The finest pens are those that are perfectly straight, yellow-tinged, and taper delicately at the middle. A nib cut obliquely on the right side suits Arabic, Persian, and Hebrew scripts, whereas a scribe of the Dari language must have his pen cut on the left.

Yaḥyā ibn Jaʿfar al-Barmakī, in a letter to Yaḥyā ibn Layth, described the ideal reed as “neither thick nor thin, its middle fine.” The knife used for trimming must be razor-sharp, and the cut itself should imitate the beak of a crane, slanted to the right. The makṭaʿ—the board on which the reed is cut—ought to be exceedingly hard; the anqāsh should be of light Persian make; and the paper must be smooth, even, and capable of stretching, for cramped paper makes the script appear wild. The shapes of the letters should echo one another, a feat attainable only by a wise and intelligent craftsman—or by fingers long trained in the art.

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rāfiʿ served as clerk to the Commander of the Believers ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib—may Allah honor his countenance. He relates: “One day, while I was writing, the Commander said to me, ‘Tilt your inkwell, lengthen the nib of your pen, leave ample space between the lines, and draw the letters close to one another.’”

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jabila, a master scribe himself, instructed his attendants: “Use reeds from Baḥriyya; if these are unavailable, take the yellow variety. Cut away every knot in the reed, lest knots appear in your affairs. No letter may be dispatched without a seal, for a letter’s dignity lies in its seal.”

Ibn ʿAbbās, commenting on the verse, “Indeed, a noble letter has been delivered to me” (Q 27:29), said, “that is, a sealed letter.” The Prophet ﷺ ordered that a letter be written to the non-Arab rulers, adding, “They will not accept a letter unless it is sealed.” Accordingly, he sealed it with his blessed seal, on which were three lines: Muḥammad / Messenger / of Allah.

Sakhr ibn ʿAmr narrated that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wrote a letter to the Negus