10
6 9
11
1 2 3 4
12 13 14
Tunis
© Lucie Debelkova
DECEMBER 2014
FEBRUARY
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
28
29
30
31
JANUARY 2015
Rabi‘ I/Rabi‘ II

When love touches down
serenity unfolds
boutchichi
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
11 12
13 14
15 16 17
8
18 19
9
12
10 11
13
20 21
22 23 24
14
15
25 26
Presidents Day
16
19
17 18 20 21
27 28
29 1
2
Jumada I
22
3 4
23
24 25 26 27
5 6
7 8 9
28
10
1
2 3 4 5 6 7
11 12
13
14 15 16
17
8
18 9
10 11
19 20
Meknes
© Lucie Debelkova
JANUARY
MARCH
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
29
30
31
February
Rabi‘ II/Jumada I

You!
Who was gifted with wings—
Why crawl?
rumi
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
10 11
12 13
14 15 16
8
17 18
9
12
10 11
13
19 20
21 22 23
14
Daylight Savings Time
begins
24
15
25
16
26
17
27
18 19
28 29
20 21
1
Jumada II
22
2 3
23
24 25 26 27
4 5
6 7 8
28
9
29
10
30
11
31
1 2 3 4
12 13 14 15
5 6
16 17
7 8
18 19
FEBRUARY
APRIL
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
Marrakesh
© Lucie Debelkova
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
19
26
20
27
21
28
22
29
23
30
24
25
March
Jumada I/Jumada II

Quieting the ego
enlivens the heart
imam ‘ali
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
29 30
2
10
11
12 13
14
15
9 31
1 3 4
Good Friday
(UK/Canada)
5
16 18
Easter
Easter Monday
17 6 7
8 9 10 11
19 20
21
22
12
13
23 24 25
14
26
15 16 17
27
28
29
18
19
20
30 1
2
21
22 23
3 4
5
24 6
25
Rajab
26
8 27
7 9
28
29 30 1
10 11
12
13
2
14
3
15
4
5 6
16 17
MARCH
MAY
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
Souss-Massa-Draa
© Lucie Debelkova
22
29
23
30
24
31
25
26
27
28
17
24
31
18
25
19
26
20
27
21
28
22
29
23
30
April
Jumada II/Rajab

When at the Beloved’s door
bring your entirety
sanai
7
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
29 30 1 2
8
9
10 11
12 13
26
27
28
3 5
4
14 15 16
Early May Bank
Holiday (UK)
6 7 8 9
17 18
19 20
10
21 22
23
Mother’s Day
17
11
18
28 29
1
Victoria Day (Canada)
Sha‘ban
12
19
15
13 14 16
24 25
26 27
20 22 23
2 3
21 4 5
Night Journey
(Al-Isra’ wal-Mi‘raj)
6
24
7
Memorial Day
25
8
26
27 28 29 30
9 10
11 12
Spring Bank Holiday
(UK)
13
31
14 1
2 3
15 16
Istanbul
© Sohail Nakhooda / KRM
APRIL
JUNE
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
28
29
30
May
Rajab/sha‘ban

Most beloved to the Divine
is granting relief to the distressed
chisti
13
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
31
3 4 5 6
14 15
16 17
18 19
1 2
Night of Salvation
(15 th of Sha‘ban)
7
8
20 21 22
9
12
10 11 13
23 24
25 26
14
15
27 28 29
16
17 19 20
30 1
Ramadan
18 2 3
4
21
22
5 6
23
24 25 26 27
7 8
9 10
Father’s Day
11
28
29
12 13
30
14 1
15 16
2 3
17
4
18
5
19
6
7 8
20 21
Borneo Island
© Lucie Debelkova
MAY
JULY
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
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
26
27
28
29
30
31
31
June
sha‘ban/Ramadan

Ennui
pangs of quiet desperation
lodged deep in my heart
Only the Beloved is a cure
rabi’a
11
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
28 29 30 1 2 3 4
12 13
14
15
16 17
Canada Day
Independence Day
18 19
5 6
20 7
8 9 10 11
21 22
23 24
12
25 26
13
27
14
17
15 16 18
28 29
1 2
Night of Power
(Laylat al-Qadr)
Shawwal
‘Eid al-Fitr
19
3 4
20
5
21
22 24 25
6 7
23 8 9
10
26
11
27
12
28
29 30 31 1
13 14
15 16
17
2
18 3
4 5
19 20
Dana ©
Lucie Debelkova
JUNE
AUGUST
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6
1
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
28
29
30
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
July
Ramadan/Shawwal

No matter the drop’s belief—
the Ocean remains
forever
as the Ocean
attar
10
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
26 27 28 29 30 31 1
11
12
13 14
15 16
2 3 4
17 18 19
5 6 7 8
20 21
22 23
9
10
24 25 26
11
14
12 13 15
27 28
29 30
16
17
1 2 3
Dhul Qa‘da
18
19 21 22
4 5
20 6 7
8
23
24
9 10
25
26 27 28 29
11 12
13 14
15
30
16 31
1 2
17 18
Cairo
© Sohail Nakhooda / KRM
JULY
SEPTEMBER
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4 5
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
26
27
28
29
30
31
27
28
29
30
August
Shawwal/Dhul Qa‘da

