Burda Collection Paintings — Sara Kabariti

Chapter One · On Words of Love

Dhu Salam, dark rectangular block with a collaged Arabic verse fragment, a pale abstract shape with dotted markings and black calligraphic marks, pink circular bubble-wrap marks, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — DHU SALAM 2026 / 1448 - 25 × 25 cm
أَمْ هَبَّتِ الرِّيحُ مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ كَاظِمَةٍ - "Or is it the wind blowing from the direction of Kāẓima"

Lightning from Idam, pale ground with a dark hook-like calligraphic mark, olive-green and peach painted block shapes, black speckled texture and a green thread-like line, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — LIGHTNING FROM IDAM 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
وَأَوْمَضَ الْبَرْقُ فِي الظَّلْمَاءِ مِنْ إِضَمِ - "And the lightning flashing in the black night from Mount Iḍam?"

Broken Heart, dark ground with orange and coral ribbon-like arcs, a dark horse-and-rider-like silhouette at centre, black scribbled marks and red drips, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — BROKEN HEART 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm
فَمَا لِعَيْنَيْكَ إِنْ قُلْتَ اكْفُفَا هَمَتَا - "What is the matter with your eyes, that when you tell them to refrain, they only weep more?”

Heart on Fire, a turbaned elder leaning on a cane against a sage-green ground, a collaged Arabic verse fragment lower left, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — HEART ON FIRE 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm
أَيَحْسَبُ الصَّبُّ أَنَّ الْحُبَّ مُنْكَتِمٌ - "Does the one in love suppose his love can be concealed"

Traces of the Beloved, a turbaned man seen from behind in a dark robe, a collaged Arabic verse fragment lower right, a row of dark dots along the bottom edge, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — TRACES OF THE BELOVED 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
لَوْ لَا الْهَوَى لَمْ تُرِقْ دَمْعاً عَلَى طَلَلٍ - "If not for love, your tears would not pour forth over traces left by your beloved,"

Sleepless, pale ground with dark landscape-like marks, a navy textured block, a pale pillar form, a collaged Arabic verse fragment lower left, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — SLEEPLESS 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
وَلَا أَرِقْتَ لِذِكْرِ الْبَانِ وَالْعَلَمِ - "Nor would you be sleepless remembering the willow tree and the mountain"

WHY DENY 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
فَكَيْفَ تُنْكِرُ حُبّاً بَعْدَ مَا شَهِدَتْ - "So how can you deny this love when such honest witnesses"

Honest Witnesses, a standing figure in a blue headwrap against a pale ground, a collaged Arabic verse fragment upper right, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — HONEST WITNESSES 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
بِهِ عَلَيْكَ عُدُولُ الدَّمْعِ وَالسَّقَمِ - "as weeping and looking gaunt have testified to it against you?"

Agony of Love, pale pink ground with a striped brick-like pattern, a dark mountain-like silhouette, a collaged Arabic verse fragment lower right, a green thread-like line, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — AGONY OF LOVE 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
وَأَثْبَتَ الْوَجْدُ خَطَّيْ عَبْرَةٍ وَضَنَى - "The agony of love has inscribed two lines of tears and grief"

Pale as Bahar, a dark bowed figure-like silhouette with an olive-green centre, a collaged map fragment left, a collaged Arabic verse fragment upper left, pink circular marks, a green thread-like line, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — PALE AS BAHAR 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
مِثْلَ الْبَهَارِ عَلَى خَدَّيْكَ وَالْعَنَمِ - "Upon your cheeks, pale as bahār and red asʿanam"

Vision by Night, a collaged dark patterned paper fragment left, a soft dark abstract silhouette, two collaged Arabic verse fragments, a green thread-like line, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — VISION BY NIGHT 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
نَعَمْ سَرَى طَيْفُ مَنْ أَهْوَى فَأَرَّقَنِي - "Yes, a vision of the one I love came to me by night, and I could not sleep,”

Delight and Suffering, a dark olive pear-like silhouette resembling a bowed figure, pink splatter marks, black ink dots, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, a collaged map fragment lower right, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — DELIGHT AND SUFFERING 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
وَالْحُبُّ يَعْتَرِضُ اللَّذَّاتِ بِالْأَلَمِ - "Oh, how love hinders the tasting of delight with its suffering!"

