Tahir Khushnivis Tabrizi

Tahir Khushnivis Tabrizi

Full Name	Mirza Tahir Tabrizi
Teknonym	Tahir Khushnivis
Religious Affiliation	Twelver
Birth	1267 sh/1888-9
Place of Birth	Tabriz
Death	1355 sh/1976-7
Burial Place	Tabriz, Maqbarat al-Shu'ara
Works	He scribed numerous copies of the Qur'an, also Nahj al-balagha, al-Sahifat al-Sajjadiyya, Mafatih al-jinan

Mīrzā Ṭāhir Tabrīzī (b. 1267 sh/1888-9 - d. 1355 sh/1976-7), known as Mirza Tahir Khushnivis, was a scribe in 13th and 14th centuries. He came to be known as Tahir Khushnivis (Tahir the Calligrapher) because he repeatedly scribed the Qur'an and other religious books. In addition to naskh script of calligraphy, he mastered nasta'liq and shikasta nasta'liq.

Mirza Tahir began scribing his first copy of the Qur'an at the age of thirteen. One of his lasting works is the calligraphic scribe of the Qur'an with the translation and a summary of an exegesis by Fayd al-Islam, the main text of which is scribed with naskh script and the translation is scribed with nasta'liq script. In addition to numerous copies of the Qur'an, he also scribed Nahj al-balagha, al-Sahifat al-Sajjadiyya, Mafatih al-jinan, Muntaha al-amal, and a number of Islamic seminary textbooks, such as Ma'alim al-usul and Kifayat al-usul.

He died and was buried in Tehran. However, after twenty nine years, his grave was moved to Maqbarat al-Shu'ara in Tabriz.

Biography

Mirza Tahir Tabrizi, the son of 'Abd al-Rahman, was born in Tabriz in 1267 sh/1888-9. He began his education at the age of seven with his father by learning the recitation of the Qur'an. He then learned Arabic morphology (sarf) and syntax (nahw), and since he was enthusiastic about calligraphy, he could learn the principles and rules of calligraphy without an instructor by relying on his perseverance and practice.

Maqbarat al-Shu'ara in Tabriz, Burial place of Tahir Khushnivis

He published his first script at the age of nine. He began scribing his first copy of the Qur'an in 1903 at the age of thirteen, which took four years to finish. At the age of seventeen, simultaneously with the Constitutional Revolution, he was invited by schools of Fuyudat, Rushdiyya, and Memorial in Tabriz to teach calligraphy. In order to encourage his students, he allocated part of his monthly salary as a prize for his talented and hardworking students.

After fifteen years of serving in national schools, Mirza Tahir officially taught calligraphy at schools in Tabriz.

In 1349 sh/1970-1, Mirza Tahir went to Tehran, where he stayed for the rest of his life. He died in 1355 sh/1976-7, and was buried in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in Tehran. In a tribute held for him in November, 1997, in Tabriz, it was approved that his grave be moved from Tehran to Tabriz. Ultimately, his grave was moved from Tehran to Maqbarat al-Shu'ara in Tabriz on January 30, 2006.

Students

The well-known poet from Tabriz, Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Shahriyar, was friends with Mirza Tahir. From 1331sh/1952-3 forwards, he went to Mirza Tahir's house to learn scribal shikasta nasta'liq script. Around 1332 sh/1953-4, Shahriyar's Haydar Baba poem was published with the handwriting of Mirza Tahir.

Last page of Jami' al-muqaddamat scribed by Tahir Khushnivis

Work

Since he repeatedly scribed the Qur'an and other religious books, which were then printed and published in great numbers, he became a famous calligrapher and came to be known as Tahir Khushnivis (Tahir the Calligrapher). Here are some of his works:

• The Qur'an with Muntakhab al-tafasir by Mahdi Ilahi Qumsha'i
• The Qur'an with translation and excerpts of exegesis by Fayd al-Islam
• Shawahid al-tanzil by al-Suyuti
• Translation of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya by Fayd al-Islam
• Nafthat al-masdur
• Muntaha l-amal
• Risala rushdiyya
• Tahdhib al-mantiq
• Jami' al-muqaddamat
• Gulistan by Sa'di