Hajj Wafaa Explains His Art

By: Ahmed Almansouri

Hajj Wafaa’s job demands that he spends about ten hours intensely concentrating on each stroke and meticolous detail as he completes a piece of art. Is he a painter? No. He does it with the help of a computer. A graphic designer? Take another guess.

Wafaa, 43, of Kufa, Iraq, is a freelance professional Islamic calligraphist — one of the very few in Boston, MA.

He has been teaching Islamic calligraphy classes in Boston since 2004. He teaches student how to write the Arabic letters and provides them with tools to practice and eventually perfect the talent.

“I assume that I am the first one that started establishing classes in Arabic calligraphy in Boston,” said Wafaa.

The first class he taught was at the Center for Arabic Culture (CAC) in Somerville. He now teaches in many different locations that include the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC) in Roxbury and the Adult Education Center in Cambridge.

His classes usually range between 5–7 people, with a maximum capacity of 15. A majority of Wafaa’s students are Americans, who have an interest for Islamic Calligraphy. He always requests a small number of people to make sure that those who put the time get his fullest attention. Everyone learns in different ways and arrives at a different level.

“Because I have to start with each student to help him/her out,” said Wafaa. “I have to teach them how to handle the pen, how to write. I can’t rely just on lecturing.”

Even though his students don’t know or understand Arabic, something about the calligraphy captures their hearts and motivates them to learn more about this art.

Some students come all the way from Rhode Island for a class. Whenever he has time, he wants to dedicate it to teaching and educating people about Islamic art.

During the first Islamic century, Islamic calligraphy was born in the city of Medina in the Hijaz region, which is modern day Western Saudi Arabia. It is the artistic practice of handwriting based on the Arabic language. Islamic calligraphy is deeply rooted within the religion of Islam and the Quran. Most, if not all, pieces of calligraphy portray popular phrases like (Bismilah) which means “in the name of God.” While figurative art was seen as taboo, calligraphy became the major form of art expression throughout the Muslim world.

Islamic calligraphy is the one of types of calligraphy that is truly alive today, in terms of popularity. In Chinese calligraphy, there are only two styles of writing. Arabic calligraphy on the other hand has a wide range of writing styles.

“It has more variety and flexibility than any other form of calligraphy,” said Wafaa.

But the real power of the art derives from its spiritual foundations. What makes Islamic calligraphy further stand out is that it is attached to something spiritual, the religion of Islam. Most of what is written in Islamic calligraphy is verses from the Quran, among other things like poetry.

Wafaa was born and raised in Kufa, Iraq to Iraqi parents. When he was 15, his grandfather was running a store that created posters and signs for shops. This was before laser printers, so they had to hand-write these signs. Wafaa would see the amount of work that would go into creating these signs, and that sparked his interest in practicing calligraphy.

“That captured my eyes and made me start practicing Arabic calligraphy,” said Wafaa.

He didn’t have anyone to learn calligraphy from so he taught himself how to write calligraphy and was determined to succeed.

He then moved to Rafha, Saudi Arabia in 1991 as a refugee. While in Rafha, Wafaa didn’t have the necessary tools to practice calligraphy, so he had to create the tools by himself.

The traditional tool used for Islamic calligraphy is called the “qalam”, which is a pen made of dried reed or bamboo. A variety of colored ink is used as opposed to only black ink. Islamic calligraphy is not only applied on paper, but also on tiles, vessels, carpets, inscriptions and even the Kaaba in Mekkah has calligraphic artwork on it.

For ink, he made red powder from berries and mixed it with water to create red ink. His time in Rafha as a refugee was extremely difficult, but it gave him a chance to put serious time into his art.

“At the refugee camp, we had nothing to do. I spent almost twelve hours everyday for practicing,” said Wafaa.

There are many different styles inIslamic calligraphy. The oldest form is called Kufic, rigid and simplistic in its form.

“It is a very simple form of writing, without dots. It is nothing fancy,” said Wafaa.

Many other forms came after including Persian, Ruqaa and Maghrebi.

