Calligraphy Types Archives

When I was a teenager, I began writing my first Quran with a lot of imagination and zeal, and that was the beginning of my journey into the world of calligraphy. My primary area of expertise is in blending the traditional and modern writing styles seen in different scripts. Calligraphy is a kind of art that is not only pleasing to the sight but also communicates a powerful meaning to the viewer. It is mostly dependent on the persuasive ability of words. The message is just as vital as what you see, and the influence it has long after it has been viewed will remain with you forever. The Arabic alphabet is one of the world's oldest and most complex writing systems, and it is also one of the most widely used. The Quran is the backbone of Islam. This Sacred Book of ALLAH depends on all revelationfor Islamic call, state, society and the civilization of the Muslim world. It is the last Divinerevelation, which was sent down to Prophet Muhammad, the Khatamun Nabeen, mayALLAH exalt their mention. His task was to convey the message of worshipping the OneGOD, ALLAH, without ascribing any partners to Him. The Noble Quran, which is the sourceof guidance and mercy to mankind, is divided into one hundred and fourteen (114) Soorahs(chapters) of varying lengths. Ninety-three chapters were revealed in Makkah, while theremaining twenty-one were revealed in Madeenah. The first revelation that the Prophet received was Soorat Al-'Alaq, which was in Makkahwhere Soorat An-Najm later became the first to be recited openly to the people. InMadeenah, Soorat Al-Mutaffifeen was the first one revealed after the Hijrah (migration).The last verse sent down to the Prophet was the saying of ALLAH which means: “…Thisthe day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and haveapproved for you Islam as religion…” [Quran: 5:3] ALLAH will forever preserve the Quran against all attempts to destroy or corrupt it. Beingguarded by ALLAH, it will always remain pure. There does not exist a single copy with anyvariation from the recognized text. Any attempt of alteration has resulted in failure. Upon the command of the Prophet, his Companions would write down what wasrevealed in the Noble Quran. They used, for this purpose, palm branches stripped of leaves,parchments, shoulder bones, stone tablets, etc. About forty people were involved in thistask. Among them was Zayd Ibn Thaabit who showed his work to the Prophet.Thus, the Quran was correctly arranged during the Prophet’s life, but it was not yetcompiled into one book. In the meantime, most of the Prophet’s Companions memorizedthe Quran. When Abu Bakr became Caliph after the Prophet died, a large number of theCompanions were killed during the War of Apostasy. 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab went to theCaliph and discussed the idea of compiling the Quran into one volume. He was disturbed, asmost of those who memorized it had died. Then, Abu Bakr called for Zayd andcommissioned him to collect the Quran into one book, which became known as the 'Mushaf.'After Zayd accomplished this great task and organized the Quran into one book, hesubmitted the precious collection to Abu Bakr who kept it in his possession until theend of his life. During the caliphate of 'Umar it was kept with his daughter Hafsahwho was also a wife of the Prophet. During the Caliphate of 'Uthmaan Islam reached many countries, and readers began torecite the Quran in different ways (dialects). 'Uthmaan then had various copies madeand sent them out to the different Muslim lands, lest these dialects would cause alterationsto the Quran, and kept the original copy with Hafsah. Thus, the Quran remainedpreserved and the Caliph was very much pleased with his achievement. Today, every copy of the Quran conforms with the standard copy of 'Uthmaan. These are some examples from my collection of handwritten Qurans from the past, which are written in a wide variety of beautiful forms of the Arabic alphabet. For example, in Behari Script, Nasakh, thulus, and Jidd, amongst other writing systems. I really hope that you take as much pleasure in looking at these as I do.