Calligraphy in Islamic Art on No Soul Doth Allah

Creative practice of calligraphy in Islamic contexts

The Basmala in an 18th-century Islamic calligraphy from the Ottoman region, Thuluth script

Islamic calligraphy is the creative practice of handwriting and calligraphy, in the languages which employ Standard arabic alphabet or the alphabets derived from it. It includes Arabic, Persian, Ottoman, and Urdu calligraphy.^{[ane] [2]} Information technology is known in Arabic as khatt Arabi ( خط عربي ), which translates into Arabic line, design, or structure.^[3]

The development of Islamic calligraphy is strongly tied to the Qur'an; chapters and excerpts from the Qur'an are a common and almost universal text upon which Islamic calligraphy is based. Although creative depictions of people and animals are not explicitly forbidden by the Qur'an, pictures take traditionally been limited in Islamic books in club to avoid idolatry. Although some scholars dispute this, Kufic script was supposedly developed around the end of the seventh century in Kufa, Republic of iraq, from which it takes its name. The style later on developed into several varieties, including floral, foliated, plaited or interlaced, bordered, and foursquare kufic. In the ancient world, though, artists would often get around this prohibition by using strands of tiny writing to construct lines and images. Calligraphy was a valued art form, fifty-fifty as a moral proficient. An ancient Arabic proverb illustrates this point by emphatically stating that "Purity of writing is purity of the soul."^[4]

Nevertheless, Islamic calligraphy is not limited to strictly religious subjects, objects, or spaces. Like all Islamic fine art, it encompasses a diverse assortment of works created in a wide variety of contexts.^[5] The prevalence of calligraphy in Islamic art is not directly related to its non-figural tradition; rather, it reflects the centrality of the notion of writing and written text in Islam.^[6] For case, the Islamic prophet Muhammad is related to take said: "The starting time thing God created was the pen."^[7]

Islamic calligraphy adult from two major styles: Kufic and Naskh. There are several variations of each, too equally regionally specific styles. Arabic or Persian calligraphy has also been incorporated into mod art, starting time with the mail service-colonial menstruation in the Middle Eastward, also every bit the more than recent mode of calligraffiti.

Instruments and media [edit]

The traditional instrument of the Islamic calligrapher is the kalam, a pen normally made of stale reed or bamboo. The ink is often in colour and chosen then that its intensity can vary profoundly, creating dynamism and movement in the letter forms. Some styles are often written using a metal-tip pen.

Five main Arabic calligraphic cursive styles:

1. Naskh
2. Nasta'liq
3. Diwani
4. Thuluth
5. Reqa

Islamic calligraphy tin be applied to a broad range of decorative mediums other than paper, such as tiles, vessels, carpets, and stone.^[2] Earlier the advent of paper, papyrus and parchment were used for writing. During the 9th century, an influx of newspaper from Red china revolutionized calligraphy. While monasteries in Europe treasured a few dozen volumes, libraries in the Muslim world regularly contained hundreds and even thousands of books.^{[i] : 218}

For centuries, the art of writing has fulfilled a cardinal iconographic part in Islamic art.^[viii] Although the academic tradition of Islamic calligraphy began in Baghdad, the centre of the Islamic empire during much of its early history, it eventually spread as far as Republic of india and Spain.

Coins were some other support for calligraphy. First in 692, the Islamic caliphate reformed the coinage of the Near Eastward by replacing Byzantine Christian imagery with Islamic phrases inscribed in Arabic. This was especially true for dinars, or gold coins of high value. Generally, the coins were inscribed with quotes from the Qur'an.

