FROM KHAT TO MURAL ART
Abdul Rahman Sahalan shares his interest and passion for the art of Arabic calligraphy with RIZALMAN HAMMIM
ABDUL Rahman Sahalan’s interest and passion in the art of Arabic calligraphy, or khat, began when he was studying at Sekolah Agama Seri Pasir in Seri Medan, Batu Pahat.
It was his headmaster Cikgu Yusof Othman, who became his first teacher and taught him the basics of khat, as well as nurtured his passion for the art.
“In 1996, when I was 12 and under the guidance of Cikgu Yusof, I won the Johor ‘Khat’ competition for religious schools organised by the state government.
“As I grew up, my passion for the art grew stronger and I continued to improve my skills from three other teachers,” said Rahman, 35.
In the course of learning, Rahman found out that there were about 80 styles of khat that once existed, but many were seldom practised any more while some have become extinct altogether.
“At present, there are seven styles of khat that are practised, namely Thuluth, Nasakh, Riq’ah, Diwani, Farisi, Diwani Jali and Kufi.
“Thankfully, with the guidance of Cikgu Yusof and others, I am proficient in all the seven styles of khat. I am able to write using any of the styles correctly without any problems.”
After finishing school, Rahman furthered his studies at the Al-Azhar University in Egypt, but his love and passion for khat remained.
“After graduation, I taught for about two years before deciding to devote my time fully to the art of khat,” said Rahman, who went on to set up Seni Khat Solutions, which sells khat art pieces and conducts workshops for those interested in learning the art.
Two years ago, Rahman decided to expand his artistic horizon by starting to paint Islamicthemed murals.
“Besides khat, I am also interested in drawing and art. I decided to start painting murals when I saw there was a good demand for them.
“I learned about mural painting by trial and error and by learning from experts. My background in khat helped me a lot in this venture,” said Rahman.
He added that the public response to his Islamic mural works has been very encouraging, adding that he received numerous inquiries on social media too.
“Most of the projects that I have carried out involve schools, mosques and surau. I have only recently started receiving bookings from residential owners who want a mural for their house,” said Rahman.
He added that he had received orders from customers in Johor, as well as from Klang and Seremban.
The biggest mural that Rahman has ever painted measures 24ft by 24ft and covers the wall of a two-storey school building in Benut, Pontian.
“It took me a week to complete the mural.”
Rahman said he was grateful that his family was supportive of his career as he was often away from home when working on a project.
“Sometimes, a project would take me a few weeks to complete and I could only come home once a week,” said Rahman.