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Dick Osseman | all galleries >> Istanbul >> Museums - Müzeler >> Istanbul - Prayer Beads Museum > Istanbul Mawlavi mus 2016 3174.jpg
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14-Dec-2016

Istanbul Mawlavi mus 2016 3174.jpg

A Hilye-I Şerif, in another museum, shown here as an example.

Wikipedia: The term hilya (Arabic حلية (plural: ḥilan, ḥulan), Turkish: hilye (plural: hilyeler) denotes a religious genre of Ottoman Turkish literature, dealing with the physical description of Muhammad. Hilya literally means "ornament".

They originate with the discipline of shama'il, the study of Muhammad's appearance and character, based on hadith accounts, most notably Tirmidhi's al-Shama'il al-Muhamadiyyah wa al-Khasa'il al-Mustafawiyyah ("The Sublime Characteristics of Muhammad").

In Ottoman-era folk Islam, there was a belief that reading and possessing Muhammad's description protects the person from trouble in this world and the next, it became customary to carry such descriptions, rendered in fine calligraphy and illuminated, as amulets.[1][2] In 17th-century Ottoman Turkey, hilyes developed into an art form with a standard layout, often framed and used as a wall decoration.

Later hilyes were also written for the first four Caliphs, the companions of Muhammad, Muhammad's grandchildren (Hasan and Hussein) and Islamic saints (walis).

From a site about the Beads museum I quote, t5ranslated: "Hilye are panels depicting the physical features, noble character, attitudes, and actions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as narrated by Ali. The word Hilye, meaning ornament or adornment, is also expressed as Hilye-i Saadet and Hilye-i Nebevi. The Hilye form first appeared in the 17th century. Since the oldest example belongs to the calligrapher Hafız Osman, who lived in this century, it is thought that he was the first to write and create panels from it."

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