العصر

Al-Asr
The Declining Day, Eventide, The Epoch, Time

This Crazy Blue-Gold Silk can change color depending on how the light hits it.

The section directly around the artwork on this scroll (sample images are from a different scroll). The top and bottom of this scroll are a different green brocade.

This artwork features Al-Asr, the 103rd chapter (sūrah) of the Qur’ān. There are just 3 verses in this short chapter.

وَالْعَصْرِ‌
By Time (God swears By time).

2. إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ‌
Indeed man is in loss,

3. إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ‌‌
...except those who have faith and do righteous deeds, and enjoin one another to [follow] the truth, and enjoin one another to patience.

This is printed on handmade paper with a high-fiber content (you will see lots of natural husks and fibers pressed into this paper). The artwork was then mounted to a handmade two-tone silk brocade wall scroll.

The result is a beautiful and elegant presentation of this Islamic calligraphy.

I do not currently have a contact for a calligrapher who can write Arabic script like this by hand. If you are a Thuluth (ثلث ṯuluṯ) calligrapher, please contact me, I would love to be able to offer hand-painted versions of Arabic calligraphy (of course, that will cost more, so prints like this will always be a lot cheaper).