Islamic calligraphy
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Islamic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting and calligraphy, in the languages which use Arabic alphabet or the alphabets derived from it. It includes Arabic, Persian, Ottoman, and Urdu calligraphy. It is known in Arabic as khatt Arabi, which translates into Arabic line, design, or construction.
The Surah "Al-Isra'" copied by the 13th century calligrapher Yaqut al-Musta'simi in Muhaqqaq script with Kufic incidentals.
9th century Qur'an, an early kufic example from the Abbasid period
Bowl with Kufic Calligraphy, 10th century. Brooklyn Museum
Muraqqa script by Mehmed Şevkî Efendi of the two intro pages of the Quran
Arabic alphabet
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The Arabic alphabet, or Arabic abjad, is the Arabic script as specifically codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right-to-left in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters, of which most have contextual letterforms. The Arabic alphabet is considered an abjad, with only consonants required to be written; due to its optional use of diacritics to notate vowels, it is considered an impure abjad.
Musnad script as is clear from one of the Sabaean inscriptions.