“In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, and most merciful”

HUMAYUN KHAN BANGASH

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My Raison d ‘etre

AcknowledgementsDesign and Illumination: Muneeb Qureshi

Ebru Paper: Ozlem Capur (Turkey)Handmade Paper: Muhammad Hussain Kagzi, Jaipur (India)

Origami Paper: HE Farukh Amil Ambassador of Pakistan, Tokyo (Japan)

KoKo

The theme of my last Exhibitions in Japan and Lahore was Nuqta. Ostensibly representing a dot, I found it (Qat) formed the basis of the whole structure, geometry and aesthetics of Arabic callig-raphy. The length and height of each alphabet has to follow specified number of qat and the size and shape (rhomboid) of qat varies with the size and width of the pen (Qalam). The strict rules leave little space or scope for the calligrapher to experiment with something new and original. When it was suggested by my teacher Ustad Irfan Qureshi to keep Alif as the theme of my next exhibition, I was once again led to believe that this time it was easy and simple for Alif was a straight line composed of one uninterrupted stroke. However i found many eminent masters had composed outstanding pieces leaving little scope for something original. This led me to carry out a research on the significance of Alif. To my great surprise I found a wealth of material that the Sufi saint Poets of the region had written on the significance and mystical aspects of Alif. I found that Alif also had a hidden mystical meaning as given in the beginning of Surah Baqara. I found my way by using Alif in Allah with Asma ul Hasana (Attribute of Allah) and using Surah Ikhlas and Ayat ul Kursi. My research on Alif is based on material which I gleaned from various sources in Persian, Punjabi, Turkish and English. My own contribution in the write up is minimal. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude, to my teacher and mentor Ustad Irfan Qureshi who in spite of failing health was always there to guide me in my endeavors. I am also grateful to Professor Bashir Ahmed, Ex Principal NCA and eminent miniature artist, ProfessorDr. Rahat Naveed Masood Ex Principal of College of Arts and Design of the University of Punjab and General Sadiq Ali Commander 4 Corps for their encouragement. Professor Dr Qaiser Shehzad of Islamic University of Islamabad and Shahbano Aliani, an outstanding Muslim Scholar and Poet provided useful, scholarly suggestions. My children, each one of whom have distinguished them-selves in their respective fields and made me proud, have all encouraged me to pursue my passion even at this late stage in life. And Koko, my Raison d’etre not only took my long and odd hours of immersion in the sea of Calligraphy with grace and understanding but like all my successes in life, her advice and contribution has been most valuable and significant.

Humayun Khan Bangash Lahore July 2017

Foreword

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“Inside you there is an artist you don’t know about....... say yes quickly if you know, if you have known it from before the beginning of the universe”. - Rumi

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My association with General Bangash spans a period of seven years which transcended many stages. It started in Hast o Neest, where a seventy years old student wanted to learn Calligraphy as of yesterday ------- a process which normally takes 10 – 12 years. Next stage was the diligence, seriousness and tenacity with which he pursued his objective and stood out amongst his col-leagues, most of them being graduates of National College of Arts. While his writing skills were still in infancy, he started compositions in classical Thulth scripts which were balanced, original and unique. Within two years, his work was selected and exhibited in Sareer-e-Khama, the Inter-national Exhibition of Calligraphy organized by The Punjab University. His work was appreciated by the calligraphers from Islamic countries. This encouraged him to speed up his work and over the next three years, he produced about 50 unique pieces of art. He held successful exhibitions in Hast-o-Neest, his alma mater, Tokyo, Kobe and Lahore Garrisson, in the last two years. In 2014, he was elected Patron of Calligraphers’ Association of Pakistan. In view of his interest and stature, I am sure he would help in promotion of our valuable heritage.Encouraged by the recognition that he has recieved, Gen Bangash has experimented with new ideas and ventures remaining within the ambit of classical Thulth script. I feel confident that he has achieved enough maturity and skill that his work can be classified as second to none.

