ATH 475

ISLAMIC ART

The cursive system in calligraphy invented by

PREPARED BY
AQMALLUL IQRAQ BIN SHAIROLNIDZAM
NO MATRIC
2021865364
GROUP
CAAD228 2B
PREPARED FOR
MADAM NURUL HUDA BIN MOHD DIN
INTRODUCTION
Thuluth, Naskh, Muhaqqaq, Rayhani, Tawqi', and Riqa' were created by Ibn Muqla ("the
Son of the White of the Eye"), who also invented the six forms of writing (Sittah). Although rounder
types of writing had long been employed for correspondence and paperwork, he chose the circle as
the basis for his writing. Abu Ali Muhammad ibn Ali bin al Hussain bin Muhammad bin Muqla was
his full name. He was not of Arab heritage, but he ascended to the position of vizier under three
Abbasid caliphs: Al Muqtadir, Al Qahir, and Al Razi. Ibn Muqla invented a proportionate writing
system about the year 900, based on the diamond-shaped dot formed when a reed pen nib was placed
against a sheet of paper.
CONTENT ANALYSIS
Thuluth was first formulated during the Umayyad period in the seventh century, although it
was not fully developed until the late ninth century. Because of the proportion of straight lines to
curves, or because the writing was a third the size of another prominent contemporary script, the
Tumar, the name means "a third". Naskh's decorative variation is Thuluth. Only the proportion of
its curves and strokes, which are roughly three times the size of Naskh, distinguishes it from Naskh.
The script emphasises the wavy movement that is hidden in Naskh's unusual curves and strokes. It
contains rounded letters that are linked and crossed, resulting in a cursive flow with ample and
complicated proportions, as well as the most elaborate visuals and exceptional plasticity. Thuluth was
a very popular decorative script for calligraphic inscriptions, titles, headers, and colophons, and it is
still used today. One of the variations, created by Ibn al Bawwab and Yaqut, became so intimately
linked with the Koran and other sacred literature that it was dubbed the hieratic script.
 Naskh scripts had developed lines that were distinct from Kufic scripts. The scripts were
drawn from Hijaz's pre-Islamic and early Islamic scripts, although they only became more systematic
at the end of the ninth century. Naskh was employed for secular purposes since it lacked grace and
discipline. Because of its cursive character, Naskh was easier and faster to write than Kufic. It was
perfected by Ibn Muqla. His rule was to build a circle with a diameter equal to the length of an Alif.
Each letter's reference measure became a circle. Because of its regularity, Naskh's graphic movement
is well-proportioned and applied quickly with rhythmic lines. Ibn al Bawwab converted Naskh, which
had become a prominent script, into a screenplay worthy of the Koran. Despite its initial intention
of being used for common uses, the script was preferred by Koran copyists and was utilised for
theological texts as well as translations from Greek and Persian. It is the most important script for
spreading Islamic culture and art.
 With well-spaced ligatures, Muhaqqaq was less angular than Kufic. Paper became widely
utilised after its invention and quick spread. During Al Ma'mun's caliphate (813-33), the script
became more circular for simpler writing. Despite Ibn Muqla's modifications and reproductions, the
basic qualities of longer upstrokes remained. Muhaqqaq was perfected by Ibn al Bawwab, who added
shallow and sweeping horizontal sub-linear flourishes for momentum and longer upstrokes for
grandeur. This property has made it the preferred script for huge Korans in the Islamic East for more
than four centuries. The Mamluk sultans ruled Egypt in the 13th and 14th centuries, while the II
Khanid Mongols ruled Iraq and Persia.
 Rayhani was presumably derived from Naskh and was originally formed in the ninth century.
Naskh, Thuluth, and Muhaqqaq all have similar qualities. Despite its delicacy, it shares some of
Thuluth's characteristics. When compared to Thuluth, another distinguishing trait of Rayhani is that
its vertical strokes are straight and prolonged. Rayhani's curves, like Muhaqqaq's, are a touch angular,
pointing almost horizontally leftwards. The writing grew similar to Muhaqqaq, which is regarded a
sister script, although it is written with a pen that is half as wide as Muhaqqaq's. Rayhani was a
popular script for big Korans in Persia during the II Khanid sultans, who reigned concurrently with
Egypt's Mamluk sultans.
 In the ninth century, Tawqi' (signature) was invented by the Caliph Al Ma'mun. It is similar
to Thuluth, but with more rounded letters. It shares a lot of the same traits as Riqa'. The lines of
Tawqi' are thicker than those in Riqa', and the curves are less rounded, giving it the appearance of
being a much heavier script. The script did not fully evolve until the eleventh century. Ibn al Khazin,
a second-generation pupil of Ibn al Bawwab, was responsible for its emergence as a significant script.
A heavier type of Tawqi', equivalent in size to Thuluth and more nearly resembling its qualities, was
produced in Turkey during the late 15th century, and was favoured by the Ottoman caliphs.
 Riqa' is a combination of Naskh and Thuluth. In many ways, the geometric outlines of its
letters are similar to those of Thuluth, but the script is thinner and has more rounded curves. Mumtaz
Bag, the Ottoman Sultan Abd al Magid Khan's counsellor, established the principles for its compact
visual shape. The spacing between letters and words is consistent, and the height of the letters creates
a rhythm. Riqa' in decoration is the most graceful, more decorative than Thuluth. Riqa' was an
Ottoman calligrapher's favourite script, and it was refined by the eminent calligraphy Shaykh
Hamdullah al Amasi (d. 1520). Later, it was gradually simplified, and it is now the preferred
handwriting script throughout the Arab world.
CONCLUSION
Thuluth, Naskh, Muhaqqaq, Rayhani, Tawqi', and Riqa' are their names. Naskh (from which
all modern printing types are derived), Thuluth (more cursive outgrowth of Naskh), Muhaqqaq (bold
script with sweeping diagonal flourishes), Rayhani (more ornate version of Thuluth), Tawqi'
(derivative of Thuluth with the letters sometimes joined together), and Riqa' (derivative of Thuluth
with the letters sometimes joined together) are all scripts with their own unique character (cursive
style, common in use for handwriting in almost all of the Arab world).
REFERENCES
• The six cursive styles by Ibn Muqla
[Link]
_islamic_calligraphy_and_muslim_identity.[Link]
[Link]

• Graphics/ picture of calligraphy style