Explain the significance of the bismillah and the art of calligraphy in the Muslim faith

Question

Please provide the best answer for the statement.

Answer 1

1. The bismillah consists of the phrase “In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, Ever-Merciful.” Every pious Muslim begins any statement or activity with it, and it inaugurates each chapter of the Qur’an. For Arab calligraphers, to write the bismillah in as beautiful a form as possible brings the scribe forgiveness for sins, and the phrase appears in the Islamic world in many different forms—even in the shape of a parrot. By 700 it had become an important part of architectural practice as well. It first appears in written form on a band of mosaic script around the interior walls and above the entrance of Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
2. The importance of writing in spreading the new faith suggests one reason that Muslim calligraphers were held in such high esteem. The role of the Muslim calligrapher’s style is to attract the attention of the reader, eliciting admiration for the beauty of the script, and in turn reflecting the beauty of the Muslim faith. The Muslim calligrapher is considered the medium through which Allah expresses himself. The more beautiful the calligraphic script, the more fully Allah’s beauty is realized. Mastering the art of calligraphy was, in this sense, a form of prayer, and it was practiced with total dedication.