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Ijaza Ceremony Marks New Masters of Calligraphy
Renowned calligrapher Haji Noor Deen gives ijaza to two Deen Arts Foundation students
An ijaza marks the graduation of an apprentice to the rank of a Master, and is a sign of their teacher’s confidence that they have mastered the material and are now proficient to pass on the knowledge correctly to others. This system is used across the Islamic world and includes the creative arts of calligraphy and illumination.
This weekend, Deen Arts Foundation — based in Houston, Texas — produced their first graduates in the ijaza system. The foundation offers courses in Thuluth and Naksh scripts, as well as Arabic Calligraphy in the Chinese Style (ACCS) — taught by eminent master Haji Noor Deen. Farzana Razzaque achieved her ijaza in Thuluth and Naksh scripts, and Moina Sajjad gained her ijaza in ACSS. They are now both qualified to teach students and grant ijazas to others.
ACCS is an ancient fusion of Chinese and Arabic calligraphy and was formally codified by Haji Noor Deen himself. The first ijazas in the discipline were offered in 2019 to thirty Chinese students.
