tour 5 of 25
Word into art
Haji Noor Deen Mi Guanjiang (China), Ya rahim, ink on paper
Haji Noor Deen is a prominent calligrapher and
was the first Chinese Muslim to be awarded the Egyptian Certificate
of Arabic Calligraphy. There are more than 30 million Muslims in
China out of a population of around 1.3 billion. Haji Noor Deen
teaches Arabic calligraphy at the Islamic College in Zhen
Zhou.
This work is in the
sini (Chinese) script,
which is characteristically used by Chinese Muslim artists. The
large, bold and beautifully precise inscription reads 'O
Merciful' (ya
rahim). This is one of the 'Beautiful
Names of God' (asma'
al-husna) - a list of the ninety-nine
attributes of God which are referred to in the Qur'an and
in the Hadith, the body of traditions relating to the Prophet
Muhammad.
The smaller
inscription at top left gives the date when the calligraphy was
done: 'Winter Month, 2000'. At bottom left, the
artist has signed his name in Arabic and Chinese and added his
personal seal, which bears his name in
Chinese.