‘Necklace of Pearls: stories of the Sahabiyaat’

Many years ago, as part of my exploration of the Seerah (the stories of the life and times of Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him) I came across many stories of extraordinary women, women who were crucial to the building and development of those first Muslim communities in Makka & Madina. The challenge for a storyteller working with Seerah stories is that some are very short, very beautiful and intense, almost fragments, like tiny glittering gems - how to put them all together? I began to explore different ways of supporting and presenting the stories, using objects, sound and other experiences. These explorations have finally come together into ‘Necklace of Pearls’ - a multi sensory storytelling, that takes stories from women’s lives now and connects them back to the stories of our spiritual ancestors, the Sahabiyaat. The 8 stories describe 8 different characters, their different qualities and perspectives, different strengths, skills & experiences. All seemed connected to our lives now - these women and their stories are not dry and dusty, defunct. They are still so alive for us, their vivacity, determination and thoughts still streaming though our lives. Scholarship, politics, community - they built the foundations for them all. We find ourselves in their stories and so find our connection with the Prophet pbuh and ultimately with the Divine.