Sehar Shahzad

Sehar Shahzad is an artist specializing in traditional Arabic calligraphy, born and raised in Toronto, Canada. Ever since she was a child Sehar has enjoyed painting, drawing, and other forms of creativity, and it was during her late teenage years that she first tried traditional Arabic calligraphy. She had immediately fallen in love its intricate lines, its delicate curves, and its innate beauty, and had since then intended to become a master in this art. Sehar’s love for calligraphy arose at the same point in life where she was beginning to truly internalize her faith identity, and therefore calligraphy became the means of weaving together her long-time passion for art and her ever-growing devotion for Islam.

Sehar has had the opportunity to learn under several calligraphy masters, including Shaykh Yusuf Badat and Haji Noor Deen. Currently she is solely devoted to her journey towards completing her ijaza under her master, Khalid Casado. (An ijaza is a traditional calligraphy certification granted to a student from their master).

In the past, Sehar has had the opportunity to teach workshops, participate in exhibitions, and create custom calligraphy artwork for local and international clients. She has also had the opportunity to work on several large-scale mosque projects in North America. In Toronto, these include a prayer space at the University of Toronto, SeekersHub Toronto, and TARIC Mosque. And more recently in the Bay Area, these include the Fiji Jamat ul Islam in South San Francisco, the American Muslim Association in Hayward, the Evergreen Islamic Center in San Jose, and the Garden of Light prayer room in Napa Valley.

Sehar’s dream is to master this time-honoured tradition of Arabic calligraphy, and then to continue sharing her passion with others as far and as wide as she possibly can. She has come to consider this work as an act of worship, in the shadow of those who have come before her, and as a means to illuminate the path of those to come after.

As of 2017, Sehar now lives in San Francisco, California, with her husband.