Allahu Akbar

Prayer Video and Installation

Allahu Akbar was presented as part of What Did You Want To See? at Ikon Gallery. Installed within a dedicated prayer space laid with rugs and framed by traditional screens, the work centres a moving image of Mahtab Hussain performing the five daily Muslim prayers.

The phrase Allahu Akbar, meaning God is Great, is one of the most widely misrepresented expressions in Western media. In this installation, Hussain returns it to its true context. The work does not dramatise faith. It does not defend it. Instead, it makes visible a quiet, embodied act of devotion that is practised daily by millions across the world.

By situating prayer within a contemporary art institution, the installation shifts the terms of visibility. The gallery becomes a space of contemplation rather than spectacle. Critics described the work as a brave gesture that blurs the line between art and faith, challenging common misinterpretations of the phrase and reminding audiences that for millions it is a declaration of gratitude, awe and spiritual presence rather than a symptom of violence or fear.

In the context of an exhibition concerned with surveillance, representation and expectation, Allahu Akbar offers something disarmingly direct. It asserts presence without apology. It reframes a phrase burdened by distortion and restores it to intimacy, humility and spiritual depth.