Glorious Art of Calligraphy

A Living Islamic Tradition
A RELIGION-ORIENTED ART
By: Dr. Anjum Rehan

The art of calligraphy has been described by connoisseurs as the most typical expression of Islamic culture because in this field the Islamic genius has transformed dominantly intellectual materials into elements of aesthetic expression. Islamic calligraphy, which is essentially religion-oriented art, has been cultivated by the rulers and the ruled alike. For this reason, in every part of Islamic world, the art has been adopted and promoted with love and devotion. Its aesthetic beauty has always inspired the Muslim calligraphers to innovate styles in spite of restrictions if Islamic fundamental doctrines and basic principles of calligraphy. In this aspect, the Muslim calligraphers have surpassed all others in beautifying the art.

As decorative art, Islamic calligraphy attracted the rulers of medieval Europe to adorn themselves with calligraphic objects. In Islamic way of life, the calligraphic beauty became so popular that hardly any object remained without its embellishment.

Early Specimens

The art of calligraphy seems to have reached Pakistan with the conquest of Sindh in AC 712 by Muhammad bin Qasim. The earliest wiring among the fourteen inscriptions discovered from the Muslim city of Banbhore1 is dated 109 A.H. Prior to that, during the caliphate period, the Arabic script had already grown up form Hiri, Makki, Madani and Kufi styles. By the time Islam was introduced in areas now forming Pakistan, it was Kufic script which had already spread in the Muslim World. As manifested in Banbohore’s specimens of 109 AH/AC 727 and 294 AH/AC 906, plain inscriptions and floriated Kufic style were in vogue in these times. A bilingual Arabic and Sanskirt inscription of the period which was found from Tochi Valley is now preserved in the Peshawar Museum. This is dated 243 AH/AC 857. Its writing is in crude Kufic script characterized by the supply of heads of certain letters, (alif, ra, sin, lam, noon, and ya) with serif3. Another Arabic-Bactrain bilingual inscription in Kufic script-found in Tochi Valley and preserved in the Peshawar Museum, relates to 865 AC. The style of these two specimens has a close resemblance with each other, thought the letters in the former have simpler from with a tendency to angularity and those in the latter to roundness.

Some Kufic inscription in relief have also been found on the Ummayyad pottery excavated from the ruins of Banbhore5 city. Specimens of Abbasid and later periods bearing Arabic inscriptions in different decorative styles have also been found from there6. Moreover, three cooper coins discovered from this site bear the Arabic legends with the name of Hisham bin Amr, Governor (AC 768-773) of the second Abbasid Caliph Mansur.

All this epigraphical evidence shows that the early Islamic script introduced in Pakistan was Kufic found both in simple and ornamented forms. Under the Gahanznavid rulers, Lahore developed as a seat of learning. Besides Arabic, which was already in use since the Arab period, Persian was introduced as major language during this period. Both theses languages were initially written in Kufic style of the Arabic script. In the course of time, Naskh style gained popularity in daily writing, but the Kufic styles was still used in decorative inspirations.

Sultan Ibrahim, the grandson of Sultan Mahmood of Ghanza, was himself and expert in Naskh writing. He used to write and send a Quranic manuscript every year to Makkah8. Sayyid-ul-Kuttab Jamal-uddin Lahorei was another well-known calligrapher of the period. According to some authorities, he equaled in skill to that of distinguished master calligrapher, Ibn-i-Muqla.

The earliest preserved specimen of this period is legendary writing on silver coins issued by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna from the mint of Mahmudpur, a new name given to Lahore by Mahmud of Ghazana. These coins issued by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazana from the mint of Mahmudpur, a new name given to Lahore by Mahmud of Ghazana. These coins are now preserved in Lahore Museum10 and the British Museum at London.11 These bilingual coins bear Sanskrit legends on the obverse and Arabic legends on Kufic script on the reverse. Another Arabic inscription dated 440 AH/AC 1049 was found from the excavation of Raja Gira Mosque near Udegram in Swat which is also in advanced cursine script.12 Among the surviving manuscripts o this period, one is the Arabic book Bahjatul-Nafoos-Wal-Asrar Fi Tarukl Hijra-utl-Mukhtar, which is now preserved in Punjab University Library, Lahore. This is in Naskhi style.

Growth Under Sultans

Under Sultanate (AC 1206-1526), the capital was transferred from Lahore to Delhi. Persian was made the court language. Under the Sultanate this language, like Arabic, was written in Arabic script. The Naskh continued to be a popular script in this period. Bahar emerged as a new popular style for Quranic writings. Suls remained also in use but it was mainly employed in writing the Holy Quran and other important inscriptions. For such inscriptions, another indigenous style was evolved which has been termed as Taaliq by some Arts critics.

