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 Islamic
calligraphy: A Living Art
featuring artists
Mohamed
Zakariya, A. H. Tabnak,
Rosie White, and Sylvia
Safiyah Godlas
February 7 - March 17, 2000
Reception for the Artists
Thursday, Februay 10, 5:30-7:30pm
(View of entry to exhibition)
 Ceramics by
Sylvia Safiyah Godlas:
1. Small bowl with the inscription "Ya
Khafi, Ya Shafi," (O Healer, O Sufficient One) in
the foliated Kufic style of calligraphy.
2. Wide rimmed dish with Qur'anic inscription in the Eastern
Kufic style, reads: "Bismillah ar-Rahman
ar-Rahim; In kullu nafsin lama 'alayha hafiz, fal-yanzur
il-insanu mimma khuliqa" ("In the Name of
God the Merciful, the Compassionate; every soul has a protector
over it; So that humanity might know from what it is
created.") The original inscription, from an 11th
century Qur'anic manuscript (from Persia or Iraq) is re-worked
here to fit the curve of the rim and is decorated with interwoven
knots and an octagonal complex star polygon (center).
Calligraphy by Mohamed Zakariya:
3. Cifte Hu
This composition consists of the word hu, or He,
written forward and backward in celi sulus script. (Cifte,
pronounced chifte, is Turkish for "double.") The word
"He" is used extensively in the Quran in reference to
God, as in this verse: "He is God [Allah]; than whom
there is no other God but Him" (Chapter 59, Verse 22 and
23). The symmetry of the composition suggests omnipresence and
endlessness.
4. "There is no divinity except God [Allah], and Muhammad
is His Prophet."
This is the kelime-i tevhid, the testimony of
God’s unity.It is the prime principle of Islam; to become a
Muslim, one recites the kelime-i tevhid before
witnesses.The phrase "God is He" is added to
this sentence for the sake of the composition, which was probably
first composed by Mustafa Rakim Efendi (1758-1826).This
composition is in celi sulus script.
5. "Light upon light."
This composition in celi sulus script is an
excerpt from the famous "Verse of Light" in the
Quran (Chapter 28, Verse 35).
 Calligraphy
by Mohamed Zakariya:
6."Is not God sufficient to protect His servant?"
This circular composition, in celi sulus script, is
from the Quran, Chapter 39, Verse 36. Although the Arabic
alphabet is not infinitely flexible and malleable, it is possible
to compose words in certain simple shapes, such as circles,
triangles, rectangles, tear drops, and pear shapes. Composing
words to form pictures of people, animals, or objects, however,
is considered tasteless and unnecessary. It is not so much that
Muslims are forbidden by religion to depict living beings --
which is not strictly the case -- but that calligraphy and its
associated arts are, to Muslims, a more expressive medium than
traditional representational art.
7. "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful."
The first sentence of the fatiha is called the basmala.
It occurs subsequently 113 times in the Quran. Muslims repeat
this famous phrase often, especially when beginning activities
sanctioned by religion to, in a sense, sanctify those activities.
Here the basmala is written in the celi muhakkak
script and is bordered with ebru paper and gold.
8. True Friendship
This levha (large work) is a favorite poem of my
calligraphy teacher, the renowned Hasan Celebi of Istanbul. It is
in Ottoman Turkish, written in tokca sulus script: "Your
friend is the one who tells you, ‘Be right.’ Your
friend is not the one who tells you, ‘You are
right.’"
9. Four mufredat kit’as,
or small study pieces.
The top three kit’as contain the basic alphabetic
structure of the six most famous scripts, in pairs: muhakkak
and reyhani, tevki and rika, and sulus and nesih.
Of these, only the last two are in constant use. The bottom piece
contains an ethical poem in Ottoman Turkish: "Abstain
from observing the faults of others, so that the true God may
conceal your own faults." Between those lines in sulus
are two in nesih in Arabic: "The art of
calligraphy is concealed in the teaching of a master; much
practice is its foundation, and its existence depends on the
religion of Islam." The four pieces are framed in line
as if part of an album.
 Calligraphy
by
A. H. Tabnak:
34. Season of expression…Season of
observation….Season of existence.
35. I did not observe animosity between two cypress trees.
ceramics by Sylvia Safiya Godlas:
36. Ceramic, hand painted vase with Kufic style
script reads "Ya Shafi, Ya Khafi, Ya
Mughani," ("O Healer, O Sufficient One, O
You Who Frees Us From Need.") The decoration is
incised and accentuated with black underglaze and a clear,
turquoise overglaze.
37. Ceramic, hand painted pen rest with
inscription which reads "Al-qalam qabl kull
shay" ("There was first the pen.") The
calligraphy begins on the front and is completed on the back. The
piece shown here is a reproduction of the original which was made
in China during the Cheng-te period 1506-21. The original resides
in the British Museum, London.
Illuminations by Rosie White
 15."Nahur ala Nur" ("Light
upon Light" ), Arabic
Calligraphic design decorated in ‘Halkari’ style, with
yellow and green gold leaf (calligraphy by Mohamed Zakariya)
16. "Hu" (He), Arabic
Mirror image calligraphic design, using gold leaf and gouache.
17. ("In
the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate"),
Arabic calligraphic design in the shape of a stork, decorated in
‘Tezhib’ style, gold leaf and gouache (calligraphy by
Mehmet Memis).
18. "Yadinda mi, dodugun
zamanlar? Sen aglar iden, gulerdi alem. Bir ogle omur gecerki
olsun. Muten sana hanra, halka matam." ("Do
you remember the time of your birth? You were crying, those
around you laughed. This life shall pass away. Death brings joy
to you; to the people, grief.") Ottoman Turkish
Gold leaf and gouache.
 Calligraphy
by
A. H. Tabnak
29. Love’s Tradition
30. Oh, Come with old Khayyim, and leave the wise
To talk, one thing is certain, that life flies
One thing is certain, and the rest is lies
The flower that has blown forever dies.
(collection of Dr. Muller)
 Calligraphy
by
A. H. Tabnak
31. With words, I will sing your melody.
32. Love’s Practice
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