Introduction

Bismillah: We come into this world as testimonies to our own createdness, but also as witnesses to the exalted beauty of God's creation. Unlike humans whose waste repels, nature adorns the earth with the beauty of growth and decay. Islam presents itself through what human beings make, in other words, through these earthly vessels that embody or exhibit Islam. The early Muslims took their prophets' words to heart; they maintained welcoming homes and embellished their clothes so even the peasant resembled a prince.