I spent a lift time of over 40 years, teaching Miniature Art and have the honor of introducing subject of Calligraphy in the National College of Arts. Some of my students are accomplished artists and are well known in art circles throughout the world like Shazia Sikander, Imran Qureshi and many others who graduated from NCA from the miniature painting department which was established in 1982 as a bachelor degree program. During an International Calligraphy Exhibi-tion in 2012, Ustad Irfan Qureshi showed me the work of his “New” student aged 72 who had started learning with him less than two years earlier. I found the composition well balanced and pleasing to the eyes. Being aware, that first work of any artist invariably has a lot of invisible input from the teacher, it soon left my memory. Three years later, I witnessed an Exhibition of General Bangash in Garrison Club where over 50 pieces were displayed. I was highly impressed with the quality of the work and the variety of compositions. It made me proud to learn that General Bangash had held successful exhibitions in Tokyo and Kobe and that his work is exhib-ited in the Imperial Palace of Japan. General Bangash adheres strictly to the classical principles of Thulth script yet he manages to create a uniqueness in every piece by use of imaginative composition, which are equipoised and well balanced. Critical review of his earlier work did have a sympathetic element of his age into consideration. I am confident that his recent works can withstand the hardest of criticism. General Bangash has proved that if one has the interest and resolve, nothing is impossible to achieve even in the complex field of art.

Safeer-e-Khatatti

Irfan QureshiVisiting FacultyUniversity of Central PunjabKinnaird College, LahoreFounder member of “Hast-o-Neest”Institute of Traditional Studies and ArtSecretary GeneralCalligraphers Association of Pakistan

Professor Bashir Ahmad Former: Principal and Head of the department Fine arts, National college of arts, Lahore, Pakistan

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 An International Conference and Exhibition on the art of Calligraphy was held at the College of Art and Design, University of the Punjab (2012) with active participation of artists/scholars/researchers, from countries such as Turkey, Iraq, Iran, United Kingdom and from within Paki-stan. It was an effort to draw attention to the neglected art form of classical and traditional calligraphy. The exhibition was aptly given the name Sareer-e-Khama (The Sound of the Pen) taken from a couplet from Ghalib. This unique conference/exhibition was held with the support and co-operation of Pakistan’s well-known scholars and master calligraphers and the untiring efforts of the faculty and staff of our Art College. It aroused my curiosity to learn that one of the works at the display was by General (retd.) Humayun Bangash, who had recently become a student of this exquisite art form. During the conference, General Bangash was requested to chair one of the sessions.  Being flu-ent in the Turkish language, he also acted as an interpreter for the visiting Turkish calligrapher/scholar Professor Husrev Subashi. During the session, I was impressed by the knowledge, interest and passion that General Ban-gash displayed for calligraphy. Four years later, it gives me great pleasure to know that General Bangash has blossomed into a well-known and respected calligrapher. He has also been elected as the Patron of Calligrapher`s Society of Pakistan. I am sure that using his stature and influence he would help in promoting and spreading the valuable heritage of calligraphy to our next gen-eration.

Prof. Dr. Rahat Naveed MasudFormer Principal College of Art and DesignFormer Dean, Faculty of Art and HumanitiesUniversity of PunjabLahore

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Alif with 99 names of AllahIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade paperSize: 84X62cm

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“We revere “Alif” in our recitations not for its form or shape but what is rep-resents. We love the created for the sake of the creator.” (Yunus Emre 1238 - 1320)

Alif is like a secret wrapped in mystery in side an enigma and unraveling its secrets and mystic meaning is an arduous task. It is generally assumed that Hz Ali Ibn Taleb was the first master of Arabic calligraphy. Later generations ascribe to him the invention of “two horned Alif” which may be the shape found in early inscription and called “split arrowed Alif” . Annmarie Schimmel is a proponent of the view that the earliest Arabic way of writing documents was, to say the least, the most ungainly type of script. However she goes on to say that “one of the true miracles of Islam is how this script developed in a brief span of time into a well-proportioned and highly refined calligraphy of superb beauty”.

