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Nakkaş Osman (sometimes called Osman the Miniaturist) was the chief miniaturist for the Ottoman Empire during the latter half of the sixteenth century. The dates of his birth and death are uncertain, but most of his works are dated to the last quarter of the sixteenth century.<br/><br/> The oldest known illustrations of Nakkaş Osman's were made between 1560 and 1570 for a Turkish translation of the Persian manuscript Firdausi's Shahnama.Among the works he illustrated, he is known to have been the chief illustrator of the various official histories written by Sayyid Lokman for Murad III that were produced in this era, including the Zafername (Book of Victories), the Şahname-ı Selim Han (Book of Kings) and the Şehinşahname (Book of King of Kings). He was also one of the illustrators of the Siyer-i Nebi, an epic on the life of Muhammad written around 1388, then illustrated around 1595.<br/><br/> Representations of the Prophet Muhammad are controversial, and generally forbidden in Sunni Islam (especially Hanafiyya, Wahabi, Salafiyya). Shia Islam and some other branches of Sunni Islam (Hanbali, Maliki, Shafi'i) are generally more tolerant of such representational images, but even so the Prophet's features are generally veiled or concealed by flames as a mark of deep respect.
From an illuminated Ottoman dua kitabi or ‘prayer book’ by Hasan Rashid (Istanbul, 1845) once the property of a Topkapi harem lady.<br/><br/> The Arabic term ‘du’a’ is generally translated into English as ‘prayer’, though a more exact rendering would be ‘supplication’. The term is derived from an Arabic word meaning to 'call out' or to 'summon', and Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. This is when Muslims connect with God and ask him for forgivness or appeal for his favour. The Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said ‘Dua is the very essence of worship’, while one of Allah's commands expressed through the Qur'an is for Muslims to call out to Him: 'Call to Me; I will answer your prayers’.<br/><br/> There is a special emphasis on du'a in Muslim spirituality and early Muslims took great care to record the supplications of Muhammad and transmit them to subsequent generations. These traditions precipitated new genres of literature in which prophetic supplications were gathered together in single volumes that were memorized, taught – and treasured.
From an illuminated Ottoman dua kitabi or ‘prayer book’ by Hasan Rashid (Istanbul, 1845) once the property of a Topkapi harem lady.<br/><br/> The Arabic term ‘du’a’ is generally translated into English as ‘prayer’, though a more exact rendering would be ‘supplication’. The term is derived from an Arabic word meaning to 'call out' or to 'summon', and Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. This is when Muslims connect with God and ask him for forgivness or appeal for his favour. The Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said ‘Dua is the very essence of worship’, while one of Allah's commands expressed through the Qur'an is for Muslims to call out to Him: 'Call to Me; I will answer your prayers’.<br/><br/> There is a special emphasis on du'a in Muslim spirituality and early Muslims took great care to record the supplications of Muhammad and transmit them to subsequent generations. These traditions precipitated new genres of literature in which prophetic supplications were gathered together in single volumes that were memorized, taught – and treasured.
From an illuminated Ottoman dua kitabi or ‘prayer book’ by Hasan Rashid (Istanbul, 1845) once the property of a Topkapi harem lady.<br/><br/> The Arabic term ‘du’a’ is generally translated into English as ‘prayer’, though a more exact rendering would be ‘supplication’. The term is derived from an Arabic word meaning to 'call out' or to 'summon', and Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. This is when Muslims connect with God and ask him for forgivness or appeal for his favour. The Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said ‘Dua is the very essence of worship’, while one of Allah's commands expressed through the Qur'an is for Muslims to call out to Him: 'Call to Me; I will answer your prayers’.<br/><br/> There is a special emphasis on du'a in Muslim spirituality and early Muslims took great care to record the supplications of Muhammad and transmit them to subsequent generations. These traditions precipitated new genres of literature in which prophetic supplications were gathered together in single volumes that were memorized, taught – and treasured.