Muslim Lifestyle

Qur’anic Garden at Kew

Issue 69 June 2010

Review by Rahima Miah

In a white tent, nestled beside the Princess of Wales Conservatory in Kew Gardens lies the Qur’anic Garden Exhibition. A temporary exhibition, it was orchestrated by Qatar Foundation to promote greater awareness to the importance of nature in Islam. The exhibition was a pale comparison to its green surroundings as the interior was not a lush garden or filled with musky fragrant plants, but rather an open, white sterile environment. With no flourishing garden insight; the exhibition had glass casements containing dry plants mounted on stands with short quotes from the Qur’an and Hadith. These short quotes did not necessarily convey the beneficial purpose of the plants. Despite all this, Qatar Foundation should nonetheless be commended in taking the first step in forming a botanical garden which references plants mentioned in the Qur’an as well as initiating the first international forum on the Qur’anic Garden.