By Najia Shuaib

Nov/Dec 24

Josh Berer, initially interested in graffiti, got his formal exposure to calligraphy during one of his college Arabic classes. When the professor played a video of a calligrapher writing the Arabic alphabet,  the written word immediately spoke to him, and he became determined to learn the craft by himself. He has never looked back. 

English-German on one side, and Hungarian-Russian on the other, born to a mother who was a professor of Islamic art history, Berer seemed destined to become an Islamic traditional artist. 

Among a few handful practitioners of Arabic calligraphy in the U.S Berer graduated in Arabic and Islamic Studies (University of Washington) and completed his Master’s in Central Asian languages (Indiana University). His timeline goes like this: a 2005 venture to major in Arabic at the university level, a 2007 move to Yemen to study Arabic full-time while taking beginner’s calligraphy sessions, and a 2009 trip to Istanbul that eventually turned his interest into a real passion. 

During his stay in Istanbul, a chance meeting with one of the calligraphy world’s most respected voices changed the course of his life. He said, “Josh! If you’re serious about this art, look up [America’s master Islamic calligrapher] Mohamed Zakariya when you get back to America.” Upon return, Berer packed up his bags and moved to the District of Columbia to be a full-time apprentice under Zakariya’s guidance and teaching. 

His 18-year journey, traveling through four countries and three languages, finally culminated in July 2020 when Zakariya awarded him Ijazah (master calligrapher’s license) in the Thuluth and Naskh scripts.

Exhibitions

Josh has exhibited his work extensively. However, two experiences stand out as remarkable in his memories. First, the Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial of 2022, where he exhibited alongside some of the most engaging and creative Arabic calligraphers working today, including Yemeni master calligrapher Zeki al-Hashemi, one of his earliest mentors. Driving across the UAE and visiting calligraphy festivals spread over three of the emirates was quite an experience for him. 

The second was the Reed Society for Sacred Arts show “Living Line, Living Legacy,” which showcased the works of Zakariya and his graduated students Nihad Dukhan (professor of mechanical engineering, University of Detroit Mercy),Elinor Aishah Holland (a New York-based freelance lettering artist), Nuria Garcia Masip (a Spanish calligrapher of Arabic calligraphy), Pablo Khalid Casado (a Spanish master calligrapher), Manzar Moghbeli (a noted practitioner of Nasta’liq), Deniz Öktem Bektaş (an internationally recognized and classically trained Arabic calligraphy artist), and Berer himself — an exhibition by an extremely honorable group of calligraphers about which, he says, he was honored to be a part of.

The Journey Begins

Berer shares some great insights about learning Arabic calligraphy in this country. After starting his journey, he soon realized that “here in America no tools or ready-made supplies could be bought, so anything required must be made from scratch, at home. This requires a fair bit of innovation, alongside the traditional strategies, as the means and proper materials are not always available.” So, one must improvise. He also had to learn the fundamentals of the other, related art forms: the dyeing of paper, making of ink, paper marbling, etc. “That comes slowly, over time, and through much experimentation and waste.”

His first lesson with Zakariya will always be a captivating memory. He began with the traditional Ottoman curriculum by writing a du‘a (Rabbi yassir wa la tu‘assir [O Lord make it easy and not difficult) and the first half of the alphabet’s letters in the Thuluth and Naskh scripts. Zakariya cut two reed pens for him, one for each script, and wrote the lesson out with added measurement dots in red, while Josh carefully watched the master’s hand movements. The assignment was to attempt to copy it and bring it back the following week. 

In the next session, he would correct his lesson to attempt it again. That practice continued week after week until it was written more or less perfectly, as are the letters. This system has reliably taught calligraphers for 500+ years. 

After the rest of the alphabet, he needed to practice a long series of prescribed phrases, verses, and hadiths before getting his Ijazah in 2020. Berer is currently preparing another Ijazah piece for the Taliq script, the most difficult style to master. Given this reality, students are often advised to wait until one is an accomplished calligrapher before embarking upon it.

Why He Pursues Calligraphy

Discussing the responsibilities to preserve this sacred art in North America, Berer elaborates openly, “I work an extremely analog job in an extremely digital world. I cannot preserve traditional calligraphy techniques if the next generation of artists is not interested in learning them.” He and other North American traditional Islamic calligraphers are trying their best to produce quality work and continuously writing or speaking about these processes on different platforms. However, he believes that the next generation must be interested in learning this sacred art. 

