Calligraphic Mihrab Containing Qur'an Surah 68, verses 51 and 52 (al-Qalam)

This highly stylized calligraphic composition is shaped in the form of a mihrab, a niche in a mosque that points toward Mecca, the direction in which Muslims face during prayer. Written in the Kufic script, it comprises eight sections. The two upper triangles contain the bismillah: “In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.” The four central squares represent verses 51 and 52 of surah 68 al-Qalam (“the Pen”) of the Qurʾan: “And lo! those who disbelieve would fain disconcert thee with their eyes when they hear the Reminder, and they say: Lo! he is indeed mad. When it is naught else than a Reminder to creation.” The arrangement ends with “Whatever God wishes” (lower right), an apotropaic phrase to ward off the evil eye, and “Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds” (lower left), an invocation from the opening of the Qurʾan (1:2).