Muhammad Abd al-Qadir Abd Allah
1917–1997 · Cairo
Muhammad Abd al-Qadir Abd Allah was born in Cairo in 1917; a biographical booklet gives 24 March. He began calligraphy at the Khalil Agha school under Muhammad Ridwan Ali and entered the Royal School for the Improvement of Scripts in 1932. He came first in Egypt in the calligraphy diploma of 1935, winning the King Fuad prize, and first again in the specialisation diploma of 1937, winning the King Faruq prize. He then taught at the school for the rest of his life and worked as a calligrapher at the Egyptian Survey Authority, where in 1967 he was made inspector, a rank no calligrapher had held before. He received a state prize in 1965 and the Order of Sciences and Arts, first class, in 1967. In 1989 he sat on the jury of IRCICA's Istanbul competition named after Yaqut al-Musta'simi. Mustafa Ghazlan counted him as his favourite pupil. He died in Cairo on 1 May 1997.
Achievements
- First in Egypt in the calligraphy diploma of 1935, with the King Fuad prize.
- First in the specialisation diploma of 1937, with the King Faruq prize.
- Taught at the Royal School for the Improvement of Scripts from 1937 until his death.
- Calligrapher at the Egyptian Survey Authority, promoted to inspector in 1967, a rank no calligrapher had held before.
- State prize (1965) and Order of Sciences and Arts, first class (1967).
- Juror of IRCICA's international competition named after Yaqut al-Musta'simi (Istanbul, 1989), receiving a golden shield.
Taught by: Muhammad Ridwan Ali, Mustafa Ghazlan Bey
His work
Died in 1997: the works are still protected by copyright, so we show them only with the permission of those who hold the rights.
Write in the tradition this hand shaped.
Write in this tradition now →Living calligraphers you can buy from — signed originals on paper, from AED 550: Anwar Alhulwani (Thuluth) · Ahmed Alhawary (Jali Thuluth, Naskh) · Rasha Kasim (Kufi) — or every Diwani piece the store makes: Diwani collection.
Sources
- Arabic Wikipedia: 1917-1997, teacher Muhammad Ridwan, diplomas 1935/1937 with prizes, Survey Authority inspector 1967, state prize 1965, order 1967, death 23 Dhu al-Hijja 1417 / 1 May 1997 ar.wikipedia.org
- Forum repost of his booklet on the rule of Qur'anic script (Dar al-Kutub): birth 24 March 1917 Cairo, schools, Muhammad Ridwan Ali, 1935 prize, inspector 1967, IRCICA Yaqut competition jury 1989 and golden shield mtafsir.net
- Arabic Wikipedia: he was Ghazlan's favourite pupil ar.wikipedia.org
- Baianat: named among Egyptian masters of diwani baianat.com
- Wikidata: 1917-1997, Cairo wikidata.org
Written by the MASHQ studio · last updated 2026-10-05. Further reading, the standard references in English: Sheila S. Blair, Islamic Calligraphy (Edinburgh University Press, 2006) · Annemarie Schimmel, Calligraphy and Islamic Culture (New York University Press, 1984) · Yasin Hamid Safadi, Islamic Calligraphy (Thames and Hudson, 1978).