Alif is the first syllable in the word Allah, the creator of universe who reigns supreme. Everything that we do in Islam begins with His name whom we praise as “the most Gracious, the most Merci-ful”. Allah is One with no equal or partner. It is also the first letter in the Arabic definite article (al). Or more precisely “Lam” is the definite article itself, and “Alif” is required to vocalize the sound properly, Al forming an essential part of the ninety nine names/attributes of Allah.“Alif” is written with a single downward stoke of the pen. It, therefore, symbolizes the descent of revelation, of the sending down of Divine Grace (Tanzeel). “Alif” is thus a unique letter and has special significance in Islamic calligraphy and interpretations. Allocation of numerical value of one and the geometry of its shape which resembles the numerical figure of one affirms the cardinal principle of Divine Unity of the Creator. When we think of His Unity, we acknowledge that all the varying and conflicting forces of creation are controlled by HIM alone. The “One ” is “Allah”’s qual-ity which can neither be separated into components nor duplicated. All the qualities of Allah are but signs of that which is encompassed in One. “The One” reflects Multiplicity in Unity. Alif is the first letter in Adam and Iqra. It is thus the foundation of the origin of mankind and the revelation of Holy Quran. There is also a mystical aspect of “Alif” as it is placed in the beginning of Sura 2 Al Baqara (Alif Laam Meem). Here the meanings are not assigned but man has been directed to ponder and search for its hidden meaning and significance. There are varied interpretations of this hidden meaning but all scholars agree that there is an element of mysticism about “Alif”. It is perhaps this aspect that has driven Sufi Poets of the region to strive for unity with God using “Alif”

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as a (Maarfat). Hafiz Shirazi states “On the tablet of my heart is inscribed Alif, straight and upright: what would I do with other letters when I don’t remeber anything else.

Sultan Bahu is famous for his “Through Alif my master has planted in my heart the Jasmine of Allah`s Names”.

He repeats this by stating that “Those who find the Beloved (Allah) in the letter “Alif”, need not open the Quran to read it.” He goes on to his most expressive couplet. When the Only One (Allah Al-Ahad) revealed himself to me in “Alif”, I lost myself to HIM. For me there is no nearness or dis-tance, no journey to undertake, no destination to reach.

Bulhay Shah is famous for the poem:

“You would stop striving for knowledge if only you realized the significance of Alif”. He goes on to recommend “Alif” as the best tonic for cleaning (purifying) the soul

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Alif with 99 names of AllahIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 71x55cm

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Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai repeats almost the same thoughts “Confine yourself to the study of “Alif” and forget the rest. Unless you cleanse your heart, reading pages after pages will lead you no-where”.

Volumes have been written on geometry of “Alif”. Ibn-e- Muqla, the father of Islamic calligraphy describes its shape as “straight, upright and composed of one stroke leaning neither backwards nor forward. The movement of its chest and lower back should be equipoised”. Perhaps it is for this reason that the Turks while describing a young damsel or beloved who is full of grace, poise and dignity as “Alif Gibi” or like an “Alif”. Egyptian poet laurette Shauqi compares the pillars of Al-hambra palace to the Alif written by Ibn-e-Muqla. Al Sanjani compares it to a “hermit in his prayer niche, with hair trailing over the garment” and commands the calligrapher to “write and extract it like a pliant serpent who is upright, straight and balanced and conforms to the prescribed length of seven dots each dot representing the width of the pen.”

Significate meaningful and beautiful as it may be, “Alif” can never be a replacement for Allah and hence cannot be worshipped.

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Alif with 99 names of AllahIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink and gouch colour on handmade paperSize: 71x55cm

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Isme AllahIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 71x55cm

Isme Allah with Sura-e-Ikhlas and Ayat-ul-KursiIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade paperSize: 71x55cm

Alif with Wao In Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade paperSize: 61X43cm

Man is born as WAW. All his life he struggles to be-come Alif. Ironically he only achieves it on his last breath.

