Uthman Taha
Encyclopedia
Uthman ibn Abduh ibn Husayn ibn Taha (or Uthman Taha) is an Arab calligrapher
renowned for hand-writing Mushaf al-Madinah
issued by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur'an
.
He was born in 1934 in a rural area of Aleppo
, Syria
. Gaining a BA in Shari’ah
from the University of Damascus
, he also studied Arabic language
, Islamic decoration arts
, and painting. He gained certification (Turkish icazet) in calligraphy from Hamid al-Amidi, the so-called master of calligraphers in the Islamic world. He was also taught calligraphy by Muhammad Ali al-Mawlawi, Ibrahim al-Rifa’i (Aleppo), Muhammad Badawi al-Diyrani (Damascus) and Hashim al-Baghdadi.
He wrote his first Mushaf (written copy of the Qur’an) in 1970. In 1988 he travelled to Saudi Arabia
and was assigned a handwriter and calligrapher in the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur'an in Madina
. The same year he was made a member of the international jury for the Arabic Calligraphy Award which is held in Istanbul
once every three years.
During 18 years of his life at the King Fahd Complex, Uthman has hand-written four Masahif. More than 200 million copies of which were distributed worldwide. Over thirty years he has written 10 Masahif. A Mushaf usually requires more than 3 years in writing and an additional year for proof-reading and reviewing.
His beautiful, clear, easy-to-read style used in the Madina Mushaf is also used in a commercial copy known as Mushaf al-Tajweed.
Islamic calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy, colloquially known as Perso-Arabic calligraphy, is the artistic practice of handwriting, or calligraphy, and by extension, of bookmaking, in the lands sharing a common Islamic cultural heritage. This art form is based on the Arabic script, which for a long time was used by all...
renowned for hand-writing Mushaf al-Madinah
Mushaf
A mus'haf is a codex or collection of sheets . The Qur’an, which Muslims believe to have been revealed at various times and in various ways during the 23-year period at the end of Muhammad's life, was collected into a codex under the third Caliph, Uthman ibn Affan..The Islamic term al-Qur’ān...
issued by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur'an
King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur'an
King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur'an is a printing plant located in Medina, Saudi Arabia that publishes the Qur'an in Arabic and other languages....
.
He was born in 1934 in a rural area of Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. Gaining a BA in Shari’ah
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
from the University of Damascus
University of Damascus
The University of Damascus is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through the merger of the School of Medicine and the Institute of Law , also making it the oldest university in modern-day Syria...
, he also studied Arabic language
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Islamic decoration arts
Islamic art
Islamic art encompasses the visual arts produced from the 7th century onwards by people who lived within the territory that was inhabited by or ruled by culturally Islamic populations...
, and painting. He gained certification (Turkish icazet) in calligraphy from Hamid al-Amidi, the so-called master of calligraphers in the Islamic world. He was also taught calligraphy by Muhammad Ali al-Mawlawi, Ibrahim al-Rifa’i (Aleppo), Muhammad Badawi al-Diyrani (Damascus) and Hashim al-Baghdadi.
He wrote his first Mushaf (written copy of the Qur’an) in 1970. In 1988 he travelled to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and was assigned a handwriter and calligrapher in the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur'an in Madina
Medina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
. The same year he was made a member of the international jury for the Arabic Calligraphy Award which is held in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
once every three years.
During 18 years of his life at the King Fahd Complex, Uthman has hand-written four Masahif. More than 200 million copies of which were distributed worldwide. Over thirty years he has written 10 Masahif. A Mushaf usually requires more than 3 years in writing and an additional year for proof-reading and reviewing.
His beautiful, clear, easy-to-read style used in the Madina Mushaf is also used in a commercial copy known as Mushaf al-Tajweed.