“I like to use Thuluth a lot. It is challenging and at the same time beautiful,” said Wafaa.

Naskh is another style, that is more modern and is the font used in the Quran. It is cursive, connected and a joy to look at. It is the basis of modern Arabic print. Diwani and Diwani Djeli followed and came from the Ottoman Empire, where every person had to learn Islamic calligraphy to be hired.

“Diwani Djeli is the font with the most space for creativity. You can go crazy with that font,” said Wafaa.

Naskh and Thuluth are what Wafaa uses to teach beginners, especially American students. It is easy to dissect the letters and it is a simple and easy font to understand.

The Arabic saying, “Purity of writing is purity of the soul,” shows the status of calligraphers in the early Islamic years. Talented calligraphers attained high positions such as scribes and teachers. They believed that the more pious a person is the better his calligraphy will be.

In 1997, he was one of the lucky few that were chosen to move to Boston from the refugee camp. Even till this day Wafaa still makes his own ink and believes calligraphers should do the same. Even though there is ink available in stores calligraphers shouldn’t solely depend on that.

“ I mix paint powder with Arabic gum (liquid form called Mistaka) to create my ink,” said Wafaa.

He still sees himself as constantly learning and doesn’t refer to him self as a professional.

“ I am always seeking knowledge,” said Wafaa. “It is true that I don’t have a teacher, but I feel like a student and I will continue to be a student. I will keep learning.”

Besides teaching classes, Wafaa also gets hired to write calligraphy for special events. These events are more catered to Arabs, for occasions like Eid, which is the celebration after the holy month of Ramadan. An Arab themed event is also on Wafaa’s resume.

His most recent event was at Boston University. The BU Arabic Society hosted an event titled “Coffee & Calligraphy”, where they hosted Wafaa to speak about the history of Islamic calligraphy and the students got to practice writing their names in Arabic. He usually receives about 5–6 requests a year, depending on the occasion.

For the first four years in Boston, Wafaa did not have time to practice calligraphy. He was starting on a blank slate and was working most of his time to secure a life for his family. He got married in Boston and was under a great deal of pressure just to make ends meet. He worked in restaurants as a dishwasher, cellphone service companies, and building motors at Kawasaki. Then he realized that he had to do something about practicing his art.

“Calligraphy is not something that can be forgotten,” said Wafaa. “Like painting or singing. If you tried it once or twice, you will always come back to it.”

When he is preparing a piece to write, Wafaa uses both handwriting and Photoshop and Illustrator to help him finish the piece. He studied graphic design at Gibbs College in Newbury.

“This allows me to save time and be accurate when preparing a piece,” said Wafaa.

He uses Photoshop and Illustrator to structure letters and texts to balance the whole piece. There needs to be even space in a calligraphic text.

His biggest challenge he currently faces is time. Even when he teaches classes, he has to come up with a plan to teach non-Arab students and Arab students and answer questions. On top of all this, he currently holds three jobs. He is an Art teacher at Noor Academy in Mansfield and the Islamic Academy of New England, and he is also a driver for Uber.

“I arrived at a point where it is impossible for me to stop calligraphy,” said Wafaa. “Sometimes I even teach classes at my house.”

“Nowadays, especially in the United States, the media tends to focus on the negative aspects of Islam and the Muslim community,” said Wafaa. “We need to let Western people know that Islam is a beautiful religion with a rich past.”

Wafaa eventually wants to establish an organization that addresses Islamic calligraphy and art. It would include classes, exhibitions, and a hub that attracts young artists.

“I feel the United States gives me an opportunity to achieve this goal,” said Wafaa.

Wafaa states that when you are writing Arabic calligraphy you have to be in a calm state of mind.

One of his students told him “Since I started practicing calligraphy with you I learned how to be patient.”

You have to have some sort of inner peace and tranquility. It is a mix of emotion and writing. It is a spiritual process and you have to treat the pen, paper and ink with the utmost respect.

“I ask all American people to discover Islamic art. It is a peaceful way to understand Muslim people and Islam,” said Wafaa. “Change the way you think of Islam.”