The Art of Calligraphy in Islam

on Thursday, June 7, 2012

If you are looking to learn Muslim culture, you have reached to a right place; here we are going to discuss one of the significant aspects of Islamic culture that is art of Calligraphy and Islam.

The topic of Islamic Arts requires adequate attention and research as we have seen a lot of biased and baseless material in various western knowledge sources such as Art through Ages as well as Britannica. These western knowledge sources are unable to portray the real picture of Muslim Art for those looking to learn Muslim culture and Islamic arts. If we talk about the history as well as development of Islamic arts, the influence of Islamic scriptures has made the Islamic calligraphy one of the most significant aspects of Muslim Culture. Its importance and effects are seen in each Islamic area.

The Muslim calligraphy started to flourish with growing awareness in contemporary Muslims. Since then the interest of Muslims in calligraphy has been growing more and more with the passing of every single day. The contemporary Muslim calligraphy may be divided into following categories:

  • Traditional Calligraphy
  • Pure Abstraction Calligraphy
  • Figural Calligraphy
  • Symbol Calligraphy
  • Expressionist Calligraphy

Let us have a look over each category one by one for those looking to learn Muslim culture. The first one is Traditional Calligraphy. The contemporary Islamic calligraphers are producing numerous examples of this traditional calligraphy. The calligraphy is known as Traditional calligraphy because of the fact that it conforms to the long established traditions and customs of Islam. The traditional calligraphers used to train from one of the best calligraphers of their locality, in this way the art of this traditional calligraphy kept on passing through generations and maintaining its existence in this modern age.

Those looking to learn Muslim culture would also love to learn about the Figural Calligraphy. The prohibition to represent the images of different living beings opened the doors of this type of calligraphy. The Muslim produces numerous great calligraphers in the field of figure calligraphy. The Sadqeen, a very famous Pakistani calligrapher had the authority in this type of calligraphy.

Similarly, another famous type of Islamic calligraphy is known as Symbolic Calligraphy. This calligraphy has very long roots in the history of Islam. It was originated from Umayyad regime. This type of calligraphic work includes the symbols and sign pertaining to Islamic culture and traditions. This type of calligraphers tries to explain and convey feelings with the help of different signs and symbols.

Likewise, another type of calligraphy that would attract the attention of those looking to learn Muslim culture is known as Pseudo Calligraphy or alternatively Pure Abstraction. It has also long roots in the ancient history of Islam. Many renowned calligraphers have been produced in this field. In this type of calligraphy, the calligrapher tries to express the feelings as well as story in the form of different letters as well as words. This was a brief account of Islamic Art.



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