He admits that working with these techniques isn’t easy. It also takes a lot of steadfastness and resolution to keep practicing. But in the end the ultimate reward is producing decent art pieces by following the path of great masters, working days and nights to keep this sacred art alive, and leaving a good legacy behind to inspire future generations — a long hard road with no shortcuts, but it’s worth the effort. 

Berer has also done extensive graphic design for clients to produce calligraphy for digital applications (e.g., websites and logo design, etc.) in the past, but now prefers to handle just the calligraphy portion and then pass it on to a professional graphic designer who can integrate it into its final context. He thinks that instead of consuming his time on the computer, he should focus more on calligraphy.

He adds that there is limited exposure/knowledge of traditional Islamic arts in the U.S., but there is also tremendous public curiosity and interest, which means that “when people go looking for someone who can practice these arts, they often end up in contact.” Though, a relatively small group of artists is practicing these traditional arts in North America, but everyone is very supportive and helpful. He believes that the future of Islamic art in the U.S. depends on what Muslim Americans want it to be. “The Muslim community is still young in this country, and the arts are often less of a focus for younger communities when it comes to where to direct resources.” 

As a result, interested budding artists often face difficulty in finding the right resources for guidance, people who can help or direct them, and see very few inspiring examples around them. It isn’t anyone’s fault, he says. There’s just an absence of guidance. But there is a large degree of interest in learning Islamic traditional arts, and that must be encouraged and nurtured. “This means bringing in artists from outside to conduct workshops, as well as a strong will in students to travel and learn languages to pursue this form of art. It also means parents willing to support their children in non-STEM career paths as well.” 

In a detailed piece of advice for interested people, Berer recommends looking at what they’re hoping to get out of it and the level of commitment (both time and money) they’re ready to devote. “For those just looking to get their feet wet and see how it goes,” he suggests taking an online course with the Deen Arts Foundation can be a great start. “For those interested in devoting a little bit more to it, several organizations or individuals are offering two-week summer traditional art tours of Istanbul. 

“They arrange visits to the studios of calligraphers, Tezhip (ornamentation) artists, paper marblers, and bookbinders across the city for workshops and lessons. These tours help [one] to get acquainted with the city and its art scene. Staying an additional two weeks to make personal contacts with the calligraphers and artists one met along the way can prove to be very beneficial in the long run.” 

Istanbul is a vibrant, international community of people who have moved there to learn the Islamic arts. After a month of doing art there, one can make sufficient contacts and formulate a path to move forward as an apprentice student of the classical arts, even from abroad. 

For those interested in a career change or a life devoted to the traditional Islamic arts, Berer highly recommends either pursuing a degree program from Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University (Istanbul) or from the Kings Foundation School of Traditional Arts (London). He also suggests that moving to Istanbul for three or five years to apprentice with a teacher full-time can make this journey quicker, smoother, and more fruitful.

Najia Shuaib is a multifaceted freelance writer, visual artist, calligrapher, and Arabesque designer with a deep passion for Islamic traditional art. Her career has been dedicated to exploring the art, architecture, and archaeological history of the Middle East and Southeast, West, and Central Asia. She is now turning her attention to North America’s Muslim artists and the rich Islamic art collections featured in its museums.

The post Learning Islamic Calligraphy in North America  appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

By Rabiyah Syed

Nov/Dec 2024

It may come as a surprise that Rolling Meadows, a Chicago suburb and home of the Nagamia Institute of Islamic Medicine and Science (NIIMS), houses a museum of rare copies of the Quran. This initiative springs from founder Dr. Husain Fakhruddin Nagamia’s love of the Quran.

Nagamia, who served as chief emeritus cardiovascular thoracic and cardiac transplant surgery at Tampa General Hospital, wore many hats during his career: past president of the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA); member of the ISNA Founder’s Committee; founder and chairman, the International Institute of Islamic Medicine; and a founding member of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AMFI), which seeks to achieve 100% literacy and universal education for India’s minorities.

NIIMS was founded as the International Institute of Islamic Medicine in 1992, a branch of IMANA. In 2019 it became NIIMS and dedicated itself to researching the history of Islamic medicine. As an avid historian, he took many trips and held conferences both here and abroad to share and spread Islamic medicine’s legacy and history. 

The Nagamia Institute of Islamic Medicine and Science

Alia Hirzalla, NIIMS’ executive director, conducted an informative tour of the branch’s origins.

She states that Muslims have been instrumental in both scientific and medical discoveries and developments. NIIMS is displaying historical drawings from Muslim scientists depicting the human body (pictured below). A great deal of research has gone into documenting their contributions. Many of Nagamia’s lectures and workshops, all given to educate people about Islamic science, have been uploaded to its website. 

