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Manuscript/Mixed Material Id (feast day) prayer for good fortune

About this Item

Title

  • Id (feast day) prayer for good fortune

Names

  • Agha Muhammad 'Ali

Created / Published

  • 18th-19th centuries

Headings

  • -  Calligraphy, Arabic
  • -  Calligraphy, Persian
  • -  Manuscripts, Persian--Washington (D.C.)
  • -  India
  • -  Calligraphy, Indian
  • -  Arabic script calligraphy
  • -  Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Indian naskh
  • -  Islamic calligraphy
  • -  Islamic manuscripts

Notes

  • -  Two bayts (verses) wishing prosperity on the occasion of an 'id (Nowruz), written in Indian naskh script by calligrapher Agha Muhammad 'Ali in India.
  • -  Dimensions of Written Surface: 17.9 (w) x 32.9 (h) cm
  • -  'id shud jashn-i nu mubarak bad / taj-i dawlat tura bi-tarak bad / hafiz u nasirat bi-har du jahan / sura-yi fath ba tabarak bad
  • -  In the lower left corner appears the calligrapher's signature, which reads: mashaqahu al-faqir (written by the poor) Agha Muhammad 'Ali (or Muhammad 'Ali Agha). Part of the signature -- along with the last word (bad) of the poem's final verse -- has been filled in later, since a part of the original calligraphy was lost or damaged.
  • -  In this prayer probably written for the celebration of the New Year ('Id-i Noruz), a patron is wished protection through two Qur'anic chapters, namely Surat al-Fath (Victory, Qur'an 48) and Surat Tabarak (Blessing), otherwise known as Surat al-Mulk (The Kingdom, Qur'an 67). These two verses of the Qur'an are known for their apotropaic and protective powers, and thus are appropriate in a prayer wishing success and well-being.
  • -  It is 'id, congratulations on the new celebration / May the crown of fortune be your summit / May the Chapters of Victory and Blessing / Be your protectors and supporters in both worlds.
  • -  Muhammad 'Ali is otherwise unrecorded. However, judging from the fragment's script and theme (e.g., 1-04-713.19.3, 1-04-713.19.49, 1-04-713.19.48, and 1-84-154.51), it is possible to suggest that this piece was executed in India sometime during the 18th or 19th century as a New Year's gift to an eminent patron.
  • -  The verses are executed in Indian naskh script in dark brown ink and are framed by cloud bands on a background painted with a light brown wash. Each bayt is executed in diagonal and contained in a separate rectangular frame. The whole of the text frame has been pasted to a larger sheet of beige paper backed by cardboard.
  • -  This calligraphic fragment includes two bayts (verses) wishing its owner prosperity and happiness on the occasion of an 'id.
  • -  Script: Indian naskh
  • -  1-85-154.99

Medium

  • 1 volume ; 27.8 (w) x 43.4 (h) cm

Repository

  • Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2019714631

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, African and Middle East Division, Near East Section Persian Manuscript Collection

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Agha Muhammad 'Ali. Id Feast Day Prayer for Good Fortune. 18th-19th Centuries. Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714631/.

APA citation style:

Agha Muhammad 'Ali. Id Feast Day Prayer for Good Fortune. 18th-19th Centuries. [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2019714631/.

MLA citation style:

Agha Muhammad 'Ali. Id Feast Day Prayer for Good Fortune. 18th-19th Centuries. Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2019714631/>.