Hikmat al-Ishraq fi Kitab al-Afaq - Dimna Nawadir al-Makhtutat
- Author died
- 1205 AH
- Editions
- Sharikat Maktabat wa Matba'at Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi wa Awladih bi-Misr
Hikmat al-Ishraq ila Kuttab al-Afaq (The Wisdom of Illumination for the Scribes of the Horizons), also published under the title Hikmat al-Ishraq fi Kitab al-Afaq, is a treatise on Arabic calligraphy, scribal instruments, and the history of calligraphers by Murtada al-Zabidi (d. 1205 AH / 1791 CE).
Background and Purpose
The treatise belongs to the tradition of classical Arabic works on scribal technique and calligraphy, following in the lineage of Adab al-Kuttab by Abu Bakr al-Suli (d. 336 AH), the chapters on calligraphy in al-Fihrist by Ibn al-Nadim (d. 385 AH), and Subh al-A'sha by Ahmad al-Qalqashandi (d. 821 AH).
Al-Zabidi composed the work as a dedicated gift for the personal collection of the master calligrapher Amir Hasan Efendi, known as al-Rushdi (d. 1205 AH), who was regarded as the foremost calligrapher of Cairo in his generation. In his introduction, al-Zabidi notes that the treatise covers the merit of script and the pen, historical traditions and aphorisms regarding writing, the origins and development of Arabic letterforms, and accounts of eminent scribes.
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into ten chapters (fusul) and an epilogue (khatima):
- The origin and invention of script, and the connection and separation of letters.
- The virtues of calligraphy and notable sayings concerning it.
- The reed pen (al-qalam) and aphorisms about its use.
- The inkwell (al-dawat), its description, and writing tools.
- Black ink and colored ink (al-midad and al-hibr).
- Pen trimming (bary al-aqlam) and nib shaping (qatt).
- Diacritical points (al-naqt).
- Vocalization marks (al-shakl).
- The letters of the alphabet and their numerical values (hisab al-jummal).
- Biographical notices of renowned scribes and calligraphers from the era of the Prophet ﷺ down to the author's lifetime.
The epilogue contains two sections: the first on the etiquette of the student with his master, and the second offering practical counsel for calligraphers.
Reception and Editions
Al-Zabidi cited the treatise in his major Arabic lexicon, Taj al-'Arus, cross-referencing its detailed discussion of the various methods of cutting and shaping pen nibs. The work is also recorded in classical bibliographies, including Idah al-Maknun and Hadiyyat al-'Arifin by Ismail Pasha al-Babani.
The text was edited from manuscript by Abd al-Salam Harun and published in Cairo as part of his collection of rare treatises, Nawadir al-Makhtutat.
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