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Ismaili Digest

Editor's Choice -- Nimira's Blog - On Faith -- Islamic calligraphy traces its origins back to Hazrat Ali

"Although the development of sophisticated calligraphy as an art form is not unique to Islamic culture, it has been used to a much greater extent and in varied ways, and in all art forms and materials in Islamic civilisations."

"Sources credit Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib, cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad and the first Imam of the Shia, as the developer of the Kufic script. This is the oldest style of Qur'anic calligraphy, named after the city of Kufa in Iraq, where the script is believed to have originated. Hazrat Ali taught that each letter of the alphabet has not only an outward form, but also an inner meaning."

These articles provide a brief introduction to the origins, development and style Islamic calligraphy.

Warm regards,
Ismaili Digest

Editor's Choice

The origin of the art of Islamic calligraphy is attributed to Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib

"The beauty of writing is the tongue of the hand and the elegance of thought." Ali ibn Abi TalibBifolium from the Blue Qur'an (North Africa), 9th-10th century. Aga Khan Museum From the Greek kallos (beauty) and graphein (to write), calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing. Although the development of sophisticated calligraphy as an art form is not unique to Islamic ...

Continued Here » http://isma.li/AWMR92

Editor's Choice

The master often instructed disciples in the secrets of calligraphy letters according to the mystical tradition

Calligraphy, from the Greek kallos (beauty) and graphein (to write) is the art of beautiful writing. The script in which the Qur'an was written developed over the centuries and provided Islamic art with its most constant decorative character. The art of calligraphy was not limited to the Qur'an. Literary texts and albums of portraits, textiles, tiles, ceramics, and objects in daily ...

Continued Here » http://isma.li/iiWaOy

Editor's Choice

Islamic calligraphy reflected the diversity and pluralism of the various cultures

"Strive to write elegantly for this will ensure your means of livelihood." Caliph ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (d.661) Calligraphy, from the Greek kallos (beauty) and graphein (to write) is the art of beautiful writing. Although the development of sophisticated calligraphy as an art form is not unique to Islamic culture, it has been used to a much greater extent and in ...

Continued Here » http://isma.li/jUvbpx

Editor's Choice

Calligraphers blended the arts of writing and drawing

Calligraphy, from the Greek kallos (beauty) and graphein (to write) is the art of beautiful writing. It is believed that the practice of calligraphy originated in China during the second millennium BC, eventually spreading to the Middle East. The art of transcribing the Qur'an in beautiful hand was considered a form of devotion and an act of piety. Through its medium, ...

Continued Here » http://isma.li/SdT86h

About Nimira's Blog - On Faith

Nimira's Blog - On Faith (via Ismaili Digest)

During a visit to the Aga Khan Library, Nairobi, after reviewing some pamphlets on our faith, Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah remarked that people did not have time to read big books, but such pamphlets were quickly read and, therefore, more effective. Today, this is perhaps even more true, and we can't think of any Ismaili website, institutional or private, who has implemented the Imam's advice more brilliantly than Nimira's Blog. Nimira Dewji launched her blog just 18 months ago and since then has already written, by herself, over 160 articles on Ismaili history and Muslim civilisations. The short, but always interesting pieces, are routinely among the most popular pieces published in the community. If you read nothing else, you owe it to yourself to read Nimira's Blog.

Continued Here » http://isma.li/FxVb6n

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