Whoever beholds the Divine
serves with brimming joy
every created thing
jilani
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
30 1
16
17
19
20 21
31
2 3 4 5
15 18
6
7
22 23 24
13
Labor Day
(US/Canada)
14
29 1 2
Dhul Hijja
8
15
11
9 10 12
25 26
27 28
16 18 19
3 4
17 5 6
7
20
21
8 9
Day of ‘Arafat
22
23 24 25 26
10 11
12 13
‘Eid al-Adha
27
14 15 16
28 29 30
17
18
1
19 20
2 3
21
4
22
5
6 7
23 24
Cappadocia
© Lucie Debelkova
AUGUST
OCTOBER
S M T W T F S S M T W T F S
1
1 2 3
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
30
31
September
Dhul Qa‘da/Dhul Hijja

Each of your breaths
is accompanied by the Merciful
ansari
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
27 28 29
14 15 16
18
19 20
17 30 1 2 3
4 5 6
21 22 23
7 8 9 10
24 25
26 27
11
12
28 29 30
18
Columbus Day
Thanksgiving Day
(Canada)
19
5 6 7
13
20
15 16 17
1 2
14 3 4
Muharram
New Islamic Year
1437 ah
21 22 23 24
8 9
10 11
Ashura
12
25
26
13 14
27
28 29 30 31
15 16
17 18
1
19 20
2
3 4
21 22
Muscat
© Lucie Debelkova
SEPTEMBER
NOVEMBER
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
29
30
October
Dhul Hijja/muharram 1437

On the shore
safety is assured
But deep in the waters
lie riches beyond compare
saadi
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
1
19 20 21
23
24 25
Daylight Savings Time
ends
2 3
22 4 5 6 7
Guy Fawkes Day (UK)
26 8
9
27 28
10
13
11 12 14
29 30
1 2
Veterans Day
Safar
Remembrance Day
(Canada)
3
15
16
4 5
17
18 19 20 21
6 7
8 9
10
22
23
11 12
24
13
25
14
26
15
27
16
28
Thanksgiving
17
29
18
30
19
1
20
2
21
3
22
4
23
5
24
6
25
7
8 9
26 27
OCTOBER
DECEMBER
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
Mostar
© Lucie Debelkova
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
27
28
29
30
31
November
muharram/safar

Quiet reflection
is the lantern of the heart
imam haddad
17
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
30 1
18 19 21
22 23
29
20 2 3 4 5
6
7
24 25 26
13
Hanukkah
14
2 3 4
8
15
11
9 10 12
27 28
29 1
Rabi‘ I
16 17 18 19
5 6
7 8
9
20
21
10 11
22
23 24 25 26
12 13
14 15
The Prophet’s Birthday
(Milad al-Nabi)
Christmas
Boxing Day
(UK/Canada)
27
28 16 17 18
20
29
19 30 31
Bank Holiday (UK)
New Year’s Eve
21 22
1 2
23 24
3 4
5 6
25 26
Alexandria
© Sohail Nakhooda / KRM
NOVEMBER
JANUARY 2016
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
29
30
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
December
safar/Rabi‘ I

Tunis
© Lucie Debelkova
s m t w t f s s m t w t f s
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
28 29 30 31
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 • Tunis february • Meknes march • Marrakesh
april • Souss-Massa-Draa
may • Istanbul
june • Borneo Island
“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
Following its #1 Amazon best-selling
2014 calendar, Andalusian Arts presents
the 2015 edition: Twelve stunning images
captured by world-class photographers
of the spiritual tapestry of the Muslim
world, coupled with the wisdom-words
of scholar-saints such as Attar, Rumi and
Chisti… a colorful glimpse into the living
universe of traditional Islamic spirituality.
Whoever kindness graces
is beautified by it
prophetic tradition
july • Dana
augusT • Cairo
september • Cappadocia
sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday
28 7 29 8
9 31 10 1 11 2 12 3
6 30
4
5
13 14 15
6
New Year’s Day
The Prophet’s Birthday
(Milad al-Nabi)
16 7 17 8 18 19 10
9
11
12
20 21 22
13 23 14 24 15 25 16 26 17
27
18
19
28 29
Martin Luther King
Day
20 30 21 1 22 2 23 3 24
Rabi‘ II
25
4 5
26
27 7 28 8 29 30 10 31
6 9
11
1 2 3 4
12 13 14
deC emB er 2014
feB ruary
JANUARY 2015
Rabi‘ I/Rabi‘ II
october • Muscat
november • Mostar
december • Alexandria
SAN 257-053X
Andalusian Arts
www.AndalusianArts.com
• info@AndalusianArts.com
© “Longing for the Divine” 2002-2015 Andalusian Arts
US Tel: 310-694-3762
Printed in Jordan