World-renowned master and teacher of Arabic calligraphy, Haji Noor Deen Mi Guang Jiang often repeats to his students the words: “Patience is beautiful.” His words impress upon all who have learned from him the centrality of Arabic Calligraphy within the study of Islam. Haji Noor explains Arabic Calligraphy is considered an Islamic science because it preserves the written word of Allah ﷻ and is a means of purification of the nafs.
In his recent visit to the United States, Darul Qasim College (DQC) in collaboration with Deen Arts Foundation (DAF) had the honor of hosting Islamic Calligraphy classes with Haji Noor and his master students at the college’s Glendale Heights campus from December 29th to January 2nd. All were able to witness firsthand this methodology of “patience is beautiful.” The first session was open to the public and attended by approximately 100 men and women from the local and greater Chicagoland area. The following 4 days were organized as an immersive seminar. The seminar was advertised in early December and reached capacity within a short period of time with students waitlisted. The response to attend was overwhelming. Of the 30 registered participants, 50% were DQC students and 50% other students. In these four days, students were immersed in the art of Islamic calligraphy with Hoca and his advanced students. Attendees received instructions on Chinese and Arabic calligraphic traditions, alongside guided exercises utilizing ink, calligraphy instruments, and special paper.
Darul Qasim was happy to welcome Hoca Haji Noor’s students from neighboring states that came to visit him. These visitors, along with students that were first-time visitors to our campus, were very pleased to be at DQC and eager to learn more about it. Hoca Haji Noor also shared that this experience left a great impression upon him as someone who has a deep appreciation of Islamic aesthetics. From his perspective, Darul Qasim is unique and unmatched as a college and he is full of admiration for Shaykh Amin and the organizers.