Sultan Nasiruddin, a good calligrapher himself, was also a great patron of calligraphy. Ibne Batootah mentions having seen a Quranic manuscript calligraphed by the Sultan.15 Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq was also a skilful calligrapher. He could write with fluenceuy, maintaining the standard of excellence which astonished even the master calligraphers of the period.16 Tughlaq princesses were trained in calligraphy at the reply stage of their education, records Frishta,17 while, according to Ibne Hajar Asqlanis, masterpieces of renowned calligraphers were also imported and preserved in Imperial Libraries.

A new currend in calligraphy came from Baghdad to areas now comprising Pakistan with the arrival of Abdullah Ashpuz al-Hervi (d. 880 AH/AC 1475). He was a great calligrapher of Arabic style. He migrated to these areas after the fall of Baghadad (658 AH/AC 1258). He adopted excellently the traditional style of Yaqut al Mustasimi.19 In Pakistan, the earliest assimilation of theses two traditions are inscriptions in cut-bricks on the Mausoleum of Kahlid-bin-Walid, an Army General of Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghauri, located at Khatti Chaur, about 25 miles south-east of Multan, represent the style of writing prevalent during this period. All such writings as well as Quranic verses and historical records available are in floriated Kufic style.

The earliest known specimen of Naskh is an inscription on the tome of Abul Mahmid Hasan bin Mauhammad al-Husain Abu Bakr, better known as Pir Bulkhi (d. 643 AH.HC 1245). This is now preserved in Lahore Museum. This oblong specimen contains the Arabic Naskh style with remnant of old Kufic of the time. Calligraphy on the Mausoleum of Sheikh Sadan Shaheed (d. 674 AH/AC 1375), situated in a village near Multan, presents Kufic styles which were commonly used in inscriptional decoration at that time.

Bahar as Quranic script was a great innovation by the Muslim calligraphers during the Sultanate period. The style seems to be restricted to the Subcontinent and Afghanistan. The script apparently was introduced during the Ghaznavid period. The earliest specimen of Bahari style, calligraphed in 676 AH/AC 1233 by Ilyas bin Qazi Abu Bakar bin Nasrullah of Bander Lehri, in Pakistan, was preserved in Afghanistan Museum.

Golden Mughal Period

The Mughal period (1526-1857) was the golden period of the art of calligraphy. Mughal Emperors patronized this art with full zeal and eager. Calligraphy was used for the decoration of building, utensils, ceramics, metal-ware, armours, furniture and fabrics, etc. New forms of writing like Khat-i-Baburi, Nastaleeq and Shakistah were introduced. Nastaleeq became so popular that the Naskh script was continued only to the writing of the Holy Quran and Arabic books while Suls developed more and more as inscriptional script on account of its glazing beauty. For aesthetic beauty this script gained vast popularity.

Emperor Babur himself transcribed a copy of Holy Quran in Khat-i-Baburi and send it to Makkah for obtaining blessings.24 Emperor Humayn brought with him from Iran the famous painter and calligrapher, Abdus Samad Sheerin Raqm. He was expert in both Jali and Khafi writing. He wrote Surah Ikhlas on a single poppy seed to prove his skill.

Emperor Akbar was a great patron of the art of calligraphy. Muhammad Husain Sherzi was one of the expert Arabic calligraphers of his reign. Two Hamails (pocket-size copy of the Holy Quran), calligraphed by him in 1010 AH/AC 1601 are now preserved in Lahore Museum and National Museum, Karachi, respectively.

Emperor Jahangir and Shahjahan were also great patrons of this enchanting art. During their reigns, the main emphasis remained on the development of Nastaleeq. However, the Suls writing on the cenotaph of Emperor Jahangir and the Taj Mahal, are the best examples of this style. Jangir’s sons, Khusrau and Pervez, were excellent in Arabic calligraphy. Abdul Haq Shirazi alias Amanat Khan was a renowned Naskh writer and Tughra maker during the region of Shahjahan.27 His inscriptions and Tughras were used to ornate many Mughal building including the Taj Mahal. Calligraphers of his period were distinguished in inscription writing as well as stone carving. The arrival of Abduyl Rashid Delimi from Iran gave a new impetus to this art. He was a great master of nastaleeq28 and remained popular a long time as Aqae-Awwal of Nastaleeq. Prince Dara Shikoh was his pupil in calligraphy. In Lahore, Masjid-i-Wazir Khan (1044 AH/AC 1634) preserves an excessive and acquisitive work of Suls writing of Shahjhan’s time. It is unique monument for preserving a great variety of calligraphic writings. Naskh, Suls, Nastaleeq and other verities of the writings on the mosque are like a school of calligraphy. The city of Thatha (Sindh) preserves inscriptions by Abdul Ghafur, Tahir bin Hasan and Bambu bin Hsan.29 The Calligraphic material employed on the gravers at Makli near any where in the Islamic world. Engraved on stone slabs and glazed tiles, both in carving and painting, it represents elegant specimen of Kufic, Naskh and Nastaleeq.