By the tenth century, the Persians, who had converted to Islam, began weaving inscriptions onto elaborately patterned silks. So precious were textiles featuring Standard arabic text that Crusaders brought them to Europe as prized possessions. A notable example is the Suaire de Saint-Josse, used to wrap the bones of St. Josse in the Abbey of St. Josse-sur-Mer, near Caen in north-western France.^{[one] : 223–5}

Every bit Islamic calligraphy is highly venerated, most works follow examples prepare by well-established calligraphers, with the exception of secular or gimmicky works. In the Islamic tradition, calligraphers underwent all-encompassing grooming in 3 stages, including the written report of their teacher's models, in social club to exist granted certification.^[seven]

Styles [edit]

Kufic [edit]

Kufic is the oldest form of the Arabic script. The mode emphasizes rigid and athwart strokes, which appears every bit a modified course of the old Nabataean script.^[9] The Archaic Kufi consisted of nigh 17 letters without diacritic dots or accents. Diacritical markings were added during the 7th century to help readers with pronunciation of the Qur'an and other important documents, increasing the number of Arabic letters to 28.^[x] Although some scholars dispute this, Kufic script was supposedly developed around the end of the 7th century in Kufa, Republic of iraq, from which it takes its name.^[11] The style later developed into several varieties, including floral, foliated, plaited or interlaced, bordered, and foursquare kufic. Due to its straight and orderly fashion of lettering, Kufic was oftentimes used in ornamental stone etching as well as on coins.^[12] It was the master script used to copy the Qur'an from the eighth to tenth century and went out of general use in the 12th century when the flowing naskh style get more than applied. However, it continued to exist used as a decorative chemical element to dissimilarity superseding styles.^[13]

There was no set rules of using the Kufic script; the only common characteristic is the angular, linear shapes of the characters. Due to the lack of standardization of early on Kufic, the script differs widely betwixt regions, ranging from very square and rigid forms to flowery and decorative ones.^[14]

Common varieties include^[14] square Kufic, a technique known as banna'i.^[15] Contemporary calligraphy using this style is also popular in modern decorations.

Decorative Kufic inscriptions are often imitated into pseudo-kufics in Middle age and Renaissance Europe. Pseudo-kufics is specially common in Renaissance depictions of people from the Holy Country. The exact reason for the incorporation of pseudo-Kufic is unclear. Information technology seems that Westerners mistakenly associated 13th-14th century Middle Eastern scripts with systems of writing used during the time of Jesus, and thus constitute it natural to represent early Christians in clan with them.^[16]

Naskh and Thuluth [edit]

Naskh [edit]

The utilise of cursive scripts coexisted with Kufic, and historically cursive was commonly used for informal purposes.^[17] With the rise of Islam, a new script was needed to fit the pace of conversions, and a well-defined cursive chosen naskh kickoff appeared in the 10th century. Naskh translates to "copying," as it became the standard for transcribing books and manuscripts.^[18] The script is the most ubiquitous among other styles, used in the Qur'an, official decrees, and private correspondence.^[19] It became the basis of modern Arabic print.

Standardization of the manner was pioneered by Ibn Muqla (886 – 940 A.D.) and later expanded by Abu Hayan at-Tawhidi (died 1009 A.D.). Ibn Muqla is highly regarded in Muslim sources on calligraphy every bit the inventor of the naskh style, although this seems to be erroneous. Since Ibn Muqla wrote with a distinctly rounded manus, many scholars drew the conclusion that he founded this script. Ibn al-Bawwab, the student of Ibn Muqla, is actually believed to accept created this script.^[18] Nevertheless, Ibn Muqla did establish systematic rules and proportions for shaping the letters, which utilize 'alif as the 10-height, and the dot as basic measurement.^[20]

Thuluth [edit]

Thuluth was developed during the 10th century and slowly refined by Ottoman Calligraphers including Mustafa Râkim, Shaykh Hamdallah, and others, till it became what it is today. Messages in this script take long vertical lines with broad spacing. The name, meaning "one third", may possibly be a reference to the x-height, which is one-third of the 'alif, or to the fact that the pen used to write the vowels and ornaments is i third the width of that used in writing the letters.^[21]

Variations:

1. Reqa' is a handwriting style similar to thuluth. Information technology kickoff appeared in the 10th century. The shape is simple with brusk strokes and small flourishes. Yaqut al-Musta'simi was ane of the calligraphers who employed this mode.^{[22] [23]}
2. Muhaqqaq is a majestic fashion used past accomplished calligraphers, and is a variation of thuluth. Along with thuluth, it was considered one of the most beautiful scripts, also as one of the nearly hard to execute. Muhaqqaq was commonly used during the Mamluk era, simply its use became largely restricted to short phrases, such as the basmallah, from the 18th century onward.^[24]

