He is the calligrapher (Abbas Shaker Judy Al-Baghdadi) and he is known as Abbas Al-Baghdadi
Calligrapher Abbas Al-Baghdadi was born in 1951 in the city of Baghdad, and his original home is the State of Iraq.
Abbas Al-Baghdadi:
An Iraqi calligrapher, author, and teacher of Arabic calligraphy and Islamic ornamentation. Among his works is the design of the Iraqi civil status card, the nationality certificate, the Iraqi currency, the Iraqi passport, and the emblem of the state. After the occupation of Iraq to Jordan and then America to avoid the danger of the threat, he worked in teaching Arabic calligraphy in Jordan from 2003 until 2008, and designed one of the currency denominations in Abu Dhabi, then he worked in teaching Arabic calligraphy at the International Institute of Islamic Thought in Virginia in 2009, he won the Baghdad Prize For the best young painters (Baghdad) 1969, and he worked in the Arab House for Printing and Publishing and Dar Al-Hurriya for Printing and Publishing in Baghdad from 1975 to 1980, and he was appointed as a professor of Arabic calligraphy for the Iraqi Calligraphers Association in Baghdad, Iraq from 1975 to 1990. He is acquainted with modern scientific studies, writes in multiple lines, and increases his interest and mastery of the obvious third line and the naskh line. Abbas Al-Baghdadi’s salary during the siege was 24 dollars, and when he was assigned to write the Qur’an with Saddam’s blood, he was rewarded with 3 thousand dollars, just as the rest of the members of the committee for writing the Qur’an were rewarded with 3 thousand dollars for each one of them. They asked me to write all kinds of manuscripts, all official documents of ministries and courts and documents that accompany decorations, but I was not rewarded fairly.”
He is one of the greatest calligraphers in the Islamic world ever because of his geometric sense of anatomy of letters and their golden proportions. Al-Baghdadi was able to develop his calligraphy capabilities individually and his talent is so, and he was called the “Architect of Letters” because he deserves it.
The strange thing is that he seemed to be a professional painter, and whoever watches Abbas's drawing does not believe that he left drawing and became attached to Arabic calligraphy... and this is what many do not know about him. Among his other capabilities is that he is fluent in everything entrusted to him in the field of art, design and printing...
The advantage of his creativity is the cleanliness of the letter, the strength of the composition, and the beauty of the calligraphy painting’s calligraphy, which is also dazzlingly decorated.... Al-Baghdadi produced paintings that were not produced by a calligrapher before him, neither from the Arabs nor from the Turks, but the fruit of his production is three pamphlets of Arabic calligraphy in a format that does not resemble other pamphlets in terms of the method of teaching . And Al-Baghdadi can write on any of the methods of Arabic calligraphy from the first freshness... But his three pamphlets have a special character from the Baghdadi school in the unique style of Al-Baghdadi.
So you see him writing with the power of Sami al-Turki, the agility of Shawqi, and clean and radiant compositions....and we can see that in his wonderful paintings and ornaments spread all over the world. Al-Baghdadi possesses glory and fathers that no one else possesses..and despite his difficulty and sharp temperament, he is humble, simple, and has a kind heart.
And the pamphlets produced by Al-Baghdadi, the first is the balance of Arabic calligraphy, which is found in the posts of one of the brothers who are members of the forum, and the second is the pamphlet of the Qur’anic transcription, which is wonderful and specializes in anatomical and detailed copywriting, and the third is the pamphlet of Tuhfat Al-Mizan for the collection of Arabic calligraphy and with a new output that is not similar to the other pamphlets, which are Al-Jamal and Al-Ru’ because it was written by 1 \1 There is a difficulty known to calligraphers.
Al-Baghdadi emigrated from Adhamiya, which he could only reluctantly leave, and settled in Amman...then he immigrated to America and many calligraphers studied under him, such as Muthanna Al-Obeidi, Nabil Al-Sharifi and many others....... This is Al-Baghdadi in a nutshell.
Designing the nationality certificate, the civil status identity, the Iraqi passport, the Iraqi currency, and the emblem of the Iraqi state, the Qur’an of the Iraqi state in 1998.
Arabic calligraphy balance booklet in 1986 and the balance masterpiece booklet in 1990.
Writing many calligraphic paintings on the walls of Iraqi mosques and some Arab countries. In addition to teaching the basics and rules of Arabic calligraphy.
Professor Abbas Al-Baghdadi's Journey with Arabic Calligraphy:
He won the Baghdad Prize for Best Young Painters (Baghdad) 1969.
He worked as a calligrapher in the Arab House for Printing and Publishing and Dar Al-Hurriya for Printing and Publishing in Baghdad 1975-1980.
He worked as the head of calligraphers in the Iraqi state 1988-2003.
He held the position of President of the Iraqi Calligraphers Association in Baghdad, Iraq 1999-2003.
Professor of Arabic Calligraphy at the Iraqi Calligraphers Association in Baghdad, Iraq 1975-1990.
He wrote many covers of scientific, literary, cultural and religious books. He worked as the chief calligrapher in the Iraqi state 1988-2003.
He taught Arabic calligraphy in Amman (Jordan) in 2003-2008.
He designed some Arabic calligraphy works for the Jordanian royal family. Calligraphy of the titles of the Noble Kiswa Book, Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia in 2006.
Participated in the special exhibition of Arabic calligraphy in the Emirate of Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) in 2007.
Designed the currency of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) in 2007.
Teaching Arabic calligraphy at the Institute of Islamic Thought, Herndon, Virginia, 2009. Holding a workshop at the Richmond Museum, Virginia, 2009.
Holding a workshop in the Islamic Museum of Georgia 2009.
Consultation in the establishment of a museum of Arabic and Islamic manuscripts at the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC 2009.
Participation in the International Exhibition of Arab and Islamic Art 2009.
Holding a workshop at the Adam Hernden Center, Virginia, 2009.
The Qur’an was written in blood:
Calligrapher Abbas Al-Baghdadi remembers that day in 1999 when he received instructions from Saddam Hussein to write down a copy of the Noble Qur’an. He later learned that the ink was from Saddam Hussein’s blood!!
Al-Baghdadi described the two years he spent completing the project. He would start work at seven in the morning and would often continue for 16 hours a day. He said that they used to bring him a new batch of Saddam Hussein's blood every two weeks. He considered that forcing him to commit that sin, for no reason other than to satisfy Saddam Hussein's ego, was the most heinous insult he received from the previous regime. And the work was always done in the presence of a security official who puts his gun on the table to remind the calligrapher of what awaits him if he shows any complacency. He did not interrupt his work except for short periods of time to rest or pray in the small mosque nearby, "and they used to accompany me even when I went to prayer."
In 2001, the manuscript was presented in an official ceremony, and placed in Saddam Hussein's museum. The museum was looted after the fall of the regime, and that copy has disappeared since that time. Calligrapher Abbas Al-Baghdadi currently runs a small school for budding calligraphers, and confirms that he intends to write a new version of the Holy Qur’an, this time using the ink of traditional calligraphers, because this is the noblest task for professionals in the profession ▪️
May Allah forgive him and have mercy on him
