Haji Noor Deen demonstrates his craft

By Muneeb Nasir, IOL Correspondent

TORONTO, September 20 (IslamOnline.net) - During a recent tour of Toronto, Haji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang, a world-renowned Muslim calligraphist, opened a window into the world of Chinese Muslim culture with a fascinating demonstration of Arabic calligraphy.

His two-week visit to this Canadian city from September 7 to 15, was hosted by the Islamic Institute of Toronto.

During his visit, Haji Noor Deen, gave a number of public presentations in which he spoke about the history of Islam in China and gave entertaining demonstrations of his artwork.

He also exhibited his work at the Chinese Cultural Center in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto with a large population of Canadians of Chinese origin, and ran a number of workshop sessions including one for children.

Light Shed on Chinese Muslims

“There are 20 million Muslims in China and over 35,000 mosques,” Haji Noor Deen told a captive audience at Masjid Toronto September 12. “There are eight Islamic Institutes and every mosque has a madrassa (school) for children.”

He told the audience that China's population represents 56 nationalities, ten of which have an Islamic background.

“Muslims went to China over the first three hundred years of Islam,” he said. “The first official delegation was sent to China by the Caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, in approximately 651 A.D.

Born in 1963 in eastern China's Shandong Province bordering the Yellow Sea, Haji Noor Deen lectures on the art of Arabic calligraphy at the Islamic College in Zhen Zhou.

He also established a correspondence course to allow students from other areas of China to study Arabic calligraphy.

In addition, he researches Islamic culture at the Henan Academy of Sciences.

In 1997, Haji Noor Deen was the first Chinese Muslim to be awarded the Egyptian Certificate of Arabic Calligraphy and to be admitted as a member of the Association of Egyptian Calligraphy.

Calligraphy

Showing the tools of his trade

“Arabic writing is not difficult,” he told the audience at Masjid Toronto. “There are only 28 letters in the alphabet”

After demonstrating the tools of his trade, which includes China ink and brush on rice paper and silk fabric, Haji Noor Deen proceeded to give a fascinating and interactive display of the art of calligraphy.

He said that what is amazing about the Arabic alphabet is that there are only 28 letters, but there are 100 different ways to portray those letters.

He demonstrated a simplified way of writing all of the letters after which he invited the audience to come up and try their hand at the writing.

Extraordinary Skill

A sample of his work

The testament to Haji Noor Deen’s extraordinary skill comes from the fact that the calligraphies he creates are readable in both Arabic and Chinese (Chinese script reads from top to bottom while Arabic script reads from right to left).

For example, the word for peace in Arabic is portrayed in a way that doubles as the phrase “tranquility of heart” in the Chinese language.

Haji Noor Deen's extraordinary mastery and genius in the art of Arabic calligraphy along with his unique ability to spectacularly deliver his craft to an audience has brought him lecture and workshop invitations from some of the most renowned and prestigious institutions around the world, including Harvard University, Cambridge University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Endowed with intense intellect and fantastic energy and the ability to convey his knowledge, Haji Noor Deen is always willing to teach and impart his long perfected technique.

By working to impart beauty under the complete guidance of faith, Haji Noor Deen leaves his mark on the world as a giver of incredible aesthetic beauty as well as the beauty of moral excellence.