Regional styles [edit]

Nasta'liq calligraphy of a Persian poem by Mir Emad Hassani, perhaps the most celebrated Persian calligrapher

With the spread of Islam, the Arabic script was established in a vast geographic area with many regions developing their own unique manner. From the 14th century onward, other cursive styles began to develop in Turkey, Persia, and People's republic of china.^[xix]

1. Maghrebi scripts developed from Kufic letters in the Maghreb (Due north Africa) and al-Andalus (Iberia), Maghrebi scripts are traditionally written with a pointed tip (القلم المذبب), producing a line of even thickness. Within the Maghrebi family, there are dissimilar styles including the cursive mujawher and the ceremonial mabsut.
   1. Sudani scripts adult in Biled as-Sudan (the Due west African Sahel) and can be considered a subcategory of Maghrebi scripts
2. Diwani is a cursive style of Standard arabic calligraphy developed during the reign of the early Ottoman Turks in the 16th and early 17th centuries. It was invented past Housam Roumi, and reached its height of popularity under Süleyman I the Magnificent (1520–1566).^[25] Spaces betwixt letters are oftentimes narrow, and lines ascend upwards from right to left. Larger variations called djali are filled with dense decorations of dots and diacritical marks in the space between, giving it a compact advent. Diwani is difficult to read and write due to its heavy stylization and became the ideal script for writing courtroom documents equally information technology ensured confidentiality and prevented forgery.^[fourteen]
3. Nasta'liq is a cursive style originally devised to write the Persian linguistic communication for literary and non-Qur'anic works.^[14] Nasta'liq is thought to be a later evolution of the naskh and the earlier ta'liq script used in Iran.^[26] Quite rapidly gaining popularity as a script in South Asia. The proper noun ta'liq ways "hanging," and refers to the slightly sloped quality of lines of text in this script. Letters have short vertical strokes with broad and sweeping horizontal strokes. The shapes are deep, hook-similar, and have loftier contrast.^[xiv] A variant called Shikasteh was adult in the 17th century for more formal contexts.
4. Sini is a style developed in China. The shape is greatly influenced past Chinese calligraphy, using a horsehair brush instead of the standard reed pen. A famous modern calligrapher in this tradition is Hajji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang. ^[27]

Modern [edit]

In the post-colonial era, artists working in Northward Africa and the Middle E transformed Arabic calligraphy into a modernistic art movement, known as the Hurufiyya motion.^[28] Artists working in this manner apply calligraphy as a graphic element inside contemporary artwork.^{[29] [30]}

The term, hurufiyya is derived from the Arabic term, harf for letter of the alphabet. Traditionally, the term was charged with Sufi intellectual and esoteric meaning.^[28] It is an explicit reference to a medieval arrangement of educational activity involving political theology and lettrism. In this theology, letters were seen as primordial signifiers and manipulators of the cosmos. ^[31]

Hurufiyya artists blended Western art concepts with an artistic identity and sensibility fatigued from their own civilisation and heritage. These artists integrated Islamic visual traditions, especially calligraphy, and elements of mod art into syncretic contemporary compositions.^[32] Although hurufiyyah artists struggled to find their own private dialogue within the context of nationalism, they also worked towards an aesthetic that transcended national boundaries and represented a broader amalgamation with an Islamic identity.^[28]

The hurufiyya artistic style equally a motion most likely began in N Africa around 1955 with the piece of work of Ibrahim el-Salahi.^[28] Nevertheless, the use of calligraphy in modern artworks appears to take emerged independently in various Islamic states. Artists working in this were often unaware of other hurufiyya artists's works, allowing for different manifestations of the style to emerge in different regions.^[33] In Sudan, for case, artworks include both Islamic calligraphy and West African motifs.^[34]

The Roof of Frere Hall, Karachi, Islamic republic of pakistan, c. 1986. Mural by artist, Sadequain Naqqash integrates calligraphy elements into a modern artwork.

