Original calligraphy · 14 works
Ali Mamdouh Abd Al-Halim is an Egyptian calligrapher, born in Cairo in 1984. He studied at the Khalil Agha school of Arabic calligraphy and has written and designed for the Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation in Cairo since 2002. His prizes include first prize for Thuluth at the international Üsküdar competition in Turkey, prizes at IRCICA's international calligraphy competitions, and first prize for classical work at the Sharjah calligraphy forum. He writes in transparent coloured inks, so wherever two strokes cross, the colour deepens.
Every work below is an original on hand-made paper, written by his hand in Jali Thuluth and signed — not a print. They carry verses of the Quran, a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ and words of trust in God, and each is described as it is: the ink, the paper, the shape of the composition, its size and the room it suits.
«وبالحق أنزلناه وبالحق نزل»
With the truth We sent it down, and with the truth it came down
Al-Isra 17:105 · 50 × 50 cm
Black Jali Thuluth wound into a full circle on cream paper, set in a square of warm gold-brown turned on its point and edged with a fine gold rule. The verse speaks of the Quran itself, and every letter turns about the centre, so the piece reads as one round seal. It hangs well on its own: a study, a reading corner, or a wall where it can be seen from across the room.
«وقل رب زدني علما»
And say: my Lord, increase me in knowledge
Taha 20:114 · 50 × 50 cm · dated 1431 AH
Honey-brown transparent ink on white paper: two tall upright strokes cross through a wide horizontal sweep, and wherever strokes overlap the colour deepens to amber. A small square of genuine gold leaf sits beneath the letters, and the signature and the year 1431 sit at their foot. A natural piece for a study, a library or a graduate.
«لا إله إلا الله»
There is no god but God
Muhammad 47:19 · 40 × 60 cm
Crimson transparent ink on warm, flecked hand-made paper, in the shape of a shield or an opening tulip: the name of God crowns the top, and the lam-alifs of «lā» and «illā» cross in the middle, darkening where they overlap. Tall and narrow, it suits a column of wall beside a door, a corridor or a prayer room.
«ما شاء الله»
What God has willed
Al-Kahf 18:39 · 40 × 60 cm
A tall, narrow sheet in three colours: the letters in black, one long alif in red rising through the middle, and the dots and marks in green, on cream hand-made paper with its fibres showing. The words a guest says on entering a house, so it belongs by the front door or in the majlis.
«ورحمت ربك خير مما يجمعون»
And the mercy of your Lord is better than what they amass
Az-Zukhruf 43:32 · 50 × 50 cm · dated 1438 AH
Deep red transparent ink climbing on a diagonal across gold-toned hand-made paper, the strokes darkening to near-black where they cross, with the signature and the year 1438 beneath. The rising line suits a wall beside a staircase, or a long wall above a sofa.
«وأما بنعمة ربك فحدث»
And as for the blessing of your Lord, proclaim it
Ad-Duha 93:11 · 60 × 40 cm
Maroon transparent ink on blush-toned hand-made paper: the words gather at the right in a tight knot, and the last letter runs out in one long stroke across the whole sheet, ending in its three dots. A wide piece for the wall above a sofa, a console or a bed.
«سيجعل الله بعد عسر يسرا»
God will bring, after hardship, ease
At-Talaq 65:7 · 60 × 40 cm · dated 1431 AH
A round knot of orange-brown transparent ink at the left and the name of God in green at the right, joined by one long stroke between them, on cream hand-made paper; signed and dated 1431. A wide piece that reads calmly from a distance, for an office, a hallway or the wall above a sofa.
«وأفوض أمري إلى الله»
And I entrust my affair to God
Ghafir 40:44 · 60 × 40 cm · dated 1430 AH
Warm brown transparent ink on parchment-toned hand-made paper, the upright letters standing in a row like the arches of a colonnade over a long horizontal stroke, with the marks set between them; signed and dated 1430. A steady, balanced piece for an office, a majlis or above a desk.
«اهدنا الصراط المستقيم»
Guide us to the straight path
Al-Fatiha 1:6 · 60 × 40 cm · dated 1444 AH
Black ink on white hand-made paper, the verse gathered into a wide oval with a forest of upright letters in its upper half and every vowel mark written in; signed and dated 1444. Black on white is the most classical of his sheets here, at home in a modern or a traditional room alike.
«علم الإنسان ما لم يعلم»
He taught man what he did not know
Al-Alaq 96:5 · 50 × 50 cm
Reddish-brown transparent ink in a round composition on paper hand-dyed in clouds of yellow-green and white, the tall letters rising together at the centre. From the first verses revealed: a gift for a teacher, a school or a study.
«رب اغفر لي ولوالدي»
My Lord, forgive me and my parents
Nuh 71:28 · 40 × 60 cm · dated 1439 AH
Black ink on aged, warm hand-made paper, the prayer gathered into a teardrop with one long stroke rising out of it to the top of the sheet; signed and dated 1439. A gift for a parent, or a quiet piece for a bedroom or a prayer corner.
«إن الله جميل يحب الجمال»
God is beautiful and loves beauty
Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, Sahih Muslim 91 · 60 × 40 cm
Deep green transparent ink on cream hand-made paper, the hadith built into a broad rectangle of upright letters with every mark written in; the green deepens where strokes cross. A wide, calm piece for a majlis, a dining room, a salon or a studio.
«يحبهم ويحبونه»
He loves them and they love Him
Al-Ma'idah 5:54 · 50 × 50 cm
Red transparent ink on cream hand-made paper, the two words interlaced into one rounded, heart-like form with the dots set around it. From the verse of the love between God and those He loves: a gift for someone dear, or a piece for a prayer room or a bedroom.
«يقيني بالله يقيني»
My certainty in God protects me
Saying of trust in God · 40 × 60 cm
A mirrored composition in blue and indigo transparent inks on golden hand-made paper: the word «يقيني» is written twice, facing itself, around «بالله» in the central column, with the signature small at the heart of the piece. A natural gift for a new office, a graduation or a business opening.