A large amount of research and information compiled under Nagamia’s supervision has been released in Mahmood A. Hai and Mubin Syed’s “The Contributions of Islamic Civilization to Medicine” (2023). Hirzalla remarks, “[With the book we hope to] show how Muslims contribute to history.” 

NIIMS also has other gems to offer: a library full of new and old books on many subjects, as well as calligraphy classes in which individuals and groups can participate. “With all this effort, this is our goal: to help people know more about us and learn about Islam,” Hirzalla said.

As part of that mission, a special place was created – the Quran Museum, a hidden gem nestled in this complex. 

The Quran Museum

The Quran Museum, an extended branch of NIIMS, is located in a building donated by Nagamia. Unfortunately, he passed away before its opening. 

The museum, beautifully designed by Illinois-based Turkish architect Suheyb Kayacan, displays many well-preserved Qurans, some dating as far back as the 1600s, from around the world. Many were acquired and donated by Naim Dam (founder and CEO, Hema-Q Inc.), whose medical startup has curated these artifacts from auctions worldwide for the past 30 years. 

All of these incredibly interesting artifacts help paint an image of Islam’s past, more specifically a historical chronology of how the Quran was inscribed over time.

The tour highlights the importance of how and why the Quran was put into written script. Hirzalla, explaining its history of preservation, states that this was initially done via memorization in the hearts and minds of the Prophet’s (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) Companions. Some of its text was written on animal skins and other materials. Later on, specifically during Caliph Abu Bakr’s riddah wars (632-33) against rebellious Arabian tribes, some of which were led by rival prophet claimants and led to the martyrdom of many Companions. Abu Bakr entrusted Zayd ibn Thabit with compiling the complete Quran. 

This copy remained with the caliphs until Caliph Uthman ibn ‘Affan entrusted various Companions with transcribing and sending copies of it to all Muslim lands. After that, he standardized the text and ensured that there were no wrongful recitations by ordering all stray compilations to be burnt. 

Hirzalla points out that “400 languages have already died. For example, hieroglyphics, the Egyptian writing, can be read in our language… but no one knows how it used to be pronounced [or read before].” This, she explains, is why the Quran was written down in its original Arabic form: to prevent mistakes due to Arabic becoming a lost language and to make it easier for non-native Arabic speakers to read it.

One displayed piece is from when the Quran was first written without harakat (diacritical marks). “This piece was written in [Kufic script]. An Arabic speaker can read it very easily… but other people [that haven’t learned or grown up with the language] cannot. It’s gonna be hard for them. They may misread it,” she says.

The next piece was from the time of Caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib. She relates how Abu al-Aswad ad-Du’ali (d.688) – one of the earliest, if not the earliest, Arab grammarians – at first refused but finally agreed to revise and add the harakat. She explained that the Quran’s whole meaning changes when its verses are read incorrectly. Upon realizing this after seeing two people reading the same verse differently, he agreed to do so. 

“He took his students and told them to put [a red dot when he made different sounds. For example] when he made the ‘ah’ sound, the students were to put a dot on top of the letter,” Hirzalla explained. Other sounds, including the ‘e’ and the ‘o’ received a red dot underneath and next to the letter respectively. Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi (718-86) replaced the red dots [with specific diacritics called harakat]. 

Interestingly, what makes these pieces more exquisite is the use of gold and saffron as writing embellishment material. “All these pieces are handwritten. If you see anything gold, it is pure gold. Anything you see in red [the red dots on the paintings] are in saffron, and that’s why they are still vibrant in color till now,” she said. As you move through the tour, you begin to see the evolution of the Quran’s script into the style that we have today.

When these items were purchased and donated, NIIMS brought experts to test them to help date and gather more information on each one. Experts examined the type of paper, the material used (such as different ink and gold), and the writing style to help identify when they were written and their geographical origin. 

Among the displayed manuscripts is one from 16th-17th century China. Interestingly, when this copy was inspected, it smelled of smoke, as if it had been in a fire, indicating that it was most likely saved from burning. Other exquisite artifacts include the first translated Quran from the late 1700s. 

With such rare and old objects, special precautions must be taken to help preserve them. The room has to be specially cleaned and kept at a certain temperature. In addition, regular room lights must be turned off and special lights used to illuminate the room.

The museum offers group tours and holds a calligraphy workshop. It offers much insight into a part of Islamic history that people don’t always hear about. Everyone should visit this hidden gem.

Rabiyah Syed, a senior at Naperville Central High School, loves photography and hopes to join the medical field in college.

The post The First Quranic Museum appeared first on Islamic Horizons.