For years I have been an admirer of Rasheed Butt's calligraphies. At a time when many calligraphers strive to create new and unusual forms, he has perfected the classical style in a unsurpassable way. His naskh is masterly, and the combination of naskh and kufi, as e.g. in his superb rendering of Surat ur rehman, is unique.

Lately Mr. Butt has concentrated upon composing hilya, the time honoured description of the beauty of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), using the three extant descriptions and writing them in both nashk and nastaliq in a style and shape worthy of their noble contents. A special feature of Rasheed Butt's calligraphies is the ornamentation in golden hues and colours with most subtle arabesques, reviving the most delicate designs.

We hope that the Pakistani master calligrapher will live for many many years to fill the world with the beautiful designs of his miracle-working pen so that we can admire through him the quintessential Islamic art, that of calligraphy, which developed due to the wish to write the word of God as beautifully as possible. Does not the tradition state: "Verily God is beautiful and loves beauty?" It is this beauty which can be sensed through Rasheed Butt's art, the cultural background of the spectator notwithstanding.

Professor Dr. Annemarie Schimmel, Bonn, August 1999