MEDICINE AND THE ARTS
submitted that “ the renown of my writing is due to the name of Ali .” The art of Islamic calligraphy flourished because of being visually analogous to Quranic recitation and due to both the adaptability and innovation possible with the Arabic alphabets , resulting in a multitude of scripts or Khatts . This was accomplished without figural representations which were not expressly prohibited but tacitly discouraged . “ Islamic patterns also often combine calligraphy with both stylized plant forms or arabesques and geometric patterns ,” writes a highly respected scholar and author of a magisterial book , Seyyed Hosein Nasr . The book is entitled Islamic Art and Spirituality , SUNY Press , 1987 and the second chapter on “ The Spiritual Message of Islamic Calligraphy ” is of utmost importance . For instance , he quotes a ninth century Persian Sufi scholar Kamal Kashifi , who stated that “ God first created the ‘ Qalam ’ ( Calamus or Pen ), then the inkpot or Nun .” God begins with the chapter of “ The Pen ” ( Al-Qalam , Quran 68:1 ) with the first verse of “ Nun and Qalam and what they inscribe .” In another chapter , God proclaimed that “ He taught knowledge by means of the pen ( and ), He taught human being what he did not know .” ( Quran 96:4-5 )
The triad of illuminations ( the art of gilding various artistic calligraphic renditions with gold and colored paints ), geometric patterns and arabesque motifs ( ornamentation with plant forms ) beautify the calligraphic pieces with significant aesthetic appeal to both Muslims and non-Muslims . Many examples exist about use of Arabic or pseudo-Arabic inscriptions , for example the fine Kufic writings on the coronation gown of the German Emperor and the famed painting “ Madonna with the “’ Shahada ’” ( profession of faith ). Ibn Khaldun ( 1332-1406 ), a celebrated Spanish / Arab intellectual , was a social scientist who stated , “ The writing that lies at the heart of the art of Islam is the nearest in art that mankind can approach to the intense spirituality of the recited Word of Allah , which has no parallel .”
Tools and Methods of Calligraphy :
The pen or calamus in Islam symbolizes a significant creation , reportedly the first thing God created with a duty of recording all events . Reed or Bamboo pens are favored . Learning to carve well with a razor-sharp knife is paramount and cutting the tip of the pen at the width one desires at an angle ( chiseled ) to enhance the fineness and finesse is important . Java Pens and wood pens are available from professional carvers . Inks are readily available in multiple colors although the orthodox or purists make their own black ink from soot ( linseed oil , beeswax or kerosene oil ), mixed with gum arabic and distilled water ‒ a time consuming task .
Paper selection is a personal choice and can be made with elaborate and rather arcane methods for coating and drying as well as making Ebru ( marbling ), if desired .
Many teaching / learning methods exist . One can learn by self-teaching with a number of books and internet resources avail-
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“ The beauty of writing is the tongue of the hand and elegance of thought ” ( Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib )
“ Handwriting is jewelry fashioned by the hand from the pure gold of the intellect . It also is brocade woven by the calamus with the thread of discernment .” ( Franz Rosenthal : Abu Haiyyan Al-Tawhidi- On Penmanship . Ars Islamica 13-14 ( 1948 ). P 18 )
“ If I had known there was such a thing as Islamic Calligraphy , I would never have started to paint . I have strived to reach the highest levels of artistic mastery , but I found that Islamic Calligraphy was there ages before I was .” ( Pablo Picasso )
“ It can be said without fear of exaggeration that nothing has typified the aesthetic sense of the Muslim peoples as much as the Arabic script . One needs to be familiar with its forms and styles in order to follow the full sweep of the art , particularly in architectural ornamentation which is frequently dominated by epigraphy .” ( Titus Burckhardt , Arts of Islam ( 1976 )
“ The Arab calligraphers considered that their art was the geometry of the soul expressed through the body , a metaphor that can be taken literally and concretely with the literal design of its inspiring spirit . This metaphor refers back to an established language of love .” ( Abdelkebir Khatibi , The Splendor of Islamic Calligraphy ( 2001 )
“ Arabic Script is the central form of Islam ’ s arts , and was the first and is the foremost of its characteristic modes of visual expression . It is basic to Islamic culture , and the shapes and characters of its alphabet have permeated every level of society ... The reasons for the chronological , social , and geographic pervasiveness of the calligraphic arts lie in the central fact of Islamic culture- the Qura ’ n .” ( Anthony Welch , Calligraphy in the Arts of the Muslim World ( 1979 )
“ Once the Arabs recognized the necessity to commit their language to writing , they surpassed the world in the art of beautifying their script . They produced in a relatively short time an astonishing calligraphic development , transferring the Arabic script into an artistic medium that best reflected their genius and attracted their best artistic talents .” ( Y . H . Safadi , Islamic Calligraphy ( 1992 )
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