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Alif with 99 names of Allah In Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 71x55cm

Alif with 99 names of AllahIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 71x55cm

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Alif with 99 names of Allah In Thuth Script

Medium: Ink on paperSize: 71x55cm

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Allah with Sura-e-Ikhlas and Ayat-ul-KursiIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade paperSize: 71x55cm

“Everything in Heaven and Earth doth declare the Glory of God the Exalted, the Wise (62:01)”The Holy Quran is replete in describing the names and attributes of Allah in the most sublime and fascinating way. Many of these have very similar or seemingly the same meanings yet they are different. It is this subtlety of Arabic language which makes the job of translator so hard. Bukha-ree, Muslim and Imam Ghazali quote the Holy Prophet as saying that “Allah has ninety nine names, one hundred minus one and Allah is Witr (ONE).There is also a consensus among the scholars that Allah`s names are not confined to the number mentioned by the Holy Prophet. The names or attributes have been explained by all the notable scholars, the most famous being Imam Ghazali. While describing the attributes of Allah, he explains how the perfections and happiness of a man consists in conforming to the perfection of God most high, and in adorning himself with the mean-ings of His attributes.Broadly they can be divided into following major categories:

Divine Unity of Allah:He is Allah, there is no Allah but HE ………….( 59:22). The most fundamental basis of God`s at-tributes is Unity or Oneness, When we think of HIS unity we acknowledge that all the varying and conflicting forces of creation are controlled by HIM alone. HIS knowledge extends to everything seen and unseen, present and future, near and far, in being and not in being, in fact these con-trasts which apply to our knowledge, do not apply to HIM.The Oneness of Allah has been described in the Holy Quran as “Al Wahid” and “Al Ahad”. In Arabic

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AllahIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Allah with Origami Japanese paperSize: 71x55cm

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language the word Ahad was used in general manner. But after the revelation of Quran it is used specifically for Allah as” The Only One” who has no equal, the sole creator of Universe with no help or partner and sole authority that regulates the universe and provides for all HIS creation.“The One” is Allah`s quality which can neither be separated into components nor duplicated. All the qualities of Allah are but signs of that which is hidden within the One. “The One” reflects mul-tiplicity in unity.

The meaning of the name Allah is so specific that it is inconceivable that there could even be sharing of the name whether it be metaphoric or literal. In view of this, the rest of the Names are described as Names of Allah. This is because the Name Allah, is more indicative of the true nature of divinity and is therefore, more specific. It is for this reason that Allah cannot be described as the name of other attribute like, The Sovereign, The Judge, the Patient etc.

Creative Energy:The act or acts of creation have various aspects. It has been described so beautifully in Sura Hashar (59:24), Allah being the Creator (Al Khaliq), the maker of perfect Harmony (Al Bari) and the shaper of Unique Beauty (Al Musawwir). The act of creation has been described in the Holy Quran as “in-stant (KunFayakun Be and It is) by Al Mubdi, the ONE who created for the first time all things from nothing. But nothing which is created is random or without purpose and neither is it an accident. Before anything is created, Allah determines, and defines its place, life and grants all energies and capacities to HIS creation to function according to the laws established by HIM. The creator (Alkhaliq) manifests the quality of Maker of Perfect Harmony (Al Bari) by bringing into being per-fect harmony not only each thing within itself but with every other creature. The Shaper of Unique Beauty (Al Musawwir) implies each creation is perfect and unique as no two things are created alike.This is also the reason for attributing the title of Al Salam, the Flawless to Allah. There is no imper-fections or traces of deficiency except that which is prescribed by and emanates from Allah alone. Al Salam is also giver of peace and therefore, used in the Muslim (and Jewish) greetings. The evo-

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Alif with 99 names of AllahIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 71x55cm

Alif with 99 names of AllahIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 71x55cm

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lution and control of creations are controlled by the Guardian (Al Muhaymin).

