Saudi Muslim Holy Art: "Shahada"

This plaque presents the Muslim declaration of faith, or the "Shahada" in Arabic calligraphy. The declaration states that there is no god worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is His messenger.

The Shahada is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The pillars are five basic acts in Islam, considered obligatory by Sunni Muslims. The Qur'an presents them as a framework for worship and a sign of commitment to the faith. They are (1) the shahada (creed), (2) daily prayers (salat), (3) fasting during Ramadan (sawm), (4) almsgiving (zakat), and (5) the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) at least once in a lifetime.

Particularly among modern Sunni Islamists, there is a prohibition against depicting living things in religious art. Because of the naturally decorative nature of Arabic script and the fact that the Qur'an is written in Arabic, Muslim artists began to use calligraphic decorations. Calligraphy is the most highly regarded and most fundamental element of Islamic art. Calligraphy is used on religious architecture, carpets, and handwritten documents.

Source:
http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/pillars.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Pillars_of_Islam
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cali/hd_cali.htm http://www.sakkal.com/ArtArabicCalligraphy.html