Emperor Aurangzeb was himself a master calligrapher of the Qruanic writing and was a great patron of the art of calligraphy.31 Abdul Baqi Haddad, originally attached to the court of Shahjhan, developed the Naskh script during the region of Auranzeb. It was called Uroosul Khat i.e. the Bride of Scripts.32 he presented his complete Qruanic manuscript to the Aurangzeb Alamgir which consisted of 30 folios.33 he is also known for popularizing hexagonal Quranic manuscript.

Shekih Muhammad Faizi was one of the prominent calligraphers of Shahjhan’s period According to Mir Ali Sher Qani Thattavi, he was matchless in Suls writing.35 one of his specimens in the form of inscription dated 1114 AH/AC 1702 is preserved on the royal mosque at Thatta. Ibrahim Sialkoti was a good calligrapher of Naskh style during this period.

A copy of the Holly Quran calligraphed by him (MS-92) is preserved in the Lahore Museum.36 Specimens of Suls writing of this period can be seen in inscriptional form on the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, built in 1084 AH. The excellent specimen of Suls writing by Muhammad Saleh in 1082 AH/AC 1671 can be seen on the internal side of the walls of Dai Anga’s tomb at Lahore.

Local Styles

After the death of Aurangzeb, the royal patronage of calligraphy declined in the Subcontinent and local styles began to emerge under the patronage of Maharajas of states or independently under the guidance of different teachers. One such style has been referred to as Lahori style by Ghulam Muhammad Haft Qalami, Sheikh Mir Gadai of Mughalpura was one of the well-known followers of this style. Muhammad Murad, Hafiz Roodh Ulah Lahori, Muhammad Yousuf Lahori and Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Lahori are some of the other Quranic calligraphers of this period. The Qruanic specimens of all these calligraphers are preserved in Lahore Museum.

Muhammad Afzal Lahori, for his excellent Nastaleeq, is known as Aqa-eSani in Nastaleeq. Muhammad Ghanus Peshawari, a facsimile of whose Quranic manuscript has recently been published in Pakistan, is another Naskh writer of the period.

After the Sikhs gained ascendancy in the Punjab in 1799 the art of calligraphy, especially the Qruanic calligraphy, suffered a set-back in quality. However, the Faqir family of Lahore, which enjoyed influential position in the court of Maharaja Ranjig Singh, promoted and kept alive the art of calligraphy to some extent the production of large sized Qruanic manuscripts, thought with inferior quality of calligraphy and illumination, were every popular during this period. One such manuscript, presented to Faqir Sayyid Noor-ud-Din by Maharaji Ranjit Singh, is preserved in Lahore Museum (MS-444). A few Qruanic manuscripts of the same quality are also on display in the Bait-ul-Quran of Punjab Public Library, Lahore.

Deprived of the royal patronage, some single-teacher centres of calligraphic training were established in the remote villages of the Punjab. In towns and cities the Baythaks i.e. seating places of master calligraphers, developed as training centres for calligraphy through apprenticeship.

Post-Mughal Village Schools

The Sikh regime ended in 1849 with the occupation of the Punjab and northwest frontier by the British. The art of calligraphy like other Muslim arts underwent decline both in quality and quantity during this period. Lahore, however, remained an active centre for practicing this art. Village calligraphy-schools of the Punjab fed this centre by producing a great number of calligraphers. Among such schools, the village schools of district Gujranwala excelled and rose to the top. The Village schools of Emanabad, Adilgrah, Wariskot, Hazrat Kelianwala and others produced a lot of calligraphers.39 Munshi Muhammad-ud-Din of Jandiala (Guranawala), made a distinctive contribution to the Qruanic calligraphy. He calligraphed in 1910 a copy of the Holy Qruan, consisting of 112 pages, with each line beginning with the letter Alif. Abu Abdullah Imam-ud-Din, also from Gujranwala, calligraphed a copy with variety of 113 Tughras of Bismillah. Muhammad Abudllah Warsi, and Muhmmad Husain Adili Mubarik Raqn,40 the famous calligraphers also belonged to Guranwala district. Maulvi Muhammad Rashid Adili (D.1961 AC) is also well-known for his fulent hand. He could calligraphy a copy of the Qruan within two and a half months. Muhammad Qasim Ludhivani and his two sons Muhammad Shafi and Muhammad Sharif was good calligraphers of the Holy Quran at Lahore in twentieth century. Nunshi Abduyl Majeed Perveen Raqm and Muhammad Yousaf Dehliv, also from Gurajanwal, marked their distinction in Nastaleeq. Munshi Perveen Raqm innovated the Persian Nastaleeq and introduced a new style of Nastaleeq which is termed as Terz-i-Pervini or Terz-i-Lahori. Actually, he developed this style for Urdu language which had no script of its won at that time. The innovated style of Muhammad Yousaf Delhvi was first known as Dehlavi style and later as Karachi style (Dabistance Karachi) after he migrated to Karachi in 1947.