Power and Majesty: A fairly large number of attributes refer to the power and absolute control of Allah over all His cre-ations. “To Him belong the kingdom of heavens and the Earth (2:107)”. Allah has been called the king of absolute (Malik Ul Mulk). “Say ‘Oh Allah! King of Absolute Sovereignty. You give power to whom you please and strip off power from whom you please. (3:26)”. The Majestic (Al Jalil) as we know includes strength (Al Qawi) nobility (Al Majid), Power to Control (Al Qadir) and Govern (Al Wali), Wealth (Al Ghani) the Just (Al Adil). The absolutely Majestic is Allah alone. Add to it, the attributes of Al Kabir, the Great and Al Azim, the Magnificent & this Majesty becomes Beauty and the name Al Jamil, the Beautiful emerges. This perception of beauty is by power of insight. Sovereignty is not limited and covers the complete Universe, hence Al Wasi, the Vast. “To Allah belongs the East and the and West, Whichever way you turn, there is Allah and the presence of Allah is Vast (2:115)”.

Allah self discloses His presence through the manifestation of most beautiful names. We start with A Quddus, the Holy. “All that is in heavens and earth magnifies the Holy (Al Qudus) (62:1)”. “Al Salam the Flawless (59:23)” describes Allah’s quality of lacking all imperfections or any trace of deficiency. “Allah is incomparable” (Al Aziz) 59:23 brings out the uniqueness of Allah. A com-mon Arabic expression Allah Al Almi, (Allah knows best) aptly describes the attribute of knowl-edge or The Knower (Allah A’lam) (2:29). Al Sami. The All Hearing (3:35) and Al Basir, The All

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Allah with AttributesIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 71x55cm

Allah with 99 namesIn Thuth Script

Medium: Ink on handmade paper and Ebru

Size: 53x56cm

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Seeing (4:58). “Glorify the name of your Lord the Highest” (Al A’la) (87:1) puts Allah above everything else. He becomes the pinnacle and worthy of all praise. Allah is the Truth (Al Haqq) 22:6. Everything except Allah is temporal as its existence springs from someone other than itself. The only exception is Allah so He becomes Al Hayy, the living and Al Qayyum the self existing (2:255) These are unique attributes of Allah for He was when nothing existed and He will be when there is nothing, therefore we praise him as Al Samad, The Eternal and the First and the Last (Al Awwal Al Akhir) (57:3). He is not only our Guide & Helper (Al Hadi) 25:31 but is light of heavens and earth (Al Nur) (24:35)

The Merciful“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most merciful (1:01). These attributes of compas-sion and Mercy form integral part of Bismillah which is placed before every sura of Quran except the ninth. Rahman and Rahim are both intensive forms referring to different aspects of God`s attribute of Mercy which may imply pity, patience and forgiveness that a man needs and God be-stows. God`s mercy is not restricted to only a man`s needs but is bestowed even before that need arises. The attributes of Mercy far outnumber the attributes of Fear and punishment. Allah is the source of All Goodness (Al Barr) who is constantly loving his creatures, protecting them, guarding them, preserving them, and leading them to clearer light and higher life. (“My mercy embraces Everything.”) (7:156) which implies that Allah`s mercy is all inclusive and extended to the worthy and unworthy alike. The compassionate, on the other hand is the quality which Allah manifests only to the believers. He is compassionate to the believers (33:43). Thus Allah shows compassion towards those who use their freewill to chose HIS way in order to be saved in the Hereafter. And finally HE is the patient Al Sabur (8:46) the Accepter of Repentance ( Al Tawaab) (2:37), Al Afuww the Pardoner (22:60) and Al Rauf, the Clement to HIS devotees (2:207) which shows that Allah`s mercy and forgiveness are not restricted.

