mCSRHAtlOnAL
GALLIQRAPHYoAAe MOSLEMS
o
ur teachers of pen- The medieval Mohammedan prophet is not numbered
manship, unhonored scribes made an art of pen- amonS thcm-
and unstrung by an mansnlp comparable to that . Yct j* the reIf f
age or writing machines— /■ • , • • ryr , he preached that caused the
may theirs be the paradise °J Pointing in the West extraordinary development
of the Prophet! Only there GLARENGE K. STREIT of calligraphy in Arabia and
will they find the reward throughout Islam. Forbid-
they deserve. Only there will they be among den to make images of any living being by their
kindred spirits, among spirits who appreciate the iconoclastic prophet who was bent on destroying
beauties of the written letter, who esteem them the worship of idols, the True Believers could not
beyond the paintings of Raphael and the statues cultivate the arts of painting and sculpture which
of Phidias. other religions have so greatly stimulated. But
But, before our harassed professors of the art, like love, laughs at locksmiths. The Moslem
second "R" accept the creed of Mohammed, one had to have some means of expressing the Beau-
word of warning: In his paradise they must pre- tiful; lie found it in the written word,
pare to lose their Only by the word
standing as instructors - \ / ------ — u) - ' could the abstract idea
and to sit humbly at v— / / *"v | j 1 of the invisible God of
the feet of great mas- .>.;-> /• >> "j/T — j. \l\ 1 Mohammed be ex-
ters unknown to them. ^m^-QXo^W^-1 pressed. And the
Arabs, Persians and . —' -i • words which Moham-
Turks who have car- irh I ^' _1 / med used were of such
ried the art of calli- f jCy I Q \ 'vj '^ji^S' ■ surpassing poetic
graphy to heights no ;-.,'*■ ' ( J \" I beauty that the Mos-
westerner ever i /^~^\! 1 \^_^,""/ *4i' lems have always con-
dreamed it could at- JSlEKSpl ' sidered the Koran as
tain. For penmanship iq£tiMr ' i*0 & Jj^. OU ; the masterpiece of the
in the Moslem world V / __y Arabic language, a
is not looked down *S> J__J yj work whose literary
upon as a necessary— I 7yS3 \J J _ perfection was in itself
or worse still, an un- ^ j' • . y—f*J & « a miracIe sufficient to
necessary—evil. It is ' JU<| . <. ^*^\S prove that it was in-
looked up to as a fine j| -A ") @ 1 spired by God.
art, as the finest of 3 ; G I [ J 1 j _ ^ ■y**J ! Only by the writ-
arts. It has claimed Al " . ing of the word could
for more than a thou- ' CffijjsiSliLM « Mohammed's revela-
sand years the flower \ «Wrjifc^gL^o J|L j ey~ 3 I tH ' j tion of God be pre-
of the decorative gen- Hj^H^P, Vvt A r v3jQ C 13 ^J^L. served and trans-
ius of the widespread | •''qflKgSp^V' hJ ' \ mitted intact to all the
peoples of Islam. ▼ Faithful. And as the
Why? Certainly divine word fell from
page from a tenth-century koran written in the
not because these classic cufic style the hps ol the prophet,
peoples have any more . the few among his dis-
natural inclination toward calligraphy than we ciples who could write took it down on skins, palm
have. If the Arabs themselves did any writing leaves, shoulder bones of animals—whatever was
before the time of Mohammed, it has not come near at hand. After his death this precious legacy
down to us. True enough, they had already of verses was collected and copied with loving
developed an alphabet of their own from the care—for what pains could the True Believer
letters of ancient Syria, but the earliest known spare on any letter of the word of God? Thus the
inscription written in it was made only two years Koran became a book, The Book of Islam, the
before the birth of the prophet. In Mohammed's source at once of its religion, its law, its civilization
own tribe of the Koreish it is said that only seven- and its art.
