Iran is the model for the promotion of Islamic arts: Pakistani calligrapher

Islamic Culture

03 Oct 2009, NewAgeIslam.Com

Iran is the model for the promotion of Islamic arts: Pakistani calligrapher

The Arabs do well in Islamic calligraphy, and while many Arab countries produce good work, Syria is simply outstanding in this art. Over the past six or seven years, the Syrians have been winning at all of the major calligraphy competitions. I've noticed that for the past three or four years, the Arabs have been trying their best to compete with the Turks to regain their lost glory in Islamic calligraphy. To some extent they have succeeded, and the Syrians have played a major role. Most of the great calligraphers are now from Syria, like Farooq Al Haddad, Hassam Shoukat Matti, and Ahmed Amin Shimta. However, there are some good ones from Egypt and Iraq as well. -- Gul Jammas Hussain URL of this page: http://newageislam.net/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1841 -----   Iran is the model for the promotion of Islamic arts: Pakistani calligrapher By Gul Jammas Hussain September 29, 2009   TEHRAN -- The world's youngest award-winning calligrapher says that he has travelled to many countries but has never seen such admiration, appreciation, and enthusiasm for Islamic arts and calligraphy as he has seen in Iran. Muhammad Ashraf Heera, the youngest calligrapher to ever win the IRCICA Incentive Prize in Kufic script, put a number of his works on display at the 17th International Holy Quran Exhibition in Tehran during the holy month of Ramadan. Heera won the IRCICA prize in 2003, becoming the first Pakistani to win the award.  "The Iranians do not merely excel in one or two art forms, but rather they have attained excellence in many art forms such as painting, sculpture, calligraphy, intarsia, and illustration," Heera said during an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times conducted in the Iranian capital on September 8. The calligrapher, who will turn 18 in December, called upon all Muslim countries to follow Iran's example in the promotion of Islamic arts and the dissemination of Quranic teachings.   Following is the text of the interview:   Q: How and when did you begin creating calligraphy? A: I started doing calligraphy at the age of seven. I had three classmates in my school whose brothers were artists, and we would compete with each other in creating calligraphy. My handwriting was better than that of my better-off friends and I was very passionate about it, so I would do the calligraphy homework for all my classmates. This had been going on for a year or so when I won my first prize at the age of eight in a competition in which different schools in our city participated. The prize money seemed enormous to me and I felt so good about winning that my head was in the clouds. Our teachers, who used to chide me for doing my classmates' homework, were suddenly very happy, and so were my parents. After three months, I again finished in first place, but this time it was in a competition with calligraphers from the entire province of Punjab. From then on, I never looked back; I kept on finishing in first place -- one time after another. At eleven, not only did I win most of the calligraphy competitions in my country but I was also declared the champion calligrapher of the year. When Pakistani President Muhammad Rafiq Tarar presented a trophy to me, I seized the opportunity and asked him to send in my name for the 6th International Calligraphy Competition of the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) that was scheduled to be held in Istanbul in 2003. These IRCICA competitions are arranged by the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The president told me that it would be almost impossible to win, since all previous winners have been over 45 years old. I pressed him, pointing out that I had won 25 calligraphy competitions out of the last 26 and he finally agreed. I sent my work to IRCICA and started preparing for the competition. I selected the Kufic script category, and by the grace of Almighty Allah, I won first prize in the incentive category. Even the most senior calligraphers of the country were in disbelief. They were especially amazed that I finished in first place in the category of Kufic script, which is considered a monopoly of the Arabs. This was my first international prize, so at age 12, I became Pakistan's first and the world's youngest calligrapher to win the IRCICA Incentive Prize.   Q: How much effort did you make in preparation for this competition? A: After school I would spend every spare moment practicing calligraphy. I was fond of cricket but I sacrificed (my participation in) this sport for the sake of calligraphy. I didn't attend social events, weddings, or even eids (Islamic holidays). I spent all my money buying supplies for calligraphy. I think that's why God chose me for this art form.   Q: You have participated in art exhibitions in countries like England, Japan, and China, where people generally know very little about the art of Islamic calligraphy. How was your work received and appraised in these countries? A: Exhibitions in these countries are not necessarily arranged directly by the governments. Usually, Islamic organizations or independent art foundations arrange these exhibitions and competitions with the financial support of the governments (sometimes). So people who have knowledge of calligraphy normally attend these exhibitions and do the appraisals.   Q: How would you rate the artwork of Iran's Kufic calligraphers? A: Iranians are good in Mus'hafi Kufic but they don't do much compositional Kufic. Their compositional Kufic isn't bad, but only a very few calligraphers practice in this form. In contrast, since the time of Mir Emad Hassani (1554-1615), Iranians have dominated nastaliq calligraphy. In nastaliq, taliq, and nastaliq shekasteh calligraphy, the Iranians are the best in the world and I don't think anyone can compete with them in this category.   