Arabic calligraphy: between the present and the past

Arabic calligraphy is an ancient type of writing, an integral part of Arabic culture and a tradition of great importance in the Muslim world, originating from the VII century AD – the time of the appearance of the Holy Quran. Due to the fact that the Quran is the words of Allah revealed in Arabic, the holy book was given to people with the most beautiful handwriting to copy.

As in any letter, Arabic caligraphy has rules for composing the proportions of letters based on the size of the letter "Alif" - the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. The unit of measurement in calligraphy is the Arabic dot. In Arabic calligraphy, it has a square shape, and the size of the side of the square depends on the angle of inclination of the pen tip and on the pressure of the hand of the master writing the letters.

For almost 1400 years, Arabic calligraphy has turned from a method of written communication into a special kind of art, reflected in painting, architecture and design. Of the varieties of Arabic calligraphy that exist today, the most ancient is the Kufi style, which is characterized by massive, angular letters, poverty of ligatures, a large distance between groups of fused characters. Kufi is most often used in the decoration of buildings and as a decorative element of headings and signage.

Naskh is the second most common, horizontal, strict style of Arabic calligraphy with thin lines and rounded letter shapes. Almost all books published in Arabic are printed in this font. However, for cursive writing by the Arabs, another, simplified style is used — ruk'a. Naskh and ruk'a are two calligraphic styles, the possession of which is mandatory for a literate Arab.

Sulus is a writing style and a special type of fonts used only for decorative purposes. This is a more energetic and monumental style with long vertical lines, wide free strokes, rounded curves and loops.

Hundreds of books and studies have been written about Arabic calligraphy. But the best way to appreciate the beauty of this art form was and remains personal contact.

We were lucky to be at an exhibition and a master class in Arabic calligraphy at the Art Museum of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

The way master draws letters with grace and simplicity cannot but cause admiration. It is not surprising that a huge queue of those wishing to capture something important on paper lined up to the master.

We asked the master to write the word Haqq, which means "truth" in Arabic using traditional Arabic script.

This is what the word haqq looks like, written in the traditions of Arabic calligraphy.

It is believed that such images carry not only aesthetic beauty, but also have a special energy. If this is the case, then we can safely say that the project of the main Muslim cryptocurrency IslamicCoin and the halal blockchain Haqq has a new incarnation linking modern technologies with the traditions of their ancestors.

The IslamicCoin project, built on the halal Haqq blockchain, is an ideal system for creating blockchain systems based on Shariah rules.

It has a Fatwa and is run by leading Muslim theorists and market leaders of Islamic finance. Issuing certificates confirming the possibility of using goods and products for the Muslim community on the Haqq blockchain is a completely new and most effective way to organize halal supply chains and sales of Shariah–approved goods and services.

IslamicCoin is a digital currency conforming to the norms of Islam and Shariah, functioning in its own blockchain Haqq, which means "Truth". Already at the stage of closed sales, IslamicCoin aroused huge investor interest and was able to raise more than $ 200 million in just a few weeks. Unlike technically outdated Bitcoin and Ether, which have a lot of problems, IslamicCoin uses the full power of the most progressive blockchain technologies and is based on the most fair and reliable ideology and rules of conduct.

Successful investors choose ideologies, technologies and prospects based on something more than minor fluctuations in price charts. For almost 20 years of the existence of a new type of digital money, cryptocurrencies have not brought a drop of real value into this world, have not made people free, independent and happy.

And this means that it's time for a new type of finance based on responsible choices and new values!