Hilye-i Şerif

The hilye text consists of a written description in naskh of the Prophet Muhammad's physical characteristics, character, moral qualities, and demeanour according to Caliph Ali. It begins with eight lines in the circular area in the centre and continues for one and a half lines in the etek section (the rectangular panel at the bottom of the composition). This is followed on the next line by the words, ‘There was the mark of prophethood between his two shoulders and he was the last of the prophets,’ and then by prayers and greetings. The Besmele is written in rayhani in the başmakam (the rectangular panel at the top), and a verse from the surah al-Anbiya (21:107) is written in jali thuluth in the long rectangular panel above the etek: ‘We have not sent you [Muhammad] but as a mercy to the worlds.’ The names of the four caliphs are written inside small roundels around the large circular panel. The colophon in the last line reads, ‘Written by the poor Osman son of Ali, who is known as hafiz of the eternal words [the Koran]). The decoration in the areas without text must date from the early twentieth century.Reference: Tanındı, Z., Harmony of Line and Colour, Illuminated Manuscripts Documents and Calligraphy in the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection, Sadberk Hanım Museum Publication, İstanbul 2019, pp. 538, 539.