Revival Under Pakistan

With the emergence of Pakistan in 1947, we inherited experienced calligraphers like Haji Din Muhammad, Abdul Ghaffar, Muhammad Inayat Ullah Warsi, Muhammad Yousuf Kailani, Pir Abdullah Hameed and young calligraphers like Hafiz Yusuf Saddidi, SAyyid Anwar Husain Nafees Raqm ans Sufi Khurshid Alam Khurshid Raqm. Haji Din Muhammad’s work is preserved in inscription form on many mosques, tombs and shrines in Pakistan. He was well-known for bold writing. Pir Abdul Hameed calligraphed many copies of Holy Quran which were published in Pakistan. Inayat-Ullah Warsi recently died at the age of more than 80 years. He produced many pupils in Naskh and Nastaleeq from his village school of Wariskot. An overwhelming majority working in various printing press and newspapers in Pakistan were produced by this school of calligraphy.

M.M Sharif Artist, Muhammad Yousaf Kailani and Munshi Taj-uddin Zarrin Raqm have left a good stock of Nastaleeq Qataat. Faqir Khana Museum, inside Bhati Gate, Lahore, surpasses all institutions and private collections in this respect.

Display At The UN Headquarters

Hafiz Muhammad Yousuf Saddidi (d. 1986) was another master calligrapher in Lahore. He learnt the art of Nastaleeq from Taj-uddin Zarrin Raqm of Lahore and Naskh from Muhamamd Qasim Ludhivani, his teacher in Suls at Lahore. In other styles of writing, he was inspired by the inscriptions of Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore and inscriptions on monuments in Delhi. He developed fluency in the writing skill of Kufic, Suls, Dewani, Shakista, Reeqa, Nastaleeq and Tugrha. He was influenced by the well-knonw calligraphers Hashim Bagdadi, Sayyid Ibrahim Misri, Abdul Aziz ar-Rafai Mirsi and Hameed Etaj of Turkey. He has the distinction of reviving archaic Kufic style.

His monumental work can be seen in Lahore on the tomb of Allama Iqbal, Minar-i-Pakistan, Islamic Summit Minar Majsid-i-Shuhdha and Masjid-i-Mansura. His Suls writing in the newly constructed tomb of Qutubuddin Aibak at Lahore is in the style of thirteenth century AC. He won honour by writing on the holy piece of Ghilaf-i-Kaabah presented on behalf of King Fahd of Saudi Arabic for display at U.N. Headquarters, New York. Among his Pupils, Khalid Yousfai, Abdur Rashid Butt and Mr. Ali Ahmed are a few promising calligraphers of Arabic writing.

Sayyid Anwar Husain Nafess Raqm, living at Lahore, is a fine calligrapher. His styles of Suls and Nastaleeq are appreciable. He can write Kufic, Reqa, Shakista, Dewani and other verities with equal excellence. His inscriptions on Islamic Summit Minar, Jamia Rashidia (Sahiwal), Jamia Masjid Timber Market (Lahore), Jamia Masjid Qasoor are monumental. He is also author of many articles and booklets on calligraphy. His father, Sayyid Ashraf Ali, was also an experience and devoted Qruanic calligrapher. Among his pupils Elahi Bux and Muhammad Jamir are flourishing well in Arabic writing.

Sufi Khurshid Alam Khurshid Raqm is another excellent master of Nastaleeq. He can also write Naskh and other styles. Among his monumental work is Nastaleeq writing on Minar-i-Pakistan. Munshui Taj-uddin Zarrin RAqm was his teacher while Manzoor Anwar is one of his promising pupils.

The Present Quranic Naskh in Pakistan is quite different from that of the Naskh styles now current in Arab world and Turkey on account of its special characteristic features.

Painterly calligraphy was introduced in Lahore about 40-50 years ago by Prof. Sahkir Ali and Hanif Ramey. The style soon became popular. Sadequain, Guljee, Aslam Kamal Zanina Khurshid and some other improved upon it by evolving other forms and colour compositions. This innovation is far confined to they decorative panels and book titles only. This trend has now spread almost all over the Islamic world.