An introduction to Arabic Calligraphy

An
introduction
to Arabic
Calligraphy
The religion of Islam encourages very few arts, but one of
the most famous is the calligraphy (beautiful writing). We
are going to have a go at
learning this, which, if you follow a few simple rules, can be
easier that you think!
Not like this!
Not like this!
This Calligraphy says “Allah”
But like this!
We are going to
cheat when we do
Arabic calligraphy;
instead of using a
pen, we are going to
use two pencils. (If
it makes it easier,
you can sellotape
them together, just
make sure that they
are sharp first!). With your two pencils, try to draw a cross shape on your
piece of paper, like the one on the right hand side! Keep at it until you’ve got
it exactly right several times in a row (the ends of the lines should be at
forty five degrees!). When you have done that, then try writing the word
“Allah”, copy it from the top of this sheet. (Remember to write it from right
to left, as that is the way that Arabic is written: not “the wrong way”, just
different!) You will find that you need several attempts to get the letters
correct. The most important thing is to make sure that, where the original
has thick lines, you have thick lines, and where the original has thin lines, you
have thin lines. If you hold your pencils properly, just like you hold a pen, you
should find that it comes easily. Keep practising, and only ask your teacher
to check when you are sure that you’ve got it right.
When you’re doing a good job, and you need a new challenge, turn over!
More Arabic Calligraphy
Shahadah
Salat
Saum
Zakat
Hajj
You will recognise the
English
captions
to
some of the words on
this page. The ones on
the left are the five
pillars of Islam, and
those on the right, are
some other terms that
you will come across.
Don’t be scared by any
of them: if you can
write ‫ ﷲﺁ‬then you can
write any of these.
They may just take a
little extra planning!
On a new piece of
paper, you must write
any one of these, colour
it in neatly, and put a
heading of the English
Translation.
Your
homework
is
to
complete
this
task.
Make it as neat and tidy
as you can. If you have
extra time left over
then you can either:
•
Do another one (or
more than one!)
•
Add a decorative
border (research
the
kind
of
patterns
that
M usl im s
w oul d
use!).
Islam
Bismillah al-Rahman, al-Rahim
Allahu Akbar
Shahadah
Many copies of the Qur’an
are written in calligraphy.