Al-Hilya Al-Sharifa (The Noble Description) – Naskh and Thuluth – Mohamed Amer and Hanaa Al-Tabei

Al-Hilya Al-Sharifa (The Noble Description)

Text: At the top, I seek refuge in God from Satan the accursed, in the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Then comes the large circle containing the description of the Prophet Muhammad: «When Ali, may God be pleased with him, described the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, he would say: “He was neither excessively tall nor short and stooped; he was of medium height among people. His hair was neither tightly curled nor completely straight, but slightly wavy. He was not heavily built nor round-faced, but his face had a roundness, fair with a rosy tint, with large dark eyes and long lashes, with prominent joints and shoulders, hairless apart from a fine line of hair running down his chest, with thick hands and feet. When he walked, he lifted his feet briskly as if descending a slope, and when he turned, he turned with his whole body, followed by ﴿وما أرسلناك إلا رحمة للعالمين﴾ (And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds). The text continues: Between his shoulders was the seal of prophethood, and he is the seal of the prophets. He was the most generous of people in hand, the most expansive in heart, the most truthful in speech, the gentlest in nature and the noblest in companionship. Whoever saw him unexpectedly stood in awe of him, and whoever came to know him loved him. His describer says: I have never seen the like of him before or after, peace and blessings be upon him” – written by the humble servant Mohamed Amer. Around the large circle are four circles containing the names of the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs, may God be pleased with them all.

Framed size: 110×77 cm

Scripts: Naskh, Ottoman Thuluth

Ornament: Floral

Materials: machine-made ahar (burnished) paper, gold acrylic and natural ink

Nature of work: Handmade

Symbolism and meaning: The text of Al-Hilya al-Sharifa, describing the Prophet ﷺ, signifies the perfection of his character and the beauty of his qualities, and symbolizes love and emulation of the Muhammadan light.

Artist: Mohamed Amer; artist: Hanaa Al-Tabei