teen persons knew how to write at all—and the With a fervor equaling that of the monks of
three forty-six
august 1925
GALLIQRAPHYoAAe MOSLEMS
o
ur teachers of pen- The medieval Mohammedan prophet is not numbered
manship, unhonored scribes made an art of pen- amonS thcm-
and unstrung by an mansnlp comparable to that . Yct j* the reIf f
age or writing machines— /■ • , • • ryr , he preached that caused the
may theirs be the paradise °J Pointing in the West extraordinary development
of the Prophet! Only there GLARENGE K. STREIT of calligraphy in Arabia and
will they find the reward throughout Islam. Forbid-
they deserve. Only there will they be among den to make images of any living being by their
kindred spirits, among spirits who appreciate the iconoclastic prophet who was bent on destroying
beauties of the written letter, who esteem them the worship of idols, the True Believers could not
beyond the paintings of Raphael and the statues cultivate the arts of painting and sculpture which
of Phidias. other religions have so greatly stimulated. But
But, before our harassed professors of the art, like love, laughs at locksmiths. The Moslem
second "R" accept the creed of Mohammed, one had to have some means of expressing the Beau-
word of warning: In his paradise they must pre- tiful; lie found it in the written word,
pare to lose their Only by the word
standing as instructors - \ / ------ — u) - ' could the abstract idea
and to sit humbly at v— / / *"v | j 1 of the invisible God of
the feet of great mas- .>.;-> /• >> "j/T — j. \l\ 1 Mohammed be ex-
ters unknown to them. ^m^-QXo^W^-1 pressed. And the
Arabs, Persians and . —' -i • words which Moham-
Turks who have car- irh I ^' _1 / med used were of such
ried the art of calli- f jCy I Q \ 'vj '^ji^S' ■ surpassing poetic
graphy to heights no ;-.,'*■ ' ( J \" I beauty that the Mos-
westerner ever i /^~^\! 1 \^_^,""/ *4i' lems have always con-
dreamed it could at- JSlEKSpl ' sidered the Koran as
tain. For penmanship iq£tiMr ' i*0 & Jj^. OU ; the masterpiece of the
in the Moslem world V / __y Arabic language, a
is not looked down *S> J__J yj work whose literary
upon as a necessary— I 7yS3 \J J _ perfection was in itself
or worse still, an un- ^ j' • . y—f*J & « a miracIe sufficient to
necessary—evil. It is ' JU<| . <. ^*^\S prove that it was in-
looked up to as a fine j| -A ") @ 1 spired by God.
art, as the finest of 3 ; G I [ J 1 j _ ^ ■y**J ! Only by the writ-
arts. It has claimed Al " . ing of the word could
for more than a thou- ' CffijjsiSliLM « Mohammed's revela-
sand years the flower \ «Wrjifc^gL^o J|L j ey~ 3 I tH ' j tion of God be pre-
of the decorative gen- Hj^H^P, Vvt A r v3jQ C 13 ^J^L. served and trans-
ius of the widespread | •''qflKgSp^V' hJ ' \ mitted intact to all the
peoples of Islam. ▼ Faithful. And as the
Why? Certainly divine word fell from
page from a tenth-century koran written in the
not because these classic cufic style the hps ol the prophet,
peoples have any more . the few among his dis-
natural inclination toward calligraphy than we ciples who could write took it down on skins, palm
have. If the Arabs themselves did any writing leaves, shoulder bones of animals—whatever was
before the time of Mohammed, it has not come near at hand. After his death this precious legacy
down to us. True enough, they had already of verses was collected and copied with loving
developed an alphabet of their own from the care—for what pains could the True Believer
letters of ancient Syria, but the earliest known spare on any letter of the word of God? Thus the
inscription written in it was made only two years Koran became a book, The Book of Islam, the
before the birth of the prophet. In Mohammed's source at once of its religion, its law, its civilization
own tribe of the Koreish it is said that only seven- and its art.
teen persons knew how to write at all—and the With a fervor equaling that of the monks of
three forty-six
august 1925