At 80, Uthman Taha Is Keen to Continue Quranic Calligraphy
In an interview with al-Ahram daily, the Syrian-born said every time he finishes handwriting a Mushaf (written copy of the Quran), he yearns for starting another Quranic calligraphy.
“A Quran calligrapher should have a connection with the Quran since early childhood, learn Quran recitation and memorize it and also be familiar with the Arabic language,” Uthman Taha told al-Ahram’s Muhammad al-Maghribi.
He said it is every calligrapher’s great aspiration to write verses of the Quran to show the peak of his artistic talent as well as his humbleness and servitude to God.
Born in a Kurdish village near Aleppo, Syria, in 1934, Uthman ibn Abduh ibn Husayn ibn Taha, is famous for his Mus’hafs more than 200 million copies of which have been distributed worldwide.
He first calligraphed a Mus’haf in 1970 for Syria’s Awqaf Ministry. Then went to Saudi Arabia and in 1988 calligraphed the Mus’haf of Madinah, which earned him great fame.
His beautiful, clear, easy-to-read style used in the Madinah Mus’haf is also used in a commercial copy known as Mus’haf al-Tajweed.
In 2013, his name was included in the list of the “World's Most Influential Muslims”.
