MADINAH: The changes made to the latest Hafs Qur鈥檃nic edition did not include using a different script variant (handwriting), but a new theme and new motifs as well as printing it in different sizes, said Uthman Taha, the calligrapher who has written the new edition of the Hafs Mus鈥檋af.
The renowned calligrapher, Uthman Taha, was born in a small village close to the Turkish border in northern Syria to a simple family of farmers, and his father was the village鈥檚 imam.
鈥淚 developed a passion for calligraphy when, at the age of six, I started to look through my father鈥檚 books and see how beautifully their titles were written,鈥� Taha said. 鈥淚 asked my father about the types of scripts used, but he said it was not his specialty but that of calligraphers in the city.鈥�
鈥淲hen I became older, my father sent me to Aleppo to complete my education,鈥� he continued, 鈥淭here, I met some of Aleppo鈥檚 famous calligraphers, watched them work, and learned about the tools they used, the way they held their pens, and how they created beautiful alphabets.鈥�
鈥淚 then moved to Damascus and met the chief calligrapher in Syria, Muhammad Badawi Al-Diyrani, and the Iraqi calligrapher, Hashim Al-Baghdadi. In Istanbul, I met Hamid Al-Amidi, the master of calligraphers in the Islamic world, who gave me a certificate in calligraphy.鈥�
While Taha studied at the University of Damascus, he was approached by the King Fahd Complex for Printing the Holy Qur鈥檃n two years after its establishment. 鈥淚 was appointed as a calligrapher to write different editions of the Mus鈥檋af for several countries across the Islamic world,鈥� he said.
鈥淭oday, five types of scripts are being used 鈥� Thuluth, the basic, large script known as the king of scripts, followed by Naskh,鈥� he added.
鈥淚 was assigned writing the Mus鈥檋af in different textual variants under the supervision of a specialized committee. It takes almost three years to finish writing one Mus鈥檋af.鈥�
Taha explained that the person who writes the Mus鈥檋af must have memorized the Holy Qur鈥檃n and should understand its verses well.
鈥淭he first Mus鈥檋af I wrote at the King Fahd Complex 32 years ago was a Warsh edition for Arab countries of the Maghreb,鈥� Taha said, 鈥淥f course, we have a revision committee at the complex, led by the imam of the Prophet鈥檚 Mosque in Madinah, Ali Al-Hudhaifi, to reread what I write.鈥�
鈥淭he Warsh Mus鈥檋af, which I completed in 3 years, is among the rarest editions of the Qur鈥檃n in the Islamic world,鈥� he continued. 鈥淚 have also written six Mus鈥檋afs in different textual variants, which were distributed across the Islamic world. I first wrote the Warsh, then Hafs, and then Duri for Africa and Sudan, and I wrote the Qalun for Libya.鈥�
He also pointed out that many Saudi calligraphers visit him at his house. They come from Riyadh, Jeddah, and Qassim to show him what they鈥檇 written. 鈥淚 try my best to coach them, but I don鈥檛 have enough time as I spend most of my day working at the King Fahd Complex,鈥� he said.
鈥淲riting a Mus鈥檋af requires readiness and desire, as well as good knowledge in Qur鈥檃nic teachings,鈥� he added, 鈥淎 calligrapher who wishes to write a Mus鈥檋af must understand the beauty of its every page.鈥�
He also revealed that he holds a PhD and a degree in drawing, and that his youngest son, Ahmed, has his calligraphy and artistic talent.
Taha is currently working on a project to write the Qur鈥檃n on a large 600-page panel kept in drawers made especially for Qur鈥檃nic manuscripts inside rooms designed to keep them in excellent condition.
He wished the new generation would care more about Arabic calligraphy, and said that the youth in 抖阴短视频 were interested in this art. 鈥淚 wish calligraphy were taught at schools,鈥� he said. 鈥湺兑醵淌悠� takes care of the Holy Qur鈥檃n, prints it, and distributes it to all Muslims, so that, today, the King Fahd Complex is considered the best in printing the Holy Qur鈥檃n at a global level and has everyone鈥檚 respect.鈥�
He also highlighted that, recently, the governor or Madinah, Prince Faisal bin Salman, visited him at his house.