WHEN he was an elementary school student, Salim Bajnaid used to achieve top grades in Arabic calligraphy and subjects relating to dictation. In spite of that Bajnaid never thought he would become a calligrapher. It was only 50 years later that he accidentally discovered his talent.
“I saw the work of a calligrapher who worked in an advertising company writing the Qur’anic verse ‘Inna Ma Al-usri yusra’ (along with every hardship is relief). I thought I’d give it a try myself and depicted the meaning of the verse in the way it was written. The word ‘usr’ means hardship, so I wrote it in a way showing hardship. While the word ‘yusr’ means relief so I wrote it in a way resembling prosperity,” he said.
This was when he was in his late 50s 12 years ago. While speaking to Arab News he added, “Now you can work out how old I am.”
Bajnaid is a businessman and treats calligraphy as a dedicated hobby rather than a professional livelihood. “I’m in a small room surrounded with a collection of my work. I live among them, they inspire me and I enjoy looking at them,” he said.
His favorite script is Al-Thuluth, which dates back to the 7th century during the Umayyad Caliphate.
“I write in Al-Thuluth calligraphy, which is one of the finest Arabic scripts and is adaptable to be artistically compounded. Other types of scripts are unable to be developed as such. It is said that a calligrapher who does not write Al-Thuluth has not been able to write anything,” he added.
Although Bajnaid prefers the Al-Thuluth script, he has also tried the classic Al-Kufi script. “It has an Islamic artistic touch to it. I used it in the Love Festival in Dubai,” he said.
Bajnaid has never tried to market his talent but says he has produced a large collection of work. However, he is thinking of having his own studio exhibiting his work. Bajnaid has participated in many exhibitions. The first exhibition he took part in was organized by the Youth Welfare in 2003, the year when Rabat was hosting a massive exhibition of Islamic and Arabic culture and art. Around 70 people from across Saudi Arabia flew to Rabat to participate in various events including plastic arts and calligraphy. Bajnaid was among five other Saudis showing five pieces of his work. As a result he was awarded an honorary degree.
A year later, he participated in the First Arabian Calligraphy Meeting in Sharjah. “The UAE is competing to present cultural activities unique to its kind,” he commented. Fifteen calligraphers participated in the event
Recently Bajnaid participated in the Love Festival in Dubai which took place for the first time last October where he received an honorary degree in International Prize for Arabian Calligraphy. The festival was developed with an aim to defend the Prophet (peace be upon him) from the defamatory cartoons published last year in Denmark. The event is planned to be an annual one. “We participated with an aim of designing the holy name of Allah and his Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in a beautiful way,” said Bajnaid who was the only Saudi in the competition.
There was a prize for the winners of the Arabian calligraphy competition. “It was a pleasure for me to be invited to participate in that event. I got an honorary degree,” he said.
Some people assume that calligraphy is a type of painting. The truth is that not all painters are calligraphers and not all people who can write properly can draw and paint.
“The only common factor between the two is the pencil and the nib. Free calligraphy that changes the drawing of the letters might be considered to be like plastic art. However, classical calligraphy cannot be considered,” he said.
Bajnaid wants to prove in his recent work that even classic art can be treated and applied in the same manner as modern arts. Al-Thuluth combines the meaning of words and the artistic way of illustrating these words to make them enjoyable to read.
“Thank God, I admit my calligraphy has a unique style and method that has never been used before,” he said while praising the attention that the Youth Welfare is giving to Arabic calligraphy.
Speaking about the steps he is taking in finishing his tableau, Bajnaid said that the most important step is the first one when he begins sketching and designing words. After that he runs over the designs with his nib and ink.
Bajnaid hopes that his designs will be used to redesign the city of Jeddah, its streets and roundabouts. “I wish I can add at least one letter to the beauty of Jeddah. The city that is loved by everyone,” he said. This wish is still in the process of becoming a reality. Bajnaid wishes it will not take a long time before he sees his designs appearing together with the sunrise in Jeddah.
