Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education

The Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE) is a non-profit, tax exempt, religious and educational organization dedicated to serve Islam with a special focus on Tasawwuf(Sufism),

Thursday, May 21, 2026

Pathways to Spirituality - Calligraphy with Aishah Elinor Holland - GAMA: Gathering All Muslim Artists - May 10,2020

 YouTube Video:

https://youtu.be/ODJtIMmJNJI?si=Mrtp3sHQH9ztRB_y

We present the next workshop in our “Pathways to Spirituality” series with master calligrapher Elinor Aishah Holland who discusses the traditional fine art of calligraphy and gives a workshop on the classical Kufic script. Elinor Aishah Holland's passion and enthusiasm for calligraphy began during a visit to Istanbul as a teenager. After studying Latin lettering with the New York Society of Scribes her path eventually led her to master scribe Mohamed Zakariya. Holland received an Icazet, or calligraphic certification in Arabic script in 2013. Her work has been held in the collections of the Smithsonian Institute, Zaytuna College, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the US Department of State among many others. Her most recent commission has been to design the calligraphy installation for the Garden of Light at the Aga Khan Centre in London. These online workshops are for everyone and will encourage practicing creativity as a form of mindfulness and as a means of connecting to God this Ramadan. This series features sessions on music, painting, calligraphy, and poetry writing.

YouTube Video: Interview with Elinor Aishah Holland: ekvernen - April 17,2009

This video is featured on the website http://CalligraphyQalam.com. It is an interview with New York-based calligrapher Elinor Aishah Holland. Ms. Holland is a teacher of calligraphy in the Latin and Arabic scripts.

YouTube Video: What Makes Art Islamic? - Renovatio: The Journal of Zaytuna College - Dec 25, 2017

Panel from Renovatio Event, "The Silent Theology of Islamic Art" The Islamic arts once represented our tradition as much as theology and law, but today these arts have been sadly neglected. In an age when Muslims increasingly feel compelled to clarify, and even defend, their faith, can we rely again on the arts to communicate the beauty and truth of revelation? Abdullatif Whiteman, Aisha Holland, and Oludamini Ogunnaike discuss the intersections of art and theology in Islamic civilization. Taken from an event entitled "The Silent Theology of Islamic Art," held at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, on December 17, 2017.

Article: Spreading Enlightenment Through Calligraphy with Each Brush Stroke - An Interview with Elinor Aishah Holland by Najia Shuaib - Islamic Horizons - Sept/Oct 2025

"Holland’s life and work are a powerful illustration of how the rigorous discipline of traditional art can merge seamlessly with the spiritual. Through her exquisite calligraphy, teaching, and advocacy, she not only preserves an ancient art form but also builds bridges of understanding, proving that the beauty of Islamic art truly has the power to open eyes and hearts."

Elinor Aishah Holland's Website: Harmony of Line

Elinor Aishah Holland's Biography:  

Her passion and enthusiasm for calligraphy began during a visit to Istanbul as a teenager. Finding the study of Arabic calligraphic forms difficult here in the US, she discovered the NY Society of Scribes and undertook an education in Latin lettering. Her path eventually let her to master scribe Mohamed Zakariya. Holland received an Icazet, or calligraphic certification in Arabic script in 2013. As a freelance lettering artist in Latin and Arabic scripts, her work includes all aspects of involvement with the art, including exhibiting, teaching, doing commercial and commission work. Clients include the Smithsonian Institute, The NY Public Library, Clinton Global Initiative, NY Society of Scribes, Long Island University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the US Department of State.

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