General Info

• Subject: Arabic Calligraphy
• Course Format: Online
• Dates: 
• Time: 
• Instructor: Haji Noor Deen Hoca
• Scholarship Application Form [click to access]

About the Course

This is a semester-long course that immerses the student in the classical way of learning Arabic calligraphy (Thuluth and Naskh scripts), taught in the Osmanli (Ottoman) tradition for over five hundred years. Our teacher Haji Noor Deen Hoca, will teach this, a master calligrapher of the Thuluth and Naskh scripts. Therefore, access to feedback and corrections by a master calligrapher is crucial for this class. This ensures that the teacher corrects and refines your practice in real-time.

The Thuluth script is a beautiful, cursive script often used in Islamic architecture. The Naskh script is one of the first scripts in Islamic calligraphy and is often used in copies of the Qur’an.

The most important aspect of this class is correcting your work by a master calligrapher, not continually copying mistakes in your practice. The Islamic arts are transmitted through the Ijaza system, and this methodology has preserved calligraphy for over 1000 years. Students are expected to allocate a minimum of 10 hours per week for practicing, preparing their lessons for submission, and attending live online classes.

The Divinely inspired purpose of calligraphy is to learn the mechanics of writing the letters, which are based on philosophical and spiritual understandings and are also a means of disciplining the nafs. “Patience is Beautiful” is a message Haji Noor Deen Hoca often repeats to his students. Arabic Calligraphy is considered an Islamic science (akin to fiqh and Tafseer) because it preserves the written Word of Allah, and it is a means of purification of the nafs. There are many texts on the subject written by present and past scholars. Understanding the intentions of the scholars who developed and preserved this Islamic science helps refine one’s intention before embarking on the calligraphic path—May Allah Grant Tawfiq to all of your endeavors.

Required Materials

North American students can buy their supplies from the Islamic Art Supplies (click to view) store.

• • Bamboo/reed qalam in sizes: 2mm and 3mm.
  • Felt or leather pad for under your paper
  • Arabic calligraphy paper (glossy laser printer paper if not available)
  • Ink, lika, and inkwell
  • Leather hand rest (other materials are also acceptable)
  • Knife for sharpening the qalam (kalem terash, Olfa cutters, or Olfa heavy-duty cutters)
  • Maqta’: for cutting the nib of the qalam. Scissors can be used as well.
  • Fine sandpaper (1200-2000 grade)

  In your first class with Haji Noor Hoca, he will discuss the history of Islamic calligraphy, materials, and how to prepare your homework.

Şey Hamdullah Calligraphy Apprenticeship Program

Once you have joined the class, you will be initiated into the Şeyh Hamdulllah Calligraphy Apprenticeship Program. Apprenticeship is defined as “the method or process of gaining knowledge of a trade, art, or profession from the instruction of a master.” In this case, calligraphy is the trade, art, profession, and devotional act, and the master is Haji Noor Hoca. Students will travel together on this path, supporting and learning from one another, creating community and camaraderie, and moving from semester to semester to master the skills according to their Hoca’s instruction. Apprenticeships will continue until Ijaza (certificates of mastery) are granted by the master to the apprentice. 

Click here to learn more about the Şeyh Hamdulllah Calligraphy Apprenticeship Program.

We have three different class times (option 1, option 2, option3, & option 4) to accommodate the various time zones as Haji Noor Hoca has students worldwide. You are registering for:

Option 1: Group “Noor AlQalam نور القلم”

Thuluth and Naskh Scripts

Due to limited seating, we request that you cancel by July 15, 2022,  to receive a full refund.

Our Instructor

Haji Noor Deen is a renowned master of Arabic calligraphy. He was born in Yucheng, in the Shandong Province of China, in 1963. In 1997, he became the first individual from China to be awarded the Certificate of Arabic Calligrapher in Egypt after studying the calligraphic arts there for over ten years.

In 2017, after a period of study in Istanbul with Ottoman calligraphic master Hasan Celebi, Haji Noor Deen was honored with an Ijazah in the Ottoman Arabic Thuluth and Nasikh scripts, again becoming the first-ever Chinese person to do so.

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