Hilya