Calligraphers often produced single-page compositions consisting of lines in the most common script hands used in Ottoman calligraphy arranged one beneath the other, as a way of displaying their skill in the different scripts. In his colophon the calligrapher Hamid Aytaç has written, ‘Copied from the calligraphy of el-Hac Ahmed Kâmil, known as head of calligraphers, by Hâmid el-Âmidî in the year 1386/1964, with thanks to God and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad and all his family.’
The composition begins with the words hutût-ı mütenevvia written twice in two different scripts, kufi and sülüs, one below the other. The thirteen lines that follow this heading consist of Koranic verses and hadith in Arabic written in a variety of script hands. The first line in celi sülüs (celi is the magnified form of a script) reads, ‘Let us commence all we do with the besmele, so that by calling upon His eternal name our tasks may be propitious. Undoubtedly He hears those prayers.’ Below this is a hadith in nesih: ‘The Lord Prophet declared: The pen first wrote the besmele. So when you copy a book begin by writing the besmele.’ The next lines in muhakkak are verse 29 of the Müminun surah: ‘My Lord! Cause me to land at a blessed landing-place, for Thou art best of all who bring to land.’ There follow two hadith, one a line in sülüs beneath this reading, ‘Ebu’l Muzaffer declared: The young should serve the old not in words but deeds,’ followed by a line of tevki, ‘Teach your children calligraphy as a gift to them, because calligraphy is the most important of all tasks and the greatest joy. Ali, assigned by God, thus spoke truly.’ The next two lines in fine tevki read, ‘The Prophet of God –may prayers and salutations be upon him– declared: A Muslim is brother of a Muslim; he does him no wrong nor rejects his wish or scorns him. This is where piety lies. And he pointed three times to his heart. For a person to scorn a Muslim brother is a sin. The blood, property and honour of every Muslim is forbidden to other Muslims. The Prophet of God spoke truly.’ Then comes a line in celi talik reading, ‘Let us commence all we do with the besmele, so that by calling upon His eternal name our tasks may be productive. Undoubtedly He hears those prayers.’ This is followed by a hadith in two lines of fine talik reading, ‘The Lord Prophet declared: God loves best those places with many mosques. The place he loves least are marketplaces. I counsel you to pray to God in private and in public, to eat little, sleep little, talk little, beware of sinning, not to be over familiar with others, and to fast.’ Below this are sentences in old divani hand: ‘He is holy, in need of no one, provider of everyone’s needs, helper to all, dispeller of misery and troubles, who blesses everyone with success. His names are sacred, His blessings bountiful and unending, and His goodness unlimited.’ The following lines in celi divani are verses 17-19 of the Rum surah: ‘So glory be to God when you enter the night and when you enter the morning. Unto Him be praise in the heavens and the earth, and at the sun’s decline and in the noonday. He bringeth forth the living from the dead and He bringeth forth the dead from the living, and He reviveth the earth after her death. And even so will ye be brought forth.’ The final line in rıka reads, ‘Virtue is precious; the person who is alone is in jeopardy; many gather at the spring of sweet water; be gentle to the people that you may be treated so in return; speak gently that you may receive a reply; gentle words conquer hearts; people’s tongues are responsible for bringing trouble upon their heads; humility brings a person respect, and arrogance his destruction.’ A thin line has been drawn beneath the last line of text, dividing it from the colophon. The illumination and halkâr gilding are the work of the master illuminator of the period Rikkat Kunt, whose signature ‘Rikkat’ is written in the lower part of the ruled gold border.
