Chinese Calligraphers Display Quranic Verses in Pakistan
The leading Chinese calligraphers including Imam Haji Abdul Hakim, Noor Muhammad, Ibrahim and Nooruddin paint their creativity through the medium of ink on Chinese paper while colorful silk borders add further attraction to the work, the Pakistan Observer reported.
Haji Abdul Hakim, 86, known with his Chinese name Haji Liu Jingyi, is Chairman of Chifeng Islam Association and Imam of the mosque of Chifeng, who learnt the art of calligraphy since childhood and later studied calligraphy from the famous Chinese calligrapher Guo Zhenduo.
Abdul Hakim has his own masterly techniques and skills of Chinese calligraphy with a solid foundation as he creates calligraphies both in Chinese and Arabic writing which gave him appreciation internationally.
In start, he used to create calligraphies with traditional Chinese method using the Chinese brush to write Arabic calligraphy in Sini style, while later he created his works with the reed pen and wooden spatula to blend the Arabic calligraphy with typical Chinese style of dry ink and semi triangular clear-cut tips of vertical letters.
Abdul Hakim uses some well-established Chinese scripts like rough and strong Da Kai style, the rounder in form and graceful Zhong Kai style and the smooth Xiao Kai style.
Besides these techniques, Hakim writes the Chinese translation of the text with a brush, along with his signature with a variety of standard Arabic calligraphic scripts including the Thulth and Diwani and frames his work with exquisite silk borers in vibrant colors.
The other calligraphers have displayed the stunning collection on almost same pattern with an aesthetic and contemporary perspective aimed at highlighting calligraphy through modern techniques. Some of the works are displayed at the gallery while the remaining collection has been put on display for online viewers.
Meanwhile, the display of rare collection of Quranic scripts and stunning stone studded Quranic pieces at Quran gallery of National Book Museum serves the youngsters as the opportunity to know about the history of various eras of calligraphic scripts. From world’s smallest to largest Quran displays, the gallery depicts precious stone studded scripts, Arabic and Persian scripts written with gold and silver ink and three rare micro Qurans that a magnifying glass needs to be used to recite them, said country’s known calligrapher Azeem Iqbal who did the designing and execution of the gallery.
He told reporter that Professor Zahid Butt has given a collection of the 22 Quranic scripts, 22 calligraphic pieces and 30 Hadith and Tafseer books for the museum.
Azeem Iqbal also displayed a collection of his works including various eras of Quranic script writing and the history of calligraphy to capture the golden period of Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) to different periods of Islamic civilizations to the present century.
