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The central theme and main backdrop of this year’s tazyeen have been prepared and inspired by meanings of Qalam and Lawh. Husaini Masjid’s interior has been adorned with various aayaat shareefa from the Quran Majeed and kalimaat nooraniyya and verses from Fatimi literature pertaining to the Qalam and Lawh.
The main backdrop behind al-Dai al-Ajal al-Fatimi Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin’s TUS takht mubarak comprises three components:
QALAM
A qalam: The names of Allah Taʿala, the Khamsat Athaar SA and Aimmat Tahireen SA are fashioned on the qalam and its feather quill in gold leaf and precious metals and stones as an allusion to their role in inscribing divine emanation. Imam Muʿizz li din Allah AS invented the fountain pen in the 4th century hijri, and therefore the model of the qalam incorporates elements of a fountain pen. In addition, the patterns on the nib and midsection are inspired by patterns from al-Jamiʿ al-Azhar which was built by Imam Muʿizz AS.
LAWH
The lawh: During Maulana al-Imam al-Aziz bi Allah’s AS reign, a Fatimi minbar was commissioned for Jamiʿ al-Andaluseen in Fez, Morocco, and was inscribed with Imam Aziz’s AS name. This is one of the only surviving wooden Fatimi minbars in the Maghrib, the western part of the Islamic world. This minbar is the source of inspiration for the lawh represented here, an 8 x 6 ft foldable wooden tablet. The minbar’s arabesque motifs, tear-drop and flower patterns, and unique Kufic script are all employed in the backdrop’s lawh. This year’s ayat shareefa is inscribed in the minbar’s Kufic script on the outer frame of the lawh, while aayat mutabarrika that refer to the lawh are inscribed in glass on the upper section. Similarly, a marble inscription in the British Museum in London which bears the names of Maulana al-Imam al-Mustansir bi Allah SA and Maulana Badr al-Jamali AS, has inspired the Kufic script employed to inscribe the names of the Duʿat Mutlaqeen found in the tear drop motifs as well as eight-petal flowers. When folded, the cover of the lawh bears modified versions of the minbar’s patterns and the aayaat shareefa mentioned above.
PENBOX
The Pen-box: The pen-box presented here is inspired by a ‘carved ebony and ivory pen-box with bronze mounts’ dating to the Fatimi period. The pen-box has been decorated with models of reed pens that are typical to this period as well. The historic title of this year’s Ashara Mubaraka is inscribed on the box’s lid.