Ya Rasul Allah, a standing figure in a blue headwrap and cream robe with shadowed folds, against an ochre and olive-green ground, two collaged Arabic verse fragments, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — YA RASUL ALLAH 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm
عَدَتْكَ حَالِي لَا سِرِّي بِمُسْتَتِرٍ عَنِ الْوُشَاةِ وَلَا دَائِي بِمُنْحَسِمِ - "May you be spared a state such as mine! My secret cannot be concealed from my detractors, nor will there ever be an end to my malady"

Deaf to Counsel, a hooded figure in olive-green against a dark navy sky, a pale ground with vertical drip streaks, a collaged Arabic verse fragment left, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — DEAF TO COUNSEL 2026 / 1448 H - 35 × 35 cm
مَحَضْتَنِي النُّصْحَ لَكِنْ لَسْتُ أَسْمَعُهُ - "You gave me sincere good counsel, but I did not hear it,"

Chapter Two · A Caution about the Whims of the Self

Unheeded Warning, a hooded figure crouched with one arm resting across a raised knee, against a pale green-yellow ground with vertical drip streaks, two collaged Arabic verse fragments, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — UNHEEDED WARNING 2026 / 1448 H - 35 × 35 cm
فَإِنَّ أَمَّارَتِي بِالسُّوءِ مَا اتَّعَظَتْ - "My foolish reckless self refused to heed the warning"

Bridled Soul, a figure wearing a headscarf bent forward, a wing-like sweep of windswept white streaks on a blue ground, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — BRIDLED SOUL 2026 / 1448 H - 35 × 35 cm
مَنْ لِي بِرَدِّ جِمَاحٍ مِنْ غَوَايَتِهَا - "Who can hold back my headstrong soul from the error of its ways,"

Infant Self, a bare abstract tree, trailing teal dots, a rounded boulder-like form, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — INFANT SELF 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm
وَالنَّفْسُ كَالطِّفْلِ إِنْ تُهْمِلْهُ شَبَّ عَلَى - "The self is like an infant, if you neglect its proper care, It will grow up…"

Beware Its Passions, a dark blue-grey arching wave-like shape with a swirl of exposed white paper at its centre and thin drip lines above, a warm cream and peach ground, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — BEWARE ITS PASSIONS 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm
فَاصْرِفْ هَوَاهَا وَحَاذِرْ أَنْ تُوَلِّيَهُ - "So dismiss its passions, beware of letting them take over,"

Watchful Eye, a teal ground with a large ringed circle, vertical lines and shorter horizontal lines on the right, four teal circles, a white flower-like shape, two collaged Arabic verse fragments, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — WATCHFUL EYE 2026 / 1448 H - 35 × 35 cm
وَرَاعِهَا وَهْيَ فِي الْأَعْمَالِ سَائِمَةٌ - "Keep a watchful eye on it as it grazes in the field of actions,"

Only Regret, dense dark speckled marks over a teal ground, a grey-purple rock form, gold touches, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — ONLY REGRET 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm
وَاسْتَفْرِغِ الدَّمْعَ مِنْ عَيْنٍ قَدِ امْتَلَأَتْ - "Dry the tears from eyes that have had their fill of forbidden things,"

OPPOSE AND DEFY 2026 / 1448 H - 25 × 25 cm

وَخَالِفِ النَّفْسَ وَالشَّيْطَانَ وَاعْصِهِمَا - "Oppose the self and shaytan - and defy them,"

Words Without Deeds, cool blue-grey and sage wash ground, a cloud-like white form, dark vertical bar shapes, a collaged ochre verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — WORDS WITHOUT DEEDS 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِنْ قَوْلٍ بِلَا عَمَلٍ - "I beg Allah’s forgiveness for saying things I do not do,"

Before Death Comes, an abstract landscape with a deep aubergine mountain-like form, two collaged Arabic verse fragments, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — BEFORE DEATH COMES 2026 / 1448 H - 35 × 35 cm
وَلَا تَزَوَّدْتُ قَبْلَ الْمَوْتِ نَافِلَةً - "I have not made much provision of voluntary prayer before death comes to take me,"

Chapter Three · On the Praise of the Prophet ﷺ

Path of Night Prayer, a sage-green ground, a dark tree-like silhouette, ridged dark navy-teal brushstrokes, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — PATH OF NIGHT PRAYER 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
ظَلَمْتُ سُنَّةَ مَنْ أَحْيَا الظَّلَامَ إِلَى - "I have done injustice to the path of the one who prayed at night until"

Hunger Stone, a dark triangular wedge teal form beside pale cloud-like brushwork, thin drip streaks, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — HUNGER STONE 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
وَشَدَّ مِنْ سَغَبٍ أَحْشَاءَهُ وَطَوَى - "While he bound up his insides against the extremity of his hunger,"

True Elevation, mountain forms ranging from dark blue-purple to violet, a splash of gold paint, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — TRUE ELEVATION 2026 / 1448 H - 15 × 15 cm
وَرَاوَدَتْهُ الْجِبَالُ الشُّمُّ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ - "The high mountains of gold sought to entice him,"

Impeccable Virtue, date palm trees against a teal-green ground, thin reed-like strokes at the base, a collaged Arabic verse fragment, from the Burda Collection by Sara Kabariti — IMPECCABLE VIRTUE 2026 / 1448 H - 35 × 35 cm
إِنَّ الضَّرُورَةَ لَا تَعْدُو عَلَى الْعِصَمِ - "For even dire need cannot assail such impeccable virtue"