Religional, Literatural and Aesthetical Dimensions of Hilyah

Throughout the history, there has been various ways for the expression of love and respect in every society and belief system. The beloved has sometimes been a human being, sometimes a supra human being and sometimes a prophet. People preferred to express their love via literary works like poems, legend etc. and sometimes they made use of branches of art like painting, sculpture, calligraphy or music to express their love. In Turkish-Islamic culture, the love for Prophet was reflected in naat (poems written to praise Prophet Muhammad) as a form of literature, and in hilyah (a genre in Islamic literary that tells physical characteristics and beauty of Prophet Muhammad) which is a kind of Islamic calligraphy arts. Hafız Osman (1642-1698) is known to arrange hilyah al-sharif composition fort he first time. Therefore it appears that hilyah al-sharif plate including qualifications of Prophet Muhammed adopted in all Islamic world and being practiced for centuries was arranged in Istanbul fort he first time. Today almost all Turkish and Muslim calligraphers are said to write hilyah al-sharif with different compositions. Moreover since there is a belief that hilyah al-sharif protects homes from fire, earthquake, robbery etc. so such plates were in demand among the folk. Artists used these branches of art as means to exert their loves and produced perdurable and aesthetic works of art. Thus, the history of culture got colorful and

Keywords

Hilyah, Literature, Islamic Calligraphy Art, Aesthetics.