Uthman Taha: The Single Hand That Wrote the Qur’an for Hundreds of Millions

The story of the sole calligrapher behind the Madinah Mushaf — the most widely distributed copy of the Qur’an in the world.

Introduction

Have you ever noticed the green-bound copy of the Qur’an that is often distributed free of charge to hajj pilgrims? The same mushaf can be found in mosques, pesantren, and Muslim homes across the world. Many assume that the script inside it is computer-generated print. The reality is quite different: every word in the Madinah Mushaf is the handwriting of a single man — Shaykh Uthman Taha.[1]

illustration

From a Small Village in Aleppo to Madinah

His full name is Uthman ibn Abduh ibn Husain ibn Taha al-Halabi. He was born on 1 March 1934 in the village of Muthammanah, some 60 kilometres from the city of Aleppo, Syria.[2] His father, Shaykh Abduh Husain Taha, was an imam and khatib at a local mosque, and was himself proficient in the Ruq’ah script.[3]

Uthman’s love for calligraphy emerged at a remarkably young age. In one interview, he recalled how he would often gaze at the elegant lettering on the spines of the books in his father’s library, asking persistent questions about the different styles of khat.[3] Even at the age of eight, he had already written out texts on Arabic grammar and poetry on aqidah — works which he has preserved to this day.[3]

Studying Under the Greatest Masters

Uthman completed his formal education in Aleppo before moving to Damascus, where he studied Shariah at the University of Damascus and graduated in 1964.[4] Alongside his Shariah studies, he also pursued Arabic language, Islamic decorative arts, and painting.[1]

In the field of calligraphy, he studied under a succession of the Arab world’s finest masters: Muhammad Ali al-Mawlawi and Ibrahim al-Rifa’i in Aleppo, Muhammad Badawi al-Diyrani — then the principal calligrapher of Syria — in Damascus, and Hashim al-Baghdadi of Iraq.[1] The culmination of this journey came in 1973, when he received his ijazah (formal certification) in calligraphy from Hamid al-Amidi, widely regarded as the master calligrapher of the Islamic world.[5]

His First Mushaf and the Call to Madinah

His first mushaf was completed in 1970 and distributed by the Syrian Ministry of Awqaf.[6] In the same year, he also received a commission from the Syrian Minister of Awqaf to write a mushaf for the Syrian president.[4]

It was this proven record that drew the attention of Saudi Arabia. In 1988, the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an (Mujamma’ al-Malik Fahd li Thiba’at al-Mushaf ash-Sharif) in Madinah recruited him as its official calligrapher.[1] It is there that he would spend the remainder of his working life, writing mushaf after mushaf.

An Extraordinary Writing Process

Writing a single mushaf is no light undertaking. Each mushaf requires more than three years of handwriting, followed by roughly a year of correction and review by a special committee chaired by the imam of the Prophet’s Mosque.[1]

Every word is written by hand on large sheets of paper using a traditional reed pen and ink, before the finished pages are scanned to produce printing plates. Any error means an entire page must be rewritten from scratch. A distinctive feature of his mushaf is that each page concludes precisely at the end of a verse — a format known as the mushaf pojok or “corner mushaf” — which is of enormous help to those memorising the Qur’an.[7]

Uthman Taha himself has explained that his secret lies in the economy of his letter forms and the careful consistency of spacing between letters on every line, so that the text is distributed evenly across each page.[7]

A Monumental Achievement

To date, Shaykh Uthman Taha has written the complete Qur’an at least twelve times at the King Fahd Complex.[8] He is able to write in multiple recitation traditions: Hafs (used throughout most of the Islamic world), Warsh (Morocco and Algeria), Duri (parts of Africa and Sudan), and Qalun (Libya).[5]

More than 200 million copies of his mushaf have been distributed worldwide[1] — making it, by any reasonable measure, the most widely reproduced handwritten manuscript in human history.

The Spiritual Dimension of a Qur’an Calligrapher

For Uthman Taha, writing the mushaf has never been merely a technical exercise. In an interview with IlmFeed, he offered a rare window into his inner state: “It’s hard, especially when you read the descriptions of heaven and hell. As for the description of heaven, I wish the verses never end. But when it comes to the verses about hell and its punishments, my hand starts to shake and I sweat.”[9]

He has also explained that when he begins writing the Qur’an, he withdraws into solitude so that he may become fully absorbed in the verses and their meanings, forgetting the world around him.[7]

At 92, Still Writing Every Day

Born on 1 March 1934, Shaykh Uthman Taha is now 92 years old and still resides in Madinah. His wife, Fatimah Umm al-Nur, has stated that he continues to practise calligraphy every single day.[7] In December 2021, the Saudi Arabian government granted him citizenship[10] — a formal recognition of more than three decades of quiet dedication whose impact has reached hundreds of millions of Muslims across the globe.

