Qur'anic Dua for a Palace in Paradise

“My Lord! Build me a house in Paradise near You, deliver me from Pharaoh and his ˹evil˺ doing, and save me from the wrongdoing people.” (Qur’an, 66:11)

This illustrated prayer pictures Asiya’s longing for nearness to God through a landscape of refuge and ascent. The green terrain is reminiscent of Palestinian landscape, giving the land both sacred resonance through its beauty, suffering, memory, and steadfastness. At the highest point, the palace signifies the house near God for which Asiya prays, marking spiritual arrival in the afterlife. Through the hardship of the oppressed they hold the key to Paradise, for God saves the oppressed and grants them mercy, refuge, and nearness in paradise. As mentioned in the Qur’an, “Those who migrate after being oppressed are promised a good place in this world and a greater reward in the Hereafter.” (Qur’an, 16:41)