Written in naskh script, this sumptuously decorated masterpiece is a reproduction of an Ottoman hilyah-i nabavi penned by Hafiz Osman who is the originator of the classical layout of this artform.
The hilya contains a beautiful description of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ describing his physical characteristics, moral virtues, and demeanor as presented in hadith literature by his cousin, son-in-law, and companion Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Resting at the top of the composition is the opening phrase God, the Self-Sufficing in Infinite Plenitude in reyhan script.
The central golden roundel takes the shape of a crescent moon and contains the physical description of the Chosen One ﷺ as described by the Imam:
He was not too tall and attenuated, nor was he excessively short. He was medium sized. His hair was not short and curly, nor was it lank, but it was smooth and wavy. His face was not narrow, nor was it fully round, but there was a roundness to it. His skin was a ruddy white. His eyes were black. He had long eyelashes. He was big-boned and had wide shoulders. He had no body hair except in the middle of his chest. He had thick hands and feet. When he walked, he walked inclined, as if descending a slope. When he looked at someone, he looked at them in full face. Between his shoulders was the seal of prophecy, the sign that he was the last of the prophets.
On four corners, surrounding the central text, are the names of the four first caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali.
In the lower long rectangular panel is verse 107 from Surat al-Anbiyya written in jali thuluth script. It reads: "we have not sent you [Muhammad] but as a mercy to the worlds."
The last line in the colophon states: "Written by the poor Usman, son of Ali, who is known as hafiz of the eternal words [Holy Quran]."
