Studies on The Love of The Prophet Muhammed in The Calligraphy of Turks
Mehmet MemişCalligraphy, which has an exceptional place in Islamic art and culture, has shown its historical development especially on the Qur’an inscription. Undoubtedly, besides the importance that Islam attaches to reading and writing, the encouraging attitude of the Prophet on this issue has also been effective in making writing an art. Calligraphy reached its highest level in history through famous calligraphers. It became prominent in the Ottoman period after the development and purification process that continued for centuries, and gained a universal dimension with examples found in various museums around the world. As well as an art branch by itself, calligraphy, which is combined with other art techniques, accordingly, has wide usage in Turkish Islamic art. In this article, calligraphy works about topics such as love of the Prophet Muhammed, his exemplary personality, words, and behavior are discussed. Manuscripts and especially Qur’ans are at the top of this kind of calligraphy. Hadith and schamail books, which contain the words and behavior of the Prophet Muhammed, also have an important place among handwritten books. Kıt’as which are mostly composed of hadiths, murakkas (albums) created by combining kıt’as, panels on which the verses about the Prophet and literary texts involving the love of the Prophet are written, hilyes in the form of verbal portrayal of the Prophet Muhammed were evaluated with visual examples.
Türk Hat Sanatında Hz. Muhammed Sevgisini Konu Alan Çalışmalar
Mehmet Memişİslâm sanat ve kültürü içinde müstesna bir yere sahip olan hat sanatı, tarihî gelişimini bilhassa Mushaf kitabeti üzerinde göstermiştir. Şüphesiz yazının bir sanat hâline gelmesinde İslâm’ın okumaya ve yazmaya verdiği önem yanında Hz. Peygamber’in bu husustaki teşvikkâr tutumu da etkili olmuştur. Asırlar boyu devam eden gelişme ve arınma sürecinden sonra Osmanlı döneminde yetişen ünlü hattatlar eliyle tarihindeki en yüksek seviyesine ulaşmış olan hat sanatı, dünya ülkelerindeki çeşitli müzelerde yer bulan örnekleriyle evrensel bir boyut kazanmıştır. Başlı başına bir sanat dalı olmakla beraber, yerine göre başka sanat teknikleriyle de birleştirilebilen yazı, Türk İslâm sanatı içinde geniş bir kullanım alanına sahiptir. Bu makalede Hz. Muhammed sevgisi, onun örnek şahsiyeti, söz ve davranışları gibi konular etrafında ortaya konan hat eserleri ele alınmıştır. Bu tür hat eserlerinin başında yazma kitaplar ve bilhassa Mushaflar gelmektedir. Yazma kitaplar içinde Hz. Muhammed’in söz ve davranışlarını içeren hadis ve şemâil kitapları da önemli bir yer tutar. Makalede metinleri çoğunlukla hadîs-i şeriflerden oluşan kıt’alar, kıt’aların bir araya getirilmesi ile oluşturulan murakkaalar, Hz. Peygamber’le ilgili âyetlerin ve peygamber sevgisini işleyen edebî metinlerin yazıldığı levhalar, levhalar içinde Hz. Muhammed’in sözle tasviri mahiyetindeki hilye-i şerîfeler görsel örnekleri eşliğinde değerlendirilmiştir.
As an individual of the society in which they are grown, artists reflect the values, sensibilities, beliefs, love, and excitement of that society in their work. Undoubtedly, one of the primary values of Muslim societies is the Prophet of Islam, Muhammed. For this reason, the works on his life and love in the hearts have taken a great place in the art accumulation of Muslim Turks throughout history. From literary arts to ornamentation, from architecture to music, in the various branches of art, the precious works put forward on this subject are also one of the most effective means of transferring the love of the Prophet Muhammed to the next generation.
