Mohammad Husain Kashmiri
A Calligraphy Genius from Kashmir
Hamid Reza Ghelichkhan
Introduction: Scribing and calligraphy from the dawn of the Islamic period received much attention due to support from Quran and Muslim scribes, and achieved the highest social status. Calligraphy is the only art whose tradition of apprentice and mastery goes back to the Imams (peace be upon them) and is called a sacred art. Among Muslims, entering to the Indian subcontinent and spreading Islamic culture in this area, the Iranians could have more effect on Indian's art of calligraphy than others. Researchers believe that the Iranians have tried in develop and establish Islamic borders more than Arabs, such as Ibn-e Muqla Shirazi (272-328 A.H. / 885-940 A.D.) who was considered as the first master who extracted six styles from Kufic (Naskh, Thuluth, Tawqi, Riq'a, Muhaq’qaq and Rayhan) and made them organized.(Treatises on Calligraphy, p. 18) In the book Manaqib-e Hunarvaran, Aali Afandi introduces calligraphers and other Artists in the school of Ottoman and it is interesting that in this book also the number of Iranian calligraphers is more than that of Turks and Arabs. Scribing is an applied form of writing manuscripts which began to appear in the beginning centuries of Muslims’ entrance to Indian subcontinent and developed with the advent of Iranian mystics who had a keen interest in culture. Extent manuscripts of the scribes of the subcontinent indicate that their beginning lot included mystical, literary and historical texts. There are inscriptions and books in Arabic language from the fourth to sixth century (A.H.) and after the sixth century there are many works which are in Persian language also. Artistic aspects of calligraphy reached their peak from the beginning of Babar’s era (932 A.H.) to the end of Shah Jahan’s reign (1068 A.H.) and quality of many calligraphy works in Indian subcontinent in 11th century (A.H.) was equal with that of its similar works in Iran. Artistic and aesthetic aspects of the writing and preparing of books and valuable albums is called “calligraphy”, which attracted more attention beginning the 10th century (A.H.) with development of Nasta'liq writing, and continually up to the end of 11th century. In India the expansion of calligraphy was synchronous with growth of Nasta'liq style in Herat and then in Isfahan. From the mid-tenth century (A.H.), the immigration of Iranian poets and calligraphers to Indian subcontinent was considerably large. Nasta'liq writing, at the end of eighth century (A.H.), was organize by Mir Ali Tabrizi (dead about 1400 A.D.) and continued evolving in ninth and tenth centuries. Moiz al-din Husaini (alive in 990 A.H.) who was one of the masters of Nasta'liq style, immigrated to India in the second half of the tenth century. Homayoun after staying in Safavid palace and having deep familiarity with Iranian culture and art brought back some artists with him while returning to the homeland. Among them some artists and calligraphers such as Mohammad Momen Qazvini and likely Sultan Bayazid Douri came to India. Sultan Bayazid was awarded "Katib al-mulk" by Emperor Akbar. This period was the peak of Iranian Nasta'liq style writers’ immigration in 11th century (A.H.). Mohammad Husain Kashmiri:
Mohammad Husain Kashmiri (1020 A.H. / 1612 A.D.) was among those Indian calligraphers who could compete with Iranian artists. Mohammad Husain is one of the famous people in Nasta'liq writing style in India and in terms of style and quality of calligraphy is the only artist whose works equal with some first rank calligraphers such as Sultan Ali Mashhadi and Mir Ali Katib Heravi. He was called "Zarrin Qalam" by Akbar Shah (963 – 1014 A.H.) and sometimes in his works he used the title "Akbar Shahi ". In his later works, which were scribed in King Jahangir’s era (1014 – 1037 A.H.), he used titles "Jahangiri" and "Jahangir Shahi" He was highly regarded by these two kings. Abu al-Fazl Allami in Aain-e Akbari has called him “Jaadoo Raqam”: »… especially Nasta'liq found another aspect and Jadoo Raqami ( magical calligraphy ) … he is called Zarrin Qalam … and he is a student of Moulana abd al-Aziz and be superior than his master … the researchers consider him the same as Mir Ali [Katib Heravi]«. «... خاصه نستعلیق روایی دیگر یافت و جادو رقمی که در ظلِّ سریر خلافت صاحب این نقش دلپذیر توان گفت محمدحسین کشمیری ست و به خطاب زرّین قلمی روشناسِ آفاق، شاگردِ مولانا عبدالعزیز، از استاد گذرانیده، مدّات و دوایرِ او متناسب همند و کارآگاهان او را به پایۀ میرعلی[کاتب هروی] برگیرند...» (Aain-e Akbari, p. 93) Jahangir in Jahangir Nameh or “Tozak-e Jahangiri” has mentioned his name for several times. For example, while giving accounts about events in biographies of 1017 A.H. he has written: “One elephant was given to Mohammad Husain Katib as gift” (Tozak-e Jahangiri: pp. 53 and 91). He came to a position in which he was responsible for the scribe of the introduction of most valuable Album of the time, Jahangiri Album (or Golshan Album) and possibly collection and selection of its parts was given to him because most works of this Album include some works from Mir Ali Katib, an artist whose style was accepted by Mohammad Husain as he wanted to follow the same style. Mohammad Husain followed the original Nasta'liq style that after Mir Ali Tabrizi (803 A.H.), had reached Mir Ali Hiravi (951 A.H.) through Jaafar Tabrizi, Azhar Tabrizi, and Sultan Ali Mashhadi. Mohammad Husain continued this style in the most beautiful manner. Ali Reza Tabrizi (Abbasi) in Isfahan continued the same trend and perfected it .At the end of tenth century and beginning of 11th century, Mohammad was a contemporary of several first ranked masters of Nasta'liq such as: Mir Emad Qazvini, Alireza Tabrizi, and Khalil Allah Husaini (called ‘padeshah-e qalam’) and historically he was living in a period in which Nasta'liq was reaching its most fitness and beauty. It should be mentioned that after Mir Emad (1024 A.H. / 1615 A.D.), his followers and students looked for the most complete writing style in their works and paid less attention to changes and innovations. Abd al-Rashid Deylami (1081 A.H.), one of the outstanding students of Mir Emad, immigrated to India and started teaching the lords in Shah Jahan’s court. This we can see in biography of calligraphers called Tazkare Khoshnevisan, from that time on the calligrapher’s measure is based on Abd al-Rashid’s works. Although Mohammad Husain has followed accurately and properly the works of Mir Ali al-katib and his style, he was not his apprentice. As we know Mir Ali was forced to go to the Bokhara in 935 A.H. and he remained there until his death before 951 A.H. / 1544 A.D., It was impossible for his followers to be student of Mir Ali in Bokhara because he died in 1020 A.H. / 1611 A.D. Some consider him as a student of Abd al-Aziz and in this regard he surpassed his master in terms of skill and fame. We can refer to Mohammad Ali (his son), Husain Kashmiri and Mohammad Murad Zarrin Qalam as the students of Mohammad Husain Kashmiri. His extent works:
Undoubtedly Mohammad Husain has written many books on scribing and scrolling among which just few works are available and many of them has disappeared for example the stone inscription that Jahangir has mentioned in the Tarikh-e Jahangiri. This inscription was actually a tomb, with Mohammad Husain’s writing on it, installed near a minaret in the Jahangirpur city above a tomb of deer which Jahangir liked very much. The name of one inscription is also mentioned on main gate of Nagarnagar castle (Kathi Gate) in the Srinagar city which remains up to now but I myself have not seen this inscription yet but the reference of this is Tarikh-e Hassan. The works which have not got the signature of Mohammad Husain, we can become aware of them just by searching in historical books, accounts and other documents. Therefore many remain inscriptions in royal buildings of Agra are also in his handwriting such as Jahangir’s flat stone inscriptions and water stone in the Agra Fort, whose in terms of Nasta'liq measure, calligrapher can only be Mohammad Husain. If we set the disappeared works apart then his works with signature includes:
1- Six art works on The Golshan Album: This Album is available in Iran which is now kept in Tehran’s Golestan Museum. It seems that this Album was taken as booty in Nadir Shah Afshar’s attack to Delhi and then entered Royal library and it has a seal of Naasir al-din Shah in his crown period in 1263 A.H. / 1847 A.D. This Album for the first time prepared by Jahangir’s order (1014 – 1037 A.H.) in 1019 A.H. that one page of it is provided here: این مرقع که بتوفیق اله/ صورت آرای شد از لوح و قلم رشکِ گلزار ارم تاریخش/ چهره پرداز خرد کرد رقم written by Al-abd Mohammad Husain Zarrin Qalam Jahangir Shahi in 1019 A.H. / 1610 A.D. Mohammad Husain in another page, based on Jahangir’s order, has quoted a composition in 1017 A.H. / 1608 A.D. of another calligrapher in 958 A.H. / 1551 A.D. تحریرا فی نهم محرم الحرام سنه 958 بموجب حکم اقدس کمترین بندهها محمدحسین زرین قلم The best works of Mohammad Husain are in this Album. The importance of this Album is to that extent that Jahangir himself in 27th Rabi al- avval (1019 A.H.) has written a couplet about it: برای امتیاز این مرقع پادشاهی یادگار خاصه مطلعی به خاطر مبارک ما گذشته... این مرقع شده زِ لطفِ اله / از جهانگیرشاهِ اکبر شاه (Majales-e Jahangiri, p. 48). And thereafter in the sixth session of Rabi al- aakhir it is said that: چند مجلس تصویر از مرقع گرامی به نظرِ حضرت اقدس در میآوردند و نزاکتهای خط و بوالعجبیهای تصویر و نادره کاریهای بینظیرانِ روزگار و استادانِ یگانۀ ایران و توران و فرنگستان و روم و هندوستان در محفلِ عالی مذکور میشد. چند مجلس تصویر برآمد که مُزدِ هر موضع، حضرتِ عرش آشیانی هزار روپیه عنایت فرموده بودند...» (Majales-e Jahangiri, p. 53) It seems that other parts have also been added to it in the Shah Jahan period (1068 – 1037) or a similar Album has been provided as Kalim Hamedani (1061- 990 A.H.) for description of this work has written the following poem: چندین هزار نقش بدیع انتخاب کرد/ دوران که شد مرقع شاهِ جهانش نام تاریخ شد «مرقع بی مثل و بی بدل»/ چون این سواد گلشن فردوس شد تمام Historically it was completed in 1046 A.H. /1637 A.D. (Divan-e Kalim, p. 128) This Album has 131 folioes and in which two pages are decorated with calligraphy and painting parts. Although in the borders of the calligraphy, the Indian and Iranian style of painting is clearly observable, it is interesting that contrary to paintings in calligraphy; here we can see no works of Indian masters or Indian calligraphy style. It seems that this point is due to taste of Mohammad Husain Kashmiri (1020 A.H.) who was the scribe of the book's introduction .This Album includes more than one hundred art parts of the Mir Ali Katib (928 – 951 A.H.) and some parts are works of famous Iranian Nasta'liq writers including: Jafar al-katib[Tabrizi], Azhar al-katib [tabrizi], Sultan Ali Mashhadi and Abd al-Rahim Anbarin Qalam. His Signatures in this Album