From a Sketch on WhatsApp to a 6-Foot Masterpiece: The Rahman Family Commission
By Hasnain
Some of our most meaningful work begins with the simplest conversations. Last autumn, we received a WhatsApp message from Amina Rahman in Birmingham. She'd just moved into a new home with her family and wanted something special for the main living room wall — something that would make the house feel like theirs.
She sent a photo of a small printed calligraphy piece she'd bought from a high street shop years ago. "I love this verse," she wrote, "but I want something real. Something handmade. Something big."
That message started a six-week journey that ended with one of our favourite pieces to date.
The First Conversation
We always start with a call or a video chat. Not to sell — but to listen. Amina explained that her family had moved three times in five years. This was the first home they truly felt settled in. She wanted Ayatul Kursi on the main wall because it represented protection, stability, and a fresh beginning.
Her husband Ahmed had one request: "Make it big enough that it's the first thing anyone sees when they walk in."
That gave us our brief — a piece that commanded the room without overwhelming it. Presence with elegance.
Choosing the Script and Composition
For a piece this size — nearly two metres wide — the script choice matters enormously. We presented three composition sketches to the family over WhatsApp:
The first was a traditional horizontal Thuluth layout. Clean, structured, symmetrical. The second was a circular composition, with the text flowing around a central medallion. The third was a flowing, asymmetric Thuluth arrangement — structured enough to feel intentional, but with enough movement to draw the eye across the entire piece.
Amina chose the third option immediately. "It feels alive," she said. "Like it's breathing."
The Making
The piece took twenty-two working days to complete. The base was a custom-cut sheet of archival cotton paper in deep black, mounted on a rigid board to prevent any warping at this size.
The text was first pencilled in full scale — a process that took three full days of measuring, adjusting, and refining the letterforms. At this size, even a one-millimetre deviation in a stroke is visible from across the room.
The gold leaf application was done over five separate sessions. Each session focused on a specific section of the piece, allowing the sizing adhesive to cure properly before moving to the next area. We used genuine 24-karat gold leaf, applied with traditional methods — no gold paint, no shortcuts.
The most nerve-wracking moment was the final long stroke of the last letter. After twenty-two days of work, one slip could mean starting an entire section over. But that's the nature of this craft — there's no undo, no digital backup. Just the hand, the pen, and the moment.
The Delivery
We personally delivered the framed piece to the Rahman family's home in Birmingham. We don't usually do this — most pieces are shipped with professional art couriers. But for a piece this size and this personal, it felt right to be there.
Watching Amina's face when we unwrapped it was the moment that reminded us why we do this work. She didn't say anything at first. She just stood there, looking at it, with her hand over her heart. Ahmed was already measuring the wall.
An hour later, it was hung. The children had already started calling it "the gold wall."
What This Means to Us
We could sell prints. We could automate production. We could use machines and scale up to hundreds of pieces a month. But we won't. Because the moment Amina stood in front of that piece — the piece we made with our hands over twenty-two days, the piece that started with a blurry WhatsApp photo — that moment is worth more than any amount of scale.
Every commission we take on is a relationship. A conversation. A trust that someone places in us to turn their most meaningful words into something permanent. We don't take that lightly.
If You Have a Vision
Whether it's a single word or an entire surah, a gift for someone you love or a centrepiece for your home — every piece starts exactly the way Amina's did. A simple message. A conversation. And then, slowly, something beautiful.
Get in touch with us through WhatsApp or our custom order form. Tell us the words that matter to you. We'll take it from there.