Calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing, found in many cultures. It has particular significance for Muslims because it was used to write the words of the Qur'an, and reflected these words from the scripture: "Recite, in the name of Your Lord…who taught by the pen." (Surah al-Alaq, 96:1-4).
As images of God or the Prophet were prohibited, writing became the medium that reflected the Divine message. Though there are several styles of script, they all attempt to express the written word through artistic imagery. Such calligraphy appears on monuments, mosques and sacred spaces, books, sculptures, textiles, ceramics, and glassware.
As Prince Amyn explained, at the opening of the Zamana Gallery, in London, in 1989, "The written word, as a symbol with both religious and aesthetic significance, is pervasive and is as important as it was several thousand years ago."
The art of Islamic calligraphy may be one that embraces tradition but it has also evolved over the ages. With the advent of computer graphics, new perspectives on this timeless art form have afforded artists opportunities to experiment.
Two artists using computer calligraphy to express traditional ideas
"I feel as artists we need to understand the technology of the day. Knowledge gives us choices with our art and creativity. Staying on top of our medium gives us the ability to create in new and exciting ways." This is how Atlanta's Hamida Madhani explains her subjective experience of beauty and its relationship to forms and objects. She creates art to understand the spiritual nature of existence, utilizing her multicultural heritage to explore Islamic, Western, and even Chinese culture in this process.
"My thinking always took place in the realm of imagery," said Hamida, adding, "Beauty and harmony, structure and order, selection and organization, were all for me a natural result of thinking with the senses." Her compositions indeed illustrate both her talent and the thought behind them.
Hamida was a speaker at the 2011 annual International Ginan Conference in London, where she discussed the topic, From Art to Spirituality - My Personal Journey, and her artwork was shown at the Ismaili Centre in London. Later, she was invited to present her art at the Western Art Shore Museum, near Beijing, at a show titled, Synthesis. Her 22 pieces included abstract art, as well as her calligraphy.
Collectors have commissioned many art pieces from Hamida, who has also exhibited her art in the USA, Canada, Abu Dhabi, and Germany, with several being auctioned for the Aga Khan Foundation USA.
Computer graphics have also been used by Edmonton's Shamas Nanji for his modernist expression of Arabic calligraphy.
"Isn't it wonderful that research at the infinitesimal level has given the world new instruments to celebrate the infinite?" remarks Shamas, discussing the use of computers to create art. His words reflect those of Abu'l Fazal (d. 1602) of Mughal times who wrote: "The written letter is spiritual geometry emanating from the pen of invention."
Referring to his computer as an "electronic reed," Shamas draws his inspiration from the hadith, "Allah is beautiful and he loves beauty," as he creates his large scale calligraphic creations and murals. From his Basmallah, linear and austere, to the more whimsical Ya Ali Madad, the importance of empty space to frame the words is clear. The creations all express symmetry and balance, depicting the contemplative spirit behind the work.
Shamas's calligraphy has been shown at the Ismaili Centres in London and Burnaby, Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, and at the University of Waterloo.
It was while pursuing a graduate degree at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University, that calligraphy became a hobby. Shamas' creativity has extended to poetry, with the publication of seven books, including on the Kashmiri poet Lal Ded, and on Nasir Khusraw, Al Farabi, Al Sijistani, and his most recent work, on Canadian Supreme Court Justice Bertha Wilson.
Faith inspiring art
When only nine years old, he sketched Mawlana Sultan Muhammad Shah from a photograph in a magazine. The following year, he entered his first art competition. After graduating from college, Nizar MacNojia worked as a graphic designer in Karachi, and also learned different painting techniques from friends attending the Fine Art Institute in the city.
Nizar's first exhibition was in Karachi, in 1983, and since moving to Houston he has focused on calligraphic renderings of Qur'anic verses. "Calligraphy accentuates the value that is placed on language, specifically in Arabic,” explains Nizar. Of the Tilawat and Ginans, which have inspired Nizar, he remarks: “I wanted to put them in a different language – the language of art.”
Various exhibitions have featured Nizar's art, including at International Jubilee Arts Festival in Lisbon in 2018, and he has also demonstrated calligraphy at Houston's Museum of Fine Arts. In 2017, he showed his work at an exhibition entitled Arts of the Islamic World, at Houston's City Hall, where one of his works was presented to Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Ceramics adorned with calligraphy
Zarina Boga and her art are well known in Calgary, where she has had numerous exhibitions. From paintings to ceramics and calligraphy, this versatile artist has a vast collection of her work, and has attracted an international following.
"Bridging past artwork into the present," is how she describes her creations. Originally from Tanzania, she prefers the tactile sensation of clay, moulding plates, vases, bowls and other items into artistic pieces, often with Islamic motifs. "To me, it's a prayer, when I am working on my art," Zarina explains, and "It's a meditation. Inscribing the names of Allah brings joy to my physical and spiritual senses."
Zarina has received many accolades for her contributions to civic organizations in Calgary, including the Award for Racial Harmony, in addition to awards for her art. She was commissioned to create a piece for the Alberta Human Rights Commission, and even presented one of her works to Princess Zahra, with others used for fundraising for the Aga Khan Foundation, Canada, the Human Rights Foundation, and United Way.
These North American artists are just a few of the many who continue to express the ancient art of calligraphy in the traditional manner, while others experiment with new technology to express the written word through art, delighting viewers.
