During the Ottoman period, calligraphy gained a very high standing in society. Several women calligraphers flourished. Amoung them were ‘Ibrat; Zahidah Salma Khanum; Sharifah Aishah Khanum; Silfinaz Khanum; Faridah Khanum, the Qastumonian; Khadijah Kuzaydah Khanum Celebi; and Nukkah Khanum.
Many of the Ottoman sultans were themselves calligraphers, as were their mothers. Durrah Khanum, the mother of Sultan Mahmud Khan, copied a Quran in the year 1172/1758. This Quran was held by the Mahmudiyah Library in Medina. It is said that it was carried away by the Ottoman Turks to Istanbul when they left the Hijaz. The mother of Sultan Abd al Majid Khan, who ascended to the throne in 1255, penned a copy of Dalail al-Khayrat, which was also among the holdings of the Mahdmuiyah Library in Medina.
Amoung the most splendid works of the Turkish women calligraphers is a Quran copied by al-Sharifah and hafizah Zulaykhah Khatimi al-Sadi, the daughter of al-Hajj Abd al Karim Zadah Bisar Yari, in 1276/1859…
The first two pages of this Quran are splendidly illuminated. Within “The Opening” (al-Fatihah) and the beginning of “The Cow” (al-Baqarah), several ayat are decorated with very colorful folial and floral designs on a gilded background. Though I have seen many gilded Qurans, I don’t believe I have seen anything as beautiful as these two pages. The other pages of this Quran have wide, gilded border surrounded by a fine blue line. …
It is believed that there exists a spiritual and mystical bond between women and letters of the alphabet. One writer described a woman calligrapher by her saying: ” Her ink was like the blackness of her hair, her paper was like the tanned skin of her face, her pen was like one of her delicate fingers, and her knife was like the penetrating sword of her sweet looks” The eyebrows of a beautiful woman have been compared to the Arabic letter nun, her eye to an ‘ayn, her temple to a waw, her mouth to a mim, and her braided hair to a shin. For a woman to be considered really beautiful, one of the qualifications was good penmanship. It was said that a lucky woman was one who combined the beauty of body and face with that of character and penmanship.
(ref: al-Munajjid, Salah al Din. The Book in the Islamic World, “Women’s Roles in the Art of Arabic Calligraphy” (1995). State University of New York Press, New York.)
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Wow! Masha’allah brother, you come out with new and eye opening stuff everyday. It’s nice to read something complementing women for a change.
As-salaamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu
As-salaatu wasalaamu alaika Yaa Rasul Allah sallallahu alaihi wasallam
Masha Allah. Jazak Allah Khair.
I agree with Farzana. This is a pleasure to read because I’ve generally read that women have too much on their mind which causes them to have an unsteady hand.
I’ve actually gone ahead to order the book mentioned above.
Wasalaam
Asalaam AlaiKum,
May Allah illuminate your heart.
I regard calligraphy as the Art of Preservation.
My wife is currently studying calligraphy and is studying to recieve an Icazet.
In regards to siti Farah’s point ” This is a pleasure to read because I’ve generally read that women have too much on their mind which causes them to have an unsteady hand. ”
In the art of Calligraphy one is told to hold their breath to enable a clear stroke. Subhan’Allah it is all in practice that one will get somewhere.
May Allah grant us Nur, and guide our limbs purely for His sake. May we drink from the Blessed Hands of the Beloved Muhummad Sullulahu alayhe Wasalaam.
Ma’Salaam
Fi Emaan Allah Wa Rusilhi Sullulahu Alayhe Wasalaam
This is a very interesting topic. Thank you!
BismillahirRahmanirRahim
Salamu’alaykum,,
I’m glad you enjoyed it. For those looking to order the book due to this excerpt, keep in mind it is a collection of essays about books and printing in the Islamic world, not specifically about women, that is just one short essay within it.
As-salaamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu
As-salaatu wasalaamu alaika Yaa Rasul Allah sallallahu alaihi wasallam
Masha Allah, good to hear that your wife is taking calligraphy lessons, brother Humzah. I also took a few lessons in the summer. I managed to carve/cut my own pen from bamboo after watching the calligraphy master. I’ve been meaning to get back to the writing, insha Allah.
It was so interesting, subhan Allah.
Regarding the book – yes, I thought so brother Yursil.
Wasalaam
A fascinating post, I would love to study calligraphy, inshaAllah one day.
What would you say to those who suggest that the Islamic world’s fondness for calligraphy retarded its development, by creating a powerful Luddite lobby opposing the introduction of the printing press?
Or do you think that the lateness of Islamic printing was more the result of technical problems in developing a set of moveable type that could do justice to the Arabic script?