Arabic is known to be the fifth most popular language in the world, and one of the hardest top three languages globally. In addition, it’s the language of the Holy Quran and one of the very first communication means between Muslims. Despite being very hard to learn, those who are blessed to be native speakers have the pleasure to enjoy just a delicate yet semantically complicated piece of art.
One of its unique features is having different calligraphies decorating its 28 letters in different shapes and sizes, this is what we called Arabic Calligraphy. It’s one of the tools that magnify the beauty of the Arabic Language.
The History of Arabic Calligraphy
After the Islamic expansions and conquests took off real hard, the Arabic Calligraphy started to find its way out of the Arabian Peninsula in the age of Omar ibn El Khattab, May Allah Bless Him, as one of the main reasons for the invention of the Arabic Calligraphy is the urgent need to spread the Islamic religion in its own language. So, instead of using the Greek, Persian, and Syrian language.
More light was shed on the Arabic Calligraphy in the age of Prophet Mohammed, Peace be Upon Him, it expanded to be everywhere such as Medina, Mecca, Kufa, and Al Basra. Every city has named its Calligraphy by its name to keep its legacy on.
Later on, the innovation of the Arabic Calligraphy was moving forward in the age of Ali ibn Abi Taleb back in Kufa, where you could see it everywhere, at mosques, Quran Manuscript, and more. This is where Calligraphers started to show their true faces on a small artistic level at the beginning.
Then it reached its peak in the Umayyad Caliphate, this is where Calligraphy became a profession where famous Calligraphers get paid and invented new fonts. Calligraphy started as a dotting-free language, but later on, it was added so foreigners could understand such difficult language. Some of the most prominent Calligraphers are Qutba Al Muhrar, ibn Muqla, and many others.
In the Umayyad Caliphate, Calligraphy started to be a symbol of Islamic history, you could see it on castles, historical landmarks, and mosques. Years after that, modern Calligraphy has started to keep up with the innovation of technology in this field.
Types of Arabic Calligraphy
Naskh Calligraphy: One of the most popular calligraphies and the most common one in writing. It was established by Minister ibn Muqla, who wrote the foundations of this font. It is recognized by its clear and large letters, which makes it easy for the eyes.
Ruq’ah Calligraphy: It was named Ruq’ah after the deerskin. It’s one of the common calligraphers used in the daily writings of Arabic speakers. Mumtaz Bik, an Ottmani, is the one behind the foundation of Ruq’ah calligraphy back in 1280bc.
Kufi Calligraphy: It was named after the city of Kufa in Iraq, and had great attention back then as a result of its symmetrical look. Calligrapher Youssef Ahmed.
Persian Calligraphy: It founded its way to the Islamic world through Iran. It is recognized by its extended and delicate letters which makes it more comfortable for the eyes and easier to write.
Thuluth Calligraphy: A unique Arabic Calligraphy that holds the Islamic heritage tight, and is one of the most complicated fonts of Arabic. It first appeared in the 4th AH and it belongs to the Naskh font family. It’s known to be complicated yet artistic, many Sultans and ancient governors.
Tughraa Calligraphy: One of the elegant Arabic fonts that have more flexibility in them than the others. Sultans and governors have used it as well in most of their writings. While nowadays, it is only used in headlines and titles due to its difficulty.
Tumar Calligraphy: A clear font that belongs to the Nashk family fonts, which makes it clear and easy to read. It’s named after the Tumar ancient rolls which was the official paper used back then. Ibn Muqla is known to be one of the most famous calligraphers to use it.
Diwani Calligraphy: It was named Diwani after the “Diwan” which is what you call a poetry book. Its characteristics are flexibility and beauty. It’s a one-line font that is known to be invented by Ibrahim Munif.
Moroccan Calligraphy: Was founded in Morocco and is known to have round curves and large font sizes.
7 tips and tricks to improve your handwriting
1- Chill: Don’t overthink it, just start practicing with your heart and hand open.
2- Choose your pen wisely: You need to try out different pens till you find the perfect one for your learning phase.
3- The paper type matters: Use lined paper to make It easier for you to keep your writings straight.
4- Sit to success: Your posture matters greatly, you need to sit straight, and make sure your hand-paper proportions are right.
5- Font type helps: Use one of the easy fonts to start your handwriting improvement journey with, it will help!
6- Leave spaces between the letters: One of the common mistakes that make our Arabic handwriting worse is not leaving enough spaces between the letters, it makes it harder for the reader to understand.
7- Practice makes perfect: Practice, practice, practice! Be patient, you can’t learn any new skill in a day or two, but with practice, you will find enough improvement to keep your spirit up.
Handwriting improvement exercises
Learn the right way to hold a pen: The key to starting your handwriting improvement journey is learning the right way to hold the most important tool that will help you get better; your pen.
Drawing circles and curved lines: This will help you get used to the curves of the Arabic letters, the curved lines will help you with the vertical letters like كـ، لـ, while the circles will make your ي، ن easier to draw.
Drawing horizontal lines: An exercise that will allow you to write the sentences with a more symmetrical look. Drawing horizontal lines will help you if your hands are twitching, and will give your writings a better look.
Write each letter on its own: By buying a notebook that allows you to shadow the letters in order to get used to their lines and curves. You won’t get it perfect at first but later on, you will nail it.
Studying the different positions of letters: By writing the letters in its different shapes and positions you will be able to improve your handwriting, for example, the letter “ب” looks this way when written at the end of the sentence, while it looks like this “بـ” when it’s written at the middle of the sentence.
Practice is the key to learning any new skill, and following the instructions is your secret weapon in improving your handwriting. How you master your mother tongue will always be the first impression anyone would have about you, so if you can’t express it right in writing, what’s the use of it?