includes: -بنده کمترین محمدحسین کشمیری تحریر نمود - کشمیری بتاریخ سنه سه موافق سنه 1017 بقلمِ شکسته رقم نقل نمود -کمترین بندهها محمدحسین زرین قلم کشمیری سنۀ سه موافق سنۀ 1017 - العبد المذنب الفقیر محمدحسین جهانگیرشاهی فی سنۀ هزار و هجده 2- Masnavi-e Molavi in six volumes in National Malik library, Tehran. With Nasta'liq hand writing of Mirza Jaan Mohammad and Mohammad Husain Zarrin Qalam Akbar Shahi Kashmiri, 355 pages with 21 lines in each page. 3- Lavayeh of Abd al -Rahman Jami in Persian, 138 pages , 14 in 24 cm in Nour microfilm Center of Delhi, Iran Culture House, with this Signature: تمت علی ید اقل العباد محمدحسین الکشمیری غفرالله ذنوبه Although this version has no scribing history but is among works of his maturity period and it seems to be written after 1010 A.H. / 1601 A.D. 4- Mofradat Nasta'liq of Mir Ali Tabrizi in Dr. Mahdi Bayani Collections in 990 A.H. / 1582 A.D. in Tehran with this Signature: بتاریخ سنه نهصد و نود اواخر ذیقعده بنده فقیر محمدحسین کشمیری بقلم شکسته رقم مرقوم ساخت 5- Golestan of Sa'di Shirazi in Royal Asiatic Society, London. This version is scribed in 990 A.H. and at the end page there is a picture of Mohammad Husain Kashmiri and Manohar (Basawan’s son) painted by Manohar, with this Signature: کتبه العبد المذنب الفقیر محمدحسین الکشمیری غفرالله ذنوبه و ستر عیوبه فی شهور سنه تسعین و تسعمائه ببلدۀ فتحپور 6- Divan of Hassan Sajzi Dehlavi (in Persian), in Khudabakhsh library (Patna), No. 132, date 1010 A.H. with this Signature: کتابخانۀ نواب قبله گاهی...شیخ فرید بخاری...کمینه کمترین محمد حسین کشمیری سنه عشر و الف 7- Selected works of Akhlaq-i Jalali from Bahram Ibn-e Hydar Mehmandar in Parliament Library, Tehran, 1013 A. H. / 1604 A.D. With this Signature: کتبه العبد المذنب الفقیر محمدحسین الکشمیری غفرالله ذنوبه و ستر عیوبه فی سنه هزار و 13 This version has been scribed in 1013 A.H. with Nasta'liq style but its quality does not reach the quality of his Golshan Album and his art work pieces.
8. Divan-e Hafiz in Orientalism Society of Tibilisi Academy, Tibilisi.
This book has been scribed in Moharram month of 1017 A.H. / 1608 A.D.
9- Aain-e Akbari in British Museum, London. 10- Haft Band Kashi in Moulana Azad library, Aligarh. 11- Tens of art works and cruciform in museums, libraries from India, Iran and other countries’ private collections. He has used following signatures in his work: -Mohammad Husain Katib. - Mohammad Husain Zarrin Qalam. -Al-faqir Mohammad Husain al-Kashmiri fi 998 A.H. - Bandih bi biza’at va bi is’tita’at Mohammad Husain Katib be jahat-e Navvab qiblagahi eqbal aasari Hakim-e Homaam sallamah Allah va abqa tahrir nemod fi shohour sina 998 A.H. - Al-faqir Mohammad Husain fi shohoor sina 999 A.H. - Katabahoo al-abd al-moznib al-haqir Mohammad Husain ghafar Allah zonoobih va satar Allah oyoubih Va al-salam fi sina alf [1000 A.H.] - Katabahoo al-abd al-moftaqar ila rahmat Allah Mohammad Husain Zarrin Qalam ghofira lah sina hezar va chahar [1004 A.H.] -Tahriran fi Shohouri Thamana va tisein va tis’ah mi’ah[998 A.H.], Katabahoo Mohammad Husain al-katib. - Al-abd al-moznib al-faqir Mohammad Husain Zarrin Qalam Akbar Shahi dar sale si joloose Jahangiri mashq nemoud. -Al-abd Mohammad Husain al-Kashmiri Zarrin Qalam. - Mash’shaqahoo al-moznib al-faqir Mohammad Husain al-Kashmiri ghafar Allah zonoubih va satar Allah oyoubih. - Al-faghir Mohammad Husain Kashmiri, 988 A.H. - Katabahoo al-abd Mohammad Husain Zarrin Qalam Jahangir Shahi. - Al-abd al-moznib al-faqir Mohammad Husain al-Kashmiri satar Allah oyoubih. - Al-faqir Mohammad Husain Zarrin Qalam Akbar Shahi. - Al-faghir Mohammad Husain al-katib satar Allah oyoubih.
Bibliography:
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