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Allah with AttributesIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade paper and EbruSize: 85x62cm

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The PunisherThe attribute of Al Darr, The Punisher and similar names are used mostly in invocations and a re-minder that the evil and wrongdoing will be punished by Allah dispite his being the most compas-sionate and the most merciful.Al Muntaqim, The Avenger is Allah`s quality which breaks the back of the arrogant, punishes crim-inals and tyrants. “Verily for those who transgress, we shall extract retribution (32:22).”Al Mumit, The Life taker (2:28) reminds the mankind that there is no Life Giver or Life Taker ex-cept Allah. Al Muhsi, The Appraiser (58:6) explains the attribute of Allah where every deed is recorded for which man would have to account on the day of Judgement.Al Qahhar, The Subduer (40:16) warns the enemies of Allah about HIS power of killing and humil-iating them.Al Jabbar, The Compeller (59:23) describes the quality of being effective in terms of Allah`s will which always prevails and through which HE compels HIS creatures to obey HIS counseling.

The Balance:The Merciful attributes of Allah far outnumber the attributes of fear and punishment. The attri-butes of punishment are also balanced by the softer and merciful ones.Al Qahhar, The Subduer is balanced by Al Ghaffar, the forgiver in (40: 16 and 40: 42).Al Qabid, The Constrictor and Al Basit are contained in one sentence: Allah constricts and ex-pands (2:45).The Constrictor holds the means of subsistence and takes the soul at the time of death while ex-pander amplifies the means of subsistence and breathes soul into the body at the time of birth.

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Al-Khaliq Al-Bari with some AttributesIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 43x58 cm

Al Wasi Al Hakam with some AttributesIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 43x58 cm

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Al Khafid, The Abaser abases the unbelievers by means of misfortune while Al Rafi The Exalter, exalts the believers by means of good fortune. (56:1 -3). Similarly, “HE honors whomsoever HE likes and Dishonor whomsoever He wishes (3:26)”. Al Hasib, The Reckoner (4:6) is balanced by Al Ghafur, The Concealer of Faults (2:173), while everything that a man does is in Allah`s knowledge and is being recorded, the concealer of Faults brings an element of Forgiveness which is a bit different from the Forgiver (Al Ghafar).Al Muhyii, The Lifer Giver and Al Mumit, The Life Taker are also described in one sentence (2:28). “He is the First (Al Awal) and the Last (Al Akhir) (57:3).The Manifest (Al Zhahir) and The Hidden (Al Batin) and HE has full knowledge of things (57:3).Al Muntaqim, The Avenger (32:22) is balanced by Al Afuww The Pardoner (22:60) and Al Rauf, The Clement (2:207).

The Conclusion:Of the Ninety-Nine attributes of Allah, I feel that the most repeated and most emphasized are the attributes of Divine Unity (Wahdat) and Mercy. The path to Salvation is to acknowledge the Sover-eignty of Allah and ask for HIS mercy and compassion.

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Al Hayo Al QLayyumIn Thuth Script

Medium: Ink on handmade Rajastani paper

Size: 22x22cm

Ya Malik ul MulkIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmadeRajas-tani paper Size: 22x22cm

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Al wahid Al Ahad with some attributesIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paper

Size: 36x36 cm

Hoo Wal Aliyol Azeem In Thuth Script

Medium: Ink on paperSize: 43x58 cm

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AllahIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Gold on Ebru paperSize: 37x32cm

Ebru is the Turkish art of Marbling which is achieved by creating col-ourful pattern by sprinkling and brushing colour pigments on pan of oily water and then transform-ing this pattern to paper. I used papers made by Ozlem Capur, a young upcoming artist who has experimented successfully with fabric and lather using Ebru tech-nology

Ebru

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Allah with ebruIn Thuth ScriptMedium: With gold on ebru paper Size: 37X32cm

Allah with ebruIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink and gold on Ebru

paper Size: 37x32cm

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Bismillah Arrahman ArrahimIn Thuth Script

Medium: Ink on paper and EbruSize:37x32cm

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Alif with Ayyat ul KursiIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade paperSize: 61x30cm

Ayat ul Kursi has been called as Sayyed ul Ayat, one of the most read ayats of Holy Quran beside Sura-e-Ikhlas and Sura-e-Faatiha. It reiterates concepts of oneness of the Creator (Tauhid) and describe the attributes of Allah. Being a Madni revelation it is addressed to the Muslims who had already accepted Islam and is thus aimed at the hidden “shirk” within the Muslim commu-nity of Madina. The form of revelation is simply beau-tiful. It starts with naming Allah and then describes Him as unique and sole creator of universe.In the subsequent text Allah is referred to as HUWA, HOO, LAHOO, HEE while describing His attributes which reiterate his absolute supremecy over the uni-verse.