The hurufiyya art movement was not confined to painters and included artists working in a variety of media.^[35] 1 example is the Jordanian ceramicist, Mahmoud Taha who combined the traditional aesthetics of calligraphy with skilled adroitness.^[36] Although non affiliated with the hurufiyya move, the contemporary artist Shirin Neshat integrates Standard arabic text into her black-and-white photography, creating dissimilarity and duality. In Iraq, the movement was known as Al Bu'd al Wahad (or the One Dimension Grouping)",^[37] and in Iran, information technology was known every bit the Saqqa-Khaneh move.^[28]

Western art has influenced Arabic calligraphy in other ways, with forms such as calligraffiti, which is the use of calligraphy in public art to make political leader-social letters or to ornamentation public buildings and spaces.^[38] Notable Islamic calligraffiti artists include: Yazan Halwani active in Lebanon ^[39] , el Seed working in France and Tunisia, and Caiand A1one in Tehran.^[40]

In 2017 the Sultanate of Sultanate of oman unveiled the Mushaf Muscat, an interactive calligraphic Quran following supervision and support from the Omani Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, a voting member of the Unicode Consortium.^[41]

Gallery [edit]

Kufic [edit]

• 

  Kufic script in an 11th-century Qur'an

• 

  Square kufic tilework in Yazd, Iran

• 

  Under-coat terracotta bowl from the 11th century Nishapur

Naskh and Thuluth [edit]

• 

  Muhaqqaq script in a 15th-century Qur'an from Turkey

• 

  Muhaqqaq script in a 13th-century Qur'an

• 

  Naskh script in an early 16th-century Ottoman manuscript dedicated to Selim I

• 

  Diploma of competency in calligraphy, written with thuluth and naskh script

Regional varieties [edit]

• 

Modern examples [edit]

• 

• 

Arts and crafts [edit]

• 

  The instruments and piece of work of a student calligrapher

• 

  Islamic calligraphy performed past a Malay Muslim in Malaysia. Calligrapher is making a rough draft.

Listing of calligraphers [edit]

Some classical calligraphers:

Medieval

• Ibn Muqla (d. 939/940)
• Ibn al-Bawwab (d. 1022)
• Fakhr-un-Nisa (12th century)
• Yaqut al-Musta'simi (d. 1298)
• Mir Ali Tabrizi (d. 14th–15th century)

Ottoman era

• Shaykh Hamdullah (1436–1520)
• Hamid Aytaç (1891-1982)
• Seyyid Kasim Gubari (d. 1624)
• Hâfiz Osman (1642–1698)
• Mustafa Râkim (1757–1826)
• Mehmed Shevki Efendi (1829–1887)

Contemporary

• Abdul Djalil Pirous, known as A.D. Pirous (b. 1933), Indonesian painter and lecturer
• Ali Adjalli (b. 1939), Iranian master calligrapher, painter, poet and educator
• Wijdan Ali (b. 1939), Jordan
• Hashem Muhammad al-Baghdadi (1917-1973), Iraq
• Mohammad Hosni (1894-1964), Syria
• Shakkir Hassan Al Sa'id (1925-2004), Republic of iraq
• Madiha Omar (1908-2005), Iraqi-American
• Sadequain Naqqash (1930-1987), Pakistan
• Ibrahim el-Salahi (b. 1930), Sudan
• Mahmoud Taha (b. 1942), Jordan
• Charles Hossein Zenderoudi (b. 1937), Iran
• Abdulraouf Baydoun (b. 1956), Syria
• Mohamed Zakariya (b. 1942), U.s.
• Hassan Massoudy (b. 1944), Republic of iraq, France
• Amir Kamal (b. 1972), Pakistan
• Uthman Taha (b. 1934), Syrian arab republic
• Abas Baghdadi, Iraq
• Mothanna Al-Obaydi, Iraq

Run into also [edit]

