Muhammad Zakareyya

Written by Islamstory

The most famous American expert in the art of the Arabic calligraphy.
He was born in 1942 at Fatronah (California).
He is the most famous American expert in the art of the Arabic calligraphy. Although he studied engineering, yet his life changed after his trip to Morcco in 1964 when he cared about Islamic culture then adopted Islam and cared about Arabic language.
He started to study the Arabic calligraphy in 1980, he traveled to many Islamic countries like Egypt, Algeria and Turkey, then in 1984 he returned to Turkey to study with the great teacher (Hasan Galaby) at Estanbool, in 1988 he got a license in calligraphy from Hasan Galaby.
Now, Muhammad Zakareyya teaches calligraphy in Washington and became brilliant, so on 1 September 2001, the American post office made a stamp drawn by Zakareyya to celebrate Al Fitr feast (breakfast feast), it is still published.

“His story with calligraphy”

If we want to talk about Muhammad Zakareyya the great Muslim handwriter, we have to mention the center of researches for (history, arts, Islamic culture) in Estanbool (Iricica), he is a graduate of this center and got the first license in the Arabic calligraphy  from his teacher Hassan Galaby in 1987 and the second from “Aly Alb Arslan”.
The first step to be closely adhere to the Arabic calligraphy, Zakareyya said, “My desire dates back to 1961 when becoming a Muslim, at the beginning of 20s I was walking at one of California streets by chance, I passed by a store that sells carpets, when I looked through the glass window, I noticed a form in a frame hanging on the wall which appealed to me. I entered the store and asked the employer about it, he replied, listen to me well, it is a kind of Islamic calligraphy and you can’t pay for it, so it is better to go now. Then I became fond of handwriting and I went to libraries to scan some samples and it was the start.
There was no one to help and guide me in writing, after 4 years in 1964, I traveled to Morocco since then, the Morocco writing was the first study, then I traveled to learn a lot of looking in parchments and for Islamic manuscripts and old books that search for the Arabic calligraphy like:
Sobh Al-sa’dah ….etc.
I finally know that I need to be guided yet, I’ll still undeveloped there was a center called (IRCICA) for history and Islamic arts research in Estanbool was recommended to me by a lady called (Asn Adl). I found it a must to go there as they’re only kept the writing heritage.”
Zakareyya created in different types of writing also he is clever at making inks like the old traditional Arabic way.
In addition, he designed the first Islamic stamp in the U.S.A (75.000 copy in sep 2001) he added that, since I felt the great values in handwriting, I searched for best location I can as an American Muslim to leap to the Ottoman way that is still most spread then.

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