Muhammad Hobe
Muhammad Hobe was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. He became a Muslim in 1991 and in 1994 he was sent to Waterfall Islamic Institute where he studied Islamic studies, completed his hifz (memorisation of the Holy Quran) and developed an interest for Arabic calligraphy. During his teaching years at Waterfall Islamic Institute, he met Turkish calligrapher Hilal Kazan who, on recognising his skill and efforts, encouraged and assisted him in travelling to Istanbul, Turkey to study under the Turkish master of calligraphy, Hasan Çelebi. Muhammad began his apprenticeship with Master Hasan Çelebi in 2009 with the help of IRCICA and on completing his tuition, obtained the Ijazah (licence/diploma) in the Thuluth and Naskh scripts in 2013. In March 2017, he was awarded citizenship by the Turkish government due to his dedication to his work in the Islamic arts. Muhammad has since continued to work as a professional calligrapher, participating in numerous exhibitions both in Turkey and internationally as well as passing on his knowledge by teaching his own students. He currently resides in Istanbul, Turkey where he continues to benefit from his teachers, Hasan Çelebi and Efdaluddin Kılıç.