Finding spirituality through creativity

Ayaz Ali is a photographer based in London, whose work is shaped by a deep engagement with place, memory, and meaning. Drawn to the road less travelled, his lens has wandered from the highlands of China and the remote archipelago of St Kilda to the Patagonian fjords and the heartlands of Central Asia seeking to honour the quiet dignity of landscapes and the stories held within them. In recent years, his practice has turned toward visual documentation focusing on sacred rituals, communal memory, and traditions of faith. His vision for “Ashura: Transcendence in Lament” follows his earlier photographic work, “Arbaeen: A Lens into a Sacred Journey” (2019), continuing his commitment to preserving moments of spiritual and cultural significance through photography.

Saarah Bokhari is a PhD Doctoral Researcher in Islamic Spiritual Striving in the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham, and is a student of Islamic Studies. She is a teacher, mentor, and the author of three book contributions, including the seminal academic work “The Myth of Jihad” in “Media Language on Islam and Muslims: Terminologies and Their Effects” (2023), in addition to her poetic writing in “Soul to Soul” (2022) and “Arbaeen: A Lens into a Sacred Journey” (2019). Saarah has previously studied at the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her passion lies in exploring the journey of spiritual striving and Divine Love.