Islamic Art

Love for religion and Islamic Art drove Altaf Ahmed to create artistic images with verses of Qur’an on photo-film. Altaf Ahmed owes his allure for Islamic Art to his father Nazeer Ahmed, a lecturer, who was himself a greater admirer of Islamic Art.


Altaf Ahmed took up to printing after the completion of his studies in Business Management from the University of Mysore. It was onr Mr. Masood of Excel traders who gave him the initial breakthrough by sponsoring his wall hangings. Subse quently it was Moulana Riyaz-ur-Rahman Rashidi, the Khateeb and Imam of City Jamia Masjid who encouraged and supported his work by verifying the suitability of the Qur’anic Verses before they were finally given for printing. Thanks to this support from Moulana Sahab and the grace of Allah (SWT), the business soon picked up and very soon the wall hangings not only became popular all over India but also became an export item all over the world. Keeping in view the intricate work and time (four months) that goes into creating each design, Altaf made sure that all his designs have a copyright on them. However now with the arrival of Computer aided technology, he is able to create exclusive designs in only a week’s time. Altaf could have well restricted himself to just doing the wall hangings, but he decided to also do Arabic decorative Tugrahs (wall mountings) in a variety of colors. Altaf insists the secret of his success is in the high quality of material he uses.


Like any new venture, Altaf also had to struggle initially. Traditionally the wall hangings were always in cloth, but he decided to introduce the Photo-film concept, which resulted in giving crystal clear impressions as compared to printed images of Arabic work of Art. His idea of using golden colored ink to print on black photo-film received wide appreciation from both within the country and from abroad. He said, he was inspired by the color of ghalaf (covering) of Kaaba with gold color on top of black.


Altaf not only has an excellent bent of mind artistically, but he is also very good business man and knows how to promote and market his products effectively. His Company ‘Universal Islamic Products’ regularly participates in various expositions and exhibitions all over India. Altaf insists effective marketing of his product is essential to succeed in his line of business.


Altaf says, apart from printing Qur’anic verses, he also looks to covey moral messages through his wall hangings. Before giving theses verses for printing, he ensures cross checking the same through authentic books.


Taste for multicolored wall hangings had lost its appeal to the people and they were looking for something different and this is exactly what he was doing, offering a product with a difference. He concluded by saying that it was his aim to convey the message of Islam and Qur’an and that he has succeeded in doing.


Among some his popular wall hangings are, Surah (Chapter) Yasin, Ayatal Kursi, Asmaul Husna, Char Qul, Surah Fatiha and the last sermon of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh).