MUSCAT: The longest handwritten holy Quran is now in Oman as the calligraphist, who won the world record for the same is on a short visit to the Sultanate aiming to meet with higher officials of the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs (MERA).
Jaseem, the author who hails from Cherumukku, near Tirurangadi in Kerala, broke the record hitherto held by Egyptian scholar Mohammed Gabriel by scripting 1,106-m long Quran in calligraphic style. It took nearly two years for him to break the record of 700 m.
Jaseem, who completed his graduation from Jamia Nooria Arabic college in Pattikkad, Perinthalmanna, Kerala, made the most of the pandemic and the lock down in order to complete his manuscript copy of the Qur'an, thanks to the skill that he acquired during his 12 years with Tirur Chembra Dars Art of Calligraphy.
According to All Guinness Records Holders (AGRH) officials, Jaseem became the 75th Guinness record winner from Kerala. "It's a proud moment for us all," said Munawarali Shihab Thangal, who was the witness to the feat.
The 1,106-m long Quran he prepared weighs 118.3 kg and has 325,384 Arabic letters, 77,437 Arabic words, 114 chapters, and 6,348 verses. Each Juz (section) is done in about 65-75 pages, and each page contains 9-10 lines. Each page is 75 cm in height and 34 cm in width. This work was done using 300 GSM ivory card about 2,000 pages.
The officials who examined Jaseem's feat included Muslim community leader Syed Munawwarali Shihab Thangal and AGRH State president Sattar Adoor.
Thangal and Adoor handed over the Guinness certificate to Jaseem.
"I am in the Sultanate which has a lot of religiously important elements including the Muscat International Airport bearing the verses of Prophet Mohammed, the presence of the tomb of Prophet Adam, Cheraman Perumal Tomb in Salalah, and fur sure, I wish to meet with the Awqaf authorities to show the achievement," Jaseem said.
Jaseem says it was Covid-19 lockdown that helped him to set his eyes on this feat. He had displayed his calligraphic prowess at a Quran exhibition organised by the Noorul Ulama Students earlier and he attributes his gratitude to two people who helped him achieve the title.
"They are Ayoob, my elder brother who used to paint well and who is the reason behind my taste for calligraphy from childhood. It is my teacher Swalahuddin Faizy Venniyoor who initiated me into Arabic calligraphy and inspired me to take my first steps in this traditional Islamic art form. I have set my goals even higher and only time can prove them to be true," Jaseem said before leaving for a social Iftar.
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