One of the arts where love of the Prophet is handled is calligraphy. With its widespread use in Ottoman language “hüsn-i hatt”, calligraphy is described as the art of measured and beautiful writing in the Arabic alphabet in accordance with the aesthetic base formed in its historical process. Those who perform this art are called calligraphers. Islamic writing started to gain an aesthetic dimension with the encouragement and advice of the Prophet Muhammed. It can be said that writing began the process of becoming an art in that period as a result of the efforts to record the revelation. As a matter of fact, his advice to scribes regarding the manner of writing show that the Messenger of Allah also gave importance to the aesthetic aspect of writing. The hadith which means “Allah is beautiful and loves beauty” has been the guide of those who are looking for beauty in every subject. It was also known that the Prophet insisted on the importance of learning and teaching writing. The calligraphers, who took their inspiration from the Qur’an and recommendations of the Prophet, worked on writing with the excitement of worship and made it a branch of art unlike any other culture. This art, which completed its course of development, especially on the writing of the Qur’an, matured and diversified in the hands of Muslim artists who have devoted themselves and has taken its place as a beautiful element in every field where writing was used over time.
For centuries, calligraphers created numerous beautiful works on the exemplary personality and hadiths of the Prophet Muhammed, and especially on the Qur’an and verses. The majority of these works, which are the most beautiful examples of the expression of love of the Prophet through art, were handwritten books. The first thing that comes to mind when book is said in Islamic society is Mushaf, namely the Holy Qur’an. Islamic writing showed its historical development on writing of the Qur’an. Just as writing Mushaf is the aim of every calligrapher, Mushafs are the works of calligraphers that show the most care and skill. The Qur’an is the most important trust that the Messenger of Allah left to Muslims. Serving the Qur’an means gaining the sake of Allah and the pleasure of the Prophet.
Among handwritten books, hadith, schamail and dalail books related to the branches of science that deal with the Prophet and his words and behavior constitute an important area. Although most of these books were written without regard to the artistic aspect, there were also books and magazines written by master calligraphers, which have artistic value with their illuminations and bindings. Forty hadith magazines were among works written by calligraphers with care due to rumors stating that those who know the forty hadiths by heart will be rewarded on doomsday.
A group of calligraphy works containing the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammed were also known by the names of kıt’a and murakkaa. In an average book page size, the writings written in one or several fonts are called kıt’a, and kıt’a albums attached to each other and folded together are called murakkaa. As they were stored in cabinets and bookcases, these works were also bound carefully as books, and illumination or marbling were applied in their ornaments. Almost all Turkish calligraphers performed this kind of work. On the other hand, some literary texts written by the poets as praise to the Prophet were also included in the kıt’a and murakkaa.
The panels, one of the most common calligraphy works, were works that adorned the walls, prepared for hanging somewhere and looking across. On these panels there were sometimes compliments written about the Prophet, verses expressing praise to him, mostly verses and hadiths containing brief and concise messages. Muslims decorated their living spaces with the wise words and advice of the Prophet Muhammed and showed their love and affection towards him.
Among these panels, Hilye-i Şerîfe had special importance in terms of expressing the love of the Prophet. Hilye, which means “ornament, adornment, jewel, beautiful characteristic, beautiful face” in the dictionary, is a concept that refers to poetic or prosaic literary work which expresses the blessed qualities and beauties of the Prophet Muhammed, and on panels written by calligraphers. Hilye, which was formed as a result of love and respect for the Prophet, became more widespread in Ottoman culture, gained great importance and reputation, and it was customary to ask a calligrapher to write a hilye and hang it on the wall, and some beliefs occurred around them due to the sacred meaning they carry. The first and most important example of the hilye form in Turkish literature is “Hilye” written by Hâkanî Mehmet Bey in 1007/1598-99. After this work, the word hilye became the general name of work created especially about the body structure and characteristics of the Prophet. The work, which started with a poem about Basmala, later mentioned narration of the Caliph Ali about the hilye and its virtues. In Istanbul libraries, there are many handwritten ones that involve couplets explaining the features of the Prophet’s body structure.
Writing of hilye in panels and ornamenting it were unique to Ottoman Turks, and no such practice was observed in other Islamic countries. Although it was not explicitly included in references, it is accepted that the panel-shaped hilye was written for the first time by calligrapher Hâfız Osman (d. 1110/1698). These works continue to be the center of attention of art lovers in our time as they were in the past, and very beautiful examples are produced by today’s calligraphers both in their classical form and with their new and different trials.
