BITS ‘N’ PIECES

Ikebana is the centuries-old Japanese art of arranging flowers, and it roughly translates to ‘making flowers come alive’. Flowers and other natural elements are placed in such a way as to embody harmony, peace and beauty. This Japanese flower arranging has a minimalist aesthetic, and choosing each piece is as important as the final composition itself.

Ikebana is also known as kado in Japanese, and is considered one of the top three major forms of cultural arts along with tea ceremony and calligraphy.

During the Heian period, the priests who took care of altar arrangements were called ikebono and they are the first known masters who developed the best way of arranging flowers. Ikebana has simple rules influenced by simplicity and minimalism in Buddhism. There are usually three types of main flowers: primary flower in the middle, the secondary flower right next to it and an ornamental flower down below. There are also two main types of vases: the wide and low vase called moribana and the tall thin vase called nageire. Today, it is a popular and innovative living art, unique to Japan, and is cherished by both experts and novices.

REFLECTION

A man heard another man reciting (Surat-Al-Ikhlas)

‘Say He is Allah, (the) One.’ (112. 1) repeatedly. The next morning he came to Allah’s Apostle (S.A.W) and informed him about it as if he thought that it was not enough to recite. On that Allah’s Apostle said,

“By Him in Whose Hand my life is, this Surah is equal to one-third of the Qur’an!”

Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri(RA): My brother, Qatada bin An-Nau’man (RA)said, “A man performed the night prayer late at night in the lifetime of the Prophet (S.A.W) and he read: ‘Say: He is Allah, (the) One,’ (112.1) and read nothing besides that. The next morning a man went to the Prophet, and told him about that. (The Prophet replied the same as (in Hadith 532) above.)

Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 61, Number 533