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Ayat ul Kursi

Ayat-ul-KursiIn Thuth Script

Medium: Ink on handmade Rajistani paperSize: 40x35cm

Alif and Ayat-ul-KursiIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 71x55cm

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Ayat-ul-KursiIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade Rajistani paperSize: 55x40 cm

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Repetition of Waao in Waao In Thuth Script

Medium: Ink on paper with Gold and Japnese origami paper.

Size:39x53cm

WaaoIn Thuth Script

Medium: Ink on paperSize: 37x32

Repetition of Waao in Waao In Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperand EbruSize: 39x53cm

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Kun Faya KunIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade paperSize: 60x76cm

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HooIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paper and pigment coloursSize: 71x54 cm

In Chinese philosophy Yin and Yang de-scribe how seemingly opposite or contrary forms may actually be complimentary, interconnected and interdependent. The fusion of the two cosmic forces creates the energy which makes up and brings balance in all aspects and phenomena of life.

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Subhan Allahi Wabi HamdihiIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade paperSize: 39x53cm

Watasimu behablilahiIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade paperSize: 39X53cm

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Bismillah Arrahman Arrahim In Mirror.In Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade paperSize: 30x43cm

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SanaaIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade paperSize: 61x42cm

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Surah Fateha In Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on handmade Rajastani paperSize: 29X41cm

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DuaIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 55x71cm

“O Allah, forgive me my sins, those which i commited unknowingly and those which i commited knowingly”

DuaIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paper

Size: 51x77cm

“O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, grant me safety, grant me sustenance and guide me aright”

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DuaIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paper

Size: 55x71cm

“O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me and admit me into Jannah”

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DUAIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 55x71cm

“O Allah I beg your forgiveness for every sin (i have com-mited) and i repent to you”

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Subahan AllahIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paperSize: 40X39cm

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Surah NaasIn Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink and pigment on handmade paperSize: 63x42cm

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Allah de MalshahPashtu In Thuth ScriptMedium: Ink on paper

Size:27X34cm

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Lt Gen (R) Huamyun Khan BangashLt. Gen Humayun Khan Bangash has had a very successful and varied career. He retired as a Corps Commander of Lahore and was appointed Pakistan`s Ambassador to Turkey and Mace-donia. He was the founding Chairman of Askari Bank Limited and CEO of World Call Communi-cationsGenera Bangash is an active member of prestigious Think Tanks of the country viz PILDAT and Pakistan National Forum) He is also President of India Pakistan Soldiers Initiative for Peace (IPSI)His latent passion and talent for Calligraphy came to light when he joined Hast- o -Neest under the tutorship of Ustad Irfan Qureshi at the age of 70. Within a short span of six years he has held successful exhibitions in Tokyo, Kobe (Japan), and Lahore and is recognized as an accomplished calligrapher of the countryIn 2014 he was elected Patron of Calligrapher`s Society of Pakistan

Exhibitions 2012 – “Sareer-e-Khama”, Art of the Pen, International Exhibition of Calligraphy at Punjab University

Solo Shows 2015 – Exhibition organized by the Pakistan Embassy Tokyo and Inaugurated by Prin cess Takamado 2016 – Exhibition organized by Hast o Neest and Inaugurated by Kamil Khan Mumtaz 2016 – Exhibition organized by the Hyogo Prefectural Art Museum of Kobe and Inaugu rated by Mr. Toshizo do, Governor of Kobe 2016 – Exhibition organized by Lahore Garrison and Inaugurated by Lt. Gen. Sadiq Ali, HI(M) Commander Lahore Corps