• Illuminated manuscript
• Islamic compages
• Islamic Gilt Age
• Islamic graffiti
• Islamic miniature
• Islamic pottery
• Museum of Turkish Calligraphy Art
• Ottoman Turkish language
• Persian calligraphy
• Sini (script)
• Uthman Taha

References [edit]

1. ^ ^{a b c} Blair, Sheila Due south.; Flower, Jonathan M. (1995). The art and architecture of Islam : 1250–1800 (Reprinted with corrections ed.). New Oasis: Yale University Press. ISBN0-300-06465-9.
2. ^ ^{a b} Chapman, Caroline (2012). Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture, ISBN 978-979-099-631-one
3. ^ Julia Kaestle (10 July 2010). "Arabic calligraphy every bit a typographic practice".
4. ^ Lyons, Martyn. (2011). Books : a living history. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum. ISBN978-1-60606-083-iv. OCLC 707023033.
5. ^ Blair, Sheila S. (Spring 2003). "The Mirage of Islamic Fine art: Reflections on the Report of an Unwieldy Field". The Art Message. 85: 152–184 – via JSTOR.
6. ^ Allen, Terry (1988). Five Essays on Islamic Fine art. Sebastopol, CA: Solipsist Press. pp. 17–37. ISBN 0944940005.
7. ^ ^{a b} Roxburgh, David J. (2008). ""The Middle is Favored for Seeing the Writing'south Course": On the Sensual and the Sensuous in Islamic Calligraphy". Muqarnas. 25: 275–298 – via JSTOR.
8. ^ Tabbaa, Yasser (1991). "The Transformation of Arabic Writing: Part I, Qur'ānic Calligraphy". Ars Orientalis. 21: 119–148.
9. ^ Overflowing, Necipoğlu (2017). A Companion to Islamic Art and Compages. Vol. I. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 109–110. ISBN9781119068570. OCLC 963439648.
10. ^ Schimmel, Annemarie (1984). Calligraphy and Islamic Civilisation. New York: New York University Press. p. 4. ISBN 0814778305.
11. ^ Kvernen, Elizabeth (2009). "An Introduction of Arabic, Ottoman, and Persian Calligraphy: Style". Calligraphy Qalam., Schimmel, Annemarie (1984). Calligraphy and Islamic Culture. New York: New York University Press. p. 3. ISBN 0814778305.
12. ^ Ul Wahab, Zain; Yasmin Khan, Romana (30 June 2016). "The Chemical element of Mural Art and Mediums in Potohar Region". Journal of the Enquiry Club of Pakistan. Vol. 53; No. 1 – via Nexis Uni.
13. ^ "Kūfic script". Encyclopædia Britannica.
14. ^ ^{a b c d e} Kvernen, Elizabeth (2009). "An Introduction of Standard arabic, Ottoman, and Western farsi Calligraphy: Style". Calligraphy Qalam.
15. ^ Jonathan M. Flower; Sheila Blair (2009). The Grove encyclopedia of Islamic art and architecture. Oxford University Printing. pp. 101, 131, 246. ISBN978-0-xix-530991-1 . Retrieved 4 January 2012.
16. ^ Mack, Rosamond E. Bazaar to Piazza: Islamic Trade and Italian Fine art, 1300–1600, University of California Press, 2001 ISBN 0-520-22131-ane
17. ^ Mamoun Sakkal (1993). "The Fine art of Arabic Calligraphy, a brief history".
18. ^ ^{a b} Blair, Sheila S. (2006). Islamic Calligraphy. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 158, 165. ISBN 0748612122.
19. ^ ^{a b} "Library of Congress, Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy: Qur'anic Fragments". International.loc.gov. Retrieved 4 Dec 2013.
20. ^ Kampman, Frerik (2011). Arabic Typography; its past and its future
21. ^ Kvernen, Elisabeth (2009). "Thuluth and Naskh". CalligraphyQalam . Retrieved 26 Nov 2018.
22. ^ "خط الرقاع". instance.ampproject.org . Retrieved 16 Apr 2021. {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
23. ^ Kvernen, Elizabeth (2009). "Tawqi' and Riqa'". CalligraphyQalam . Retrieved 26 November 2018.
