Painting showing lone cleaner kneeling in Mecca stirs up emotions

A painting drawn by a Saudi artist and showing a lone cleaner kneeling in front of Kabah in the court of Grand Mosque in Makkah or Mecca amid the Covid-19 lockdown has stirred up the emotions of Muslims world over.

“It is heartbreaking,” said Mustafa Ahmed, a Srinagar resident after seeing depiction of the painting by Saudi artist Nabila Abuljadayel. He added: “I have been there on pilgrimage thrice. Otherwise also, I knew it only as a holy site which would remain full of life almost round the clock whole year. Sadly it is empty today.”

Capturing the moment of the emptiness and stillness prevailing inside the holy premises, Ms. Nabila’s painting shows a cleaner-the lone worshipper-kneeling in front of Kabah in the court of the Great Mosque at Makkah that contains a sacred black stone and is the goal of Islamic pilgrimage and the point toward which Muslims turn in praying.

The painting went viral on social media, catching the imagination of many prominent Muslims across the globe. Overnight Ms. Nabila’s name became a household word beyond her country where she is a Goodwill Ambassador for the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.

In an interview, she said that her idea for the painting came from reality as she realised that amid Covid-19 driven lockdown the only ones who maintained “such an elevated status” by visiting the Grand Mosque were those who had dedicated their lives to serve the holy site by tending to it. “Those same nameless, faceless anonymous workers, whom we tend to take for granted, had the best opportunity in the world,” she was quoted as saying by a Saudi newspaper.

While speaking to this correspondent, she reiterated that the event captured by her in this painting embodied the Islamic faith which reaffirms the importance of humility and demonstrates all equal in the sight of God.

Many Muslims took to social media platforms to express their appreciation for Ms. Nabila’s “masterpiece” of an artwork named as “Isjod wa Iqtareb” (prostrate and draw near). “This is my one more art work to contribute to humanitarian ends,” Ms. Nabila who has, so far, created more than 400 artworks, she said.

Ms. Nabila earned her bachelor’s degree in digital art and photography from Northeastern University in Boston in 2016. She also studied cinema at Harvard University.

The Saudi authorities in March this year closed all mosques across the

Kingdom temporarily but allowed the ritual of Adhan or call to prayer with the rider that people will pray in their home rather than coming to the places of worship to limit the spread of the Covid-19.

However, King Salman bin Abdulaziz who is also the custodian of the two holy mosques in Makkah and Medina, approved a shortened version of the Taraweeh prayer to be held during the fasting month of Ramadan with continued restrictions on the attendance of worshippers at these most sacred places in Islam. At the same time, the Saudi health ministry has repeated its warning on the risks of social gatherings.