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Hilye, copied by the calligrapher Mehmed Tahir Efendi (d. 1848)
Istanbul, 19th century
Photograph. Original ink, opaque watercolour and gold on paper.
48 x 32.8 (40 x 24.8) cm
Nasser D Khalili Collection of Islamic Art. © Nour Foundation. Courtesy of the Khalili Family Trust
CAL 459
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By the 16th century, if not earlier, for reasons of piety the face of the Prophet Muhammad is shown veiled in Ottoman and Persian painting, which may have given rise to the now prevalent belief that it is actually forbidden to show his face. It also explains the popularity of the hilye-i Sherife (the noble hilye) in the Ottoman empire, the description of the physical and spiritual characteristics of the Prophet Muhammad, as recorded by his son-in-law and nephew ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (d. 661).
Its diagrammatic form usually presents this descriptive text in a central roundel. Writing the hilye-i Sherife was itself a work of devotion and designed to evoke reverence in the viewer, but it may also have been treated as a source of benevolence, as religious objects often are in other traditions.
Most hilyes were copied to be framed and hung on walls, in this respect like icons in the Greek Orthodox Church.
The text itself reads:
When ‘Ali described the Prophet, May God bless him and grant him salvation, he said “He was neither exceedingly tall nor unduly short. He was of medium height. His hair was not short, nor too curly, nor was it very straight nor long. It hung with a wave. He was not thin. His flesh was firm. His face had a roundness. His skin was of a rosy whiteness. He had large black eyes with thick long lashes. His bones were large and strong. He had very broad shoulders. He had fine hair on the lower part of his chest and the upper part of his stomach. His hands and feet were large and full. When walking, he leant forward, as if descending a slope. If he turned to see something, he would turn with his whole body. Between his shoulders he had the Seal of Prophet hood. He was the last of the Prophets. He was the most generous-hearted. He spoke with a sincere, most reliable tone. He had the most gentle nature and temperament. He was from the noblest tribe. Whoever saw him for the first time was awestruck. Whoever knew him socially liked him. Whoever described him said, ‘I have not seen anyone like him, before or since.’” May God bless him and grant him, and his relatives and Companions, salvation.
The absence of contemporary images of the Prophet might explain why ‘Ali’s description of his exemplary physical and spiritual qualities rapidly attained iconic status and is the one which most frequently appears on hilyes.
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