24. ^ Mansour, Nassar (2011). Sacred Script: Muhaqqaq in Islamic Calligraphy. New York: I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84885-439-0
25. ^ "Diwani script". Encyclopædia Britannica.
26. ^ "Ta'liq Script". Encyclopædia Britannica.
27. ^ "Gallery" Archived 31 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine, Haji Noor Deen.
28. ^ ^{a b c d east} Overflowing, Necipoğlu (2017). A Companion to Islamic Fine art and Compages. Volume Two. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 1294. ISBN 1119068665. OCLC 1006377297.
29. ^ Mavrakis, N., "The Hurufiyah Art Movement in Middle Eastern Art", McGill Journal of Eye Eastern Studies Blog
30. ^ A. and Masters, C., A-Z Nifty Modern Artists, Hachette Uk, 2015, p. 56
31. ^ Mir-Kasimov, O., Words of Power: Hurufi Teachings Between Shi'ism and Sufism in Medieval Islam, I.B. Tauris and the Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2015
32. ^ Lindgren, A. and Ross, S., The Modernist World, Routledge, 2015, p. 495; Mavrakis, Northward., "The Hurufiyah Art Motion in Eye Eastern Art," McGill Journal of Middle Eastern Studies Weblog, Online: https://mjmes.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/article-5/; Tuohy, A. and Masters, C., A-Z Great Modern Artists, Hachette Uk, 2015, p. 56
33. ^ Dadi. I., "Ibrahim El Salahi and Calligraphic Modernism in a Comparative Perspective," South Atlantic Quarterly, 109 (three), 2010, pp. 555–576, DOI:https://doi.org/x.1215/00382876-2010-006; Flood, F.B. and Necipoglu, G. (eds) A Companion to Islamic Fine art and Compages, Wiley, 2017, p. 1294
34. ^ Overflowing, Necipoğlu (2017). A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture. Volume II. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 1298-1299. ISBN 1119068665. OCLC 1006377297.
35. ^ Mavrakis, Northward., "The Hurufiyah Fine art Movement in Centre Eastern Fine art," McGill Journal of Centre Eastern Studies Blog, Online: https://mjmes.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/commodity-5/;Tuohy "Unknown". Retrieved 25 March 2020. ^{[ dead link ]} , A. and Masters, C., A-Z Peachy Modern Artists, Hachette UK, 2015, p. 56; Dadi. I., "Ibrahim El Salahi and Calligraphic Modernism in a Comparative Perspective," Southward Atlantic Quarterly, 109 (three), 2010, pp. 555–576, DOI:https://doi.org/ten.1215/00382876-2010-006
36. ^ Asfour. Thou., "A Window on Contemporary Arab Fine art," NABAD Art Gallery, Online: http://www.nabadartgallery.com/
37. ^ "Shaker Hassan Al Said," Darat al Funum, Online: www.daratalfunun.org/primary/activit/curentl/anniv/exhib3.html; Flood, Necipoğlu (2017). A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture. Volume II. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 1294. ISBN 1119068665. OCLC 1006377297.
38. ^ Grebenstein, Grand., Calligraphy Bible: A Complete Guide to More than 100 Essential Projects and Techniques, 2012, p. 5
39. ^ Alabaster, Olivia. "I like to write Beirut every bit it's the city that gave us everything", The Daily Star, Beirut, 9 Feb 2013
40. ^ Vandalog (3 May 2011). "A1one in Tehran IRAN". Vandalog . Retrieved viii October 2012.
41. ^ Martin Lejeune, 15 June 2017, Oman unveils world'south 1st interactive calligraphic Quran

External links [edit]

• Islamic Calligraphy Pictures
• Mushaf Muscat
• mastersofistanbul.com
• baradariarts.com
• Gallery with much calligraphy in Turkish mosque
• Anthology of Persian calligraphers from 10th to 20th centuries

churchillknoic1941.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_calligraphy

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