Arabic Calligraphy in Islamic Arts

¶ … Arabic Calligraphy in Islamic Arts The importance of Arabic Calligraphy in Islamic Arts The Arabic Calligraphy represents the art and practice of transmitting messages through handwriting. The Arabic calligraphy is now less commonly used, but there were times when this represented the primary form of written communication. The Arabic calligraphy is part of the Islamic culture and art and it is as such of great heritage and importance. But this importance is far more complex and deeper than the simple observer could imagine.

Historically, the Muslims believed that images were blasphemous and did not represent the deity with their aid. Adhering to religious canons as such, the Muslims were left with a restricted method of preserving their beliefs -- writing. The Arabic calligraphy subsequently developed as a means of protecting and conserving the most important writing in Islamic culture -- the Qur'an. Denying idolatry and graphic representations, the Muslims relied on words and letters, with their multitude of shapes and sizes, to transmit messages, but also to promote beauty.

The Arabic calligraphy was used in all dimensions of Muslim life, such as the decoration of objects, walls, mosques or tombs. Its usage to promote the teachings of the Qur'an propelled it to it being recognized as a great Islamic art starting with the nineteenth century (Curtis, 2010). "The primacy of the word in Islam is reflected in the virtually universal application of calligraphy.

Writing is given pride of place on all kinds of objects -- objects of everyday use as well as entire wall surfaces, mosque furniture, the interiors and exteriors of mosques, tombs, and al-Ka'ba, the most famous sanctuary of Islam. But like the icons of most other faiths, script also represents power. Its preeminent use is the writing of the divine message of the Qur'an, of course, which endowed it with extraordinary strength and transcendent significance.

From this world's manifold possibilities, Allah had chosen Arabic as the vehicle for his final revelation" (Mubireek, 2000). Treated so highly as an art, Arabic calligraphy was also a difficult peak to conquer. Those who wished to master it had to undergo years of preparation and would only be allowed to sign their name on their works once they mastered the art.

During the years of preparation, they would learn everything from how to hold the pen correctly, to how to prepare their own ink; some masters kept their recipes secret, adding as such to the mystery of calligraphy. The future calligraphers would also be taught of the rituals to follow, such as saying a small prayer before starting to write or washing up (wudu ritual) before sitting down to copy passages from the Qur'an (Curtis, 2010).

Some of the calligraphers -- the most talented ones -- would even be referred to as prophets and the general calligrapher was still better viewed than a painter. Some of these calligraphers are told to have had visions of what to write and they are highly revered in the Islamic culture (Caroll). In this setting then, the calligraphy preserved the ways of the old masters and the religious and social component of practicing calligraphy.

But aside from this however, the Arabic calligraphy is more important for the Islamic arts since it transmitted the messages of religion, the Arabic languages, the tradition and spirituality of the Islamic populations. Within the religious setting, the Arabic calligraphy embodied the representation of the divine teachings. Through the writings, the word of Allah could be known to all men. The Arabic calligraphy as such ensured the propagation of the lessons in the Qur'an.

And aside from the lessons as well, the art behind the calligraphy strived to portray the symbolism in the holy book. The writings were created using various shapes and sizes of the letters and numbers and they led to the formation of pieces of art that combined the teachings of the deity with the comprehension capacity of the humans (Osborn, 2008).

The Arabic calligraphy as such played a dual role -- on the one hand, it preserved the religious values; on the other hand, it, in its essence, represented a form of art and a representation revealing the religion, but also in the same time, being different from the messages it transmitted. In this setting, the calligraphy became sufficiently able to replace imagery in the Islamic arts. Yet, the complete elimination of imagery from the texts and works of art in the Islamic world was impossible at an exhaustive level.

In some instances then, this translated into the combined usage of imagery and calligraphy. In other words, calligraphy sometimes developed to also include imagery elements, and to transmit complex messages. For instance, some of the symbols and works were difficult to decipher and this was explained by the fact that the pieces contained not only letters, but also other shapes that transmitted the tones, the patterns or the emotions in the representations (Osborn, 2008).

Another important angle from which to assess the importance of the Arabic calligraphy for the Islamic arts is represented by the writings on the mosques. These writings contained elements from the Qur'an and depicted them in an aesthetic manner. The shapes were turned and arranged in a melodic manner and they resulted in a work of art that not only transmitted the divine message, but also enchanted the eye of the viewer.

The absence of imagery from the Islamic arts is often associated with the artistic inferiority of the Muslim world. And this is best viewed in relationship to the Renaissance in Europe, when arts flourished and paintings were created that still impress the viewer today (Hazen, 2002). The Islamic community lacked this art, but the beauty of.