Q: What is the difference between Pakistani nastaliq and Iranian nastaliq? And which one do you think is aesthetically more pleasing? A: Actually, there is a big difference between the two. Pakistani nastaliq and Iranian nastaliq are two different scripts. Pakistanis and Iranians are each good in their own form of nastaliq. Of course for me, at first Pakistani nastaliq was aesthetically more pleasing, but once I understood Iranian nastaliq, it became just as pleasing.   Q: Can you tell me more about Kufic script? A: (A variation of) Kufic script is mainly used in composition. Newspapers and books are generally published in this script, which has many different styles. The Iranians, Egyptians, Syrians, and Iraqis all have their own unique styles. Egyptians are good in Kufic Fatmhi while Iraqis are really good in Kufic Musli. However, when I participated in four Kufic Fatmhi competitions held in Egypt in 2004 and 2008, I managed to win in all four.   Q: The Turks changed their script from a variation of Arabic to a variation of the Roman alphabet in 1928. So how do they still compete in this traditional Islamic calligraphy? A: As you know, the Turks are very proud of their nation's heritage. They do not abandon their customs easily and have kept alive their traditions of Islamic calligraphy by providing heavy funding to institutions promoting calligraphy. Their teachers are highly qualified and work very diligently with their students. As a result, they hold a monopoly on tholth and naskh scripts.   Q: Could you elaborate on Iranians' mastery of nastaliq calligraphy? A: The Iranians are simply the best in nastaliq calligraphy. Iran won't even allow anyone to come close to the high standards they have established in this art. There is competition going on, correct, but the Iranians set the standard. They do their best to prevent anyone from even approaching their level much less surpassing it. The Iranians work very hard at this and do not reveal the secrets of their nastaliq calligraphy to others. My teacher once told me, "If you want to learn nastaliq calligraphy, you first have to learn Persian because only then can you learn the secrets of nastaliq calligraphy." This guarded approach is not only taken by Iranians, but also by Turks, who likewise don't reveal the secrets of their script. The Iranians have a long history in nastaliq calligraphy and maintain the lofty standards set by Mir Emad Hassani and other great masters, just as the Turks maintain those set by Mostafa Rakib, who led them toward modern calligraphy. Initially, the Turks followed the Arabs, but now many Arabs follow standards set by Turkish calligraphers.   Q: How do you rate Arabs in calligraphy? A: The Arabs do well in Islamic calligraphy, and while many Arab countries produce good work, Syria is simply outstanding in this art. Over the past six or seven years, the Syrians have been winning at all of the major calligraphy competitions. I've noticed that for the past three or four years, the Arabs have been trying their best to compete with the Turks to regain their lost glory in Islamic calligraphy. To some extent they have succeeded, and the Syrians have played a major role. Most of the great calligraphers are now from Syria, like Farooq Al Haddad, Hassam Shoukat Matti, and Ahmed Amin Shimta. However, there are some good ones from Egypt and Iraq as well.   Q: How many international competitions have you participated in? And which prize gave you the most satisfaction? A: I've participated in eleven international competitions. I finished in first place in nine competitions and secured third and fourth in the other two. The IRCICA Incentive Prize in Istanbul in 2003 is my favourite because if someone wins the IRCICA competition, he is declared a master calligrapher and then other people follow him in calligraphy.   Q: How was the Quranic exhibition that was held in Tehran? A: I have traveled to many countries, but I swear by Almighty Allah that I have never seen such admiration, appreciation, and enthusiasm for Islamic arts and calligraphy as I have seen here in Iran. Iranians are great art lovers. In other countries, people don't come to Islamic calligraphy exhibitions in such great numbers as they do here. I think millions of people have visited the Quranic art exhibition during the past 20 days or so. I've also noticed that Iranians are not only good in one or two forms of art but they excel in numerous art forms such as painting, sculpture, calligraphy, intarsia, and illustration. And I also think the Iranian government provides adequate support for all these various branches of art. The arrangements made by the Iranian government were admirable. Delegations from almost sixty countries have participated in this exhibition. The Iranian government is spending a lot of money on these exhibitions, and I don't think any other Islamic country -- even Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, or Egypt -- is spending as much money for the promotion of these arts. I congratulate the Iranian government for the service it is providing for the promotion of the Islamic arts and the dissemination of Quranic teachings, and I appeal to other Islamic countries to follow Iran's example in this regard. Photo: A calligraphy work by Muhammad Ashraf Heera depicting the famous hadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S): "Go in quest of knowledge even unto China." Source: http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=204253 URL of this page: http://newageislam.net/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1841