Lessons and Reflections

The story of Uthman Taha reminds us that greatness does not always emerge from grand stages or loud platforms. A village boy from rural Aleppo, through sheer perseverance and sincerity, was able to offer a contribution felt by hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world.

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says in Surah Al-Qamar, verse 17: “And We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?” Uthman Taha devoted his life so that Muslims across the world could read the Qur’an with ease and with beauty. The question that now rests with each of us is this: have we, in turn, devoted our own time to reading, understanding, and living by the Qur’an?

Warm regards,

Islam Digital Nusantara

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References

[1] Wikipedia — Uthman Taha

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uthman_Taha

Quotation: “He was born in 1934 in Sandi, Çobanbey a rural area of Aleppo Governorate, Syria.” / “He wrote his first Mushaf in 1970. In 1988 he travelled to Saudi Arabia and was assigned a handwriter and calligrapher in the King Fahd Complex.” / “More than 200 million copies of which were distributed worldwide.” / “A Muṣḥaf usually requires more than 3 years in writing and an additional year for proof-reading and reviewing.”

[2] People of Madina — Shaykh Uthman Taha

URL: https://peopleofmadina.com/shaykh-uthman-taha/

Quotation: “Shaykh Uthman Taha was born in the village of Muthammanah, 60 km from the city of Aleppo in 1352 AH (1934).”

[3] People of Madina — Shaykh Uthman Taha

URL: https://peopleofmadina.com/shaykh-uthman-taha/

Quotation: “His father was Shaykh Abduh Hussain Taha, an Imam and Khatib of a masjid.” / “I scribed a text in Arabic grammar and a poem in aqida when I was 8 years old.”

[4] Grokipedia — Uthman Taha

URL: https://grokipedia.com/page/Uthman_Taha

Quotation: “After earning his degree in Sharia from the University of Damascus in 1964.” / “He received a significant commission from the Syrian Minister of Awqaf to transcribe a Quran for the Syrian president.”

[5] The Muslim 500 — Uthman Taha

URL: https://themuslim500.com/profiles/uthman-taha/

Quotation: “He obtained his certification (ijaazah) in calligraphy from Turkish master Hamid Al-Amidi in 1973.” / “Taha has copied out six different textual variants including Warsh, Hafs, Duri, and Qalun.”

[6] People of Madina — Shaykh Uthman Taha

URL: https://peopleofmadina.com/shaykh-uthman-taha/

Quotation: “His first mushaf was written and distributed by the Ministry of Awqaf in Syria in 1970.”

[7] Arab News — Uthman Taha: ‘I wish the verses about heaven would never end’

URL: https://www.arabnews.com/node/1719556/saudi-arabia

Quotation: “What makes Taha’s work unique is that each page of the Qur’an that he writes concludes at the end of a verse.” / “His wife says he continues to practice calligraphy daily.” / “When I begin writing the Holy Qur’an, I resort to solitude to allow myself to be invested in the verses and their interpretation, forgetting about the world around me.”

[8] Ithra — Shaykh Uthman Taha

URL: https://www.ithra.com/en/special-programs/hijrah-exhibit/hijrah-contributors-list/uthman-taha

Quotation: “Taha has written out the Holy Qur’an in full 12 times.”

[9] IlmFeed — Your Copy of the Qur’an Was Probably Written by this Man

URL: https://ilmfeed.com/your-copy-of-the-quran-was-probably-written-by-this-man/

Quotation: “It’s hard, especially when you read the descriptions of heaven and hell. As for the description of heaven, I wish the verses never end. But when it comes to the verses about hell and its punishments etc. my hand start to shake and I sweat.”

[10] IQNA — Prominent Quran Calligrapher Uthman Taha Receives Saudi Citizenship

URL: https://iqna.ir/en/news/3477002/prominent-quran-calligrapher-uthman-taha-receives-saudi-citizenship

Quotation: “A royal order was issued to grant Saudi citizenship to the prominent figure.”