File:A talisman to ward off evil.jpg

English: A talisman to ward off evil, probably 1700's-1800's

Source: http://islamicart.com//main/calligraphy/catalog/india.html (downloaded April 2000)

"Probably India, 18th-19th century. Ink and gouache on paper stuck on cardboard, 10 x 6 1/4 in. Riyadh, Rifaat Sheikh El-Ard collection. Sotheby's (1980 b), lot 181, p. 86.

This talisman written in heavily stylized Kufic script makes a particularly striking and powerful impression. Similar to a mihrab in shape, it is made up of three separate parts. At the top and bottom are triangular and semi-circular panels bearing standard formulae used amongst other things for warding off evil. The four central panels contain the Surah LXVIII, Al-Qalam, The Pen, verses 51- 52:

              "And the unbelievers
              Would almost trip thee up
              With their eyes when they hear the Message; and they
              Say: Surely he is possessed
              But it is nothing less
              Than a Message
              To all the worlds."

Although these verses were not often used as a talisman, their references to the eyes of evil men, madness and possession, would seem to render them appropriate. The one the unbelievers describe as being "mad" and "possessed" is Muhammad himself. The "Message" he was bringing was of course the Qur'an, the antithesis of madness and regarded by Muslims as the cure for all evil. This probably explains the choice of these two verses as a talisman. At least two other versions of this composition are known, but this is the only one to have floral decoration. Like many talismans, this one was probably intended to prevent or even cure a specific evil, though it is not clear which one."