This wonderful reproduction is of a 20th-century calligraphic panel scribed in Perso-Arabic nastaliq script. It consists of verse 193 from Surah al-Imran (Chapter of The House of Imran) which is a famous supplication (dua) often recited by Muslims. It is also found in many manuals of prayer. The Quranic dua reads:
In tafsir literature, the 'caller' referred to in the verse, is most often interpreted to be the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, though some see it as a reference to the Quran itself since the Quran reaches everyone and only a limited number of people actually heard the Messenger of God ﷺ in person.
In terms of layout, the lawha uses a wonderful strategy to capture the eye. On the top right, an arabesque design is placed in a square without a top reflecting something of the paradisal gardens which symbolically are above us, or the Masjid an-Nabawi which contains the Rawdah ash-Sharifah (Arabic: روضة الشريفة, lit. 'The Noble Garden') which is an area between the minbar and burial chamber of Muhammad ﷺ. The full formula of the basmala (In the Name of God, the Infinitely Good, the Ever-Merciful), and then the Quranic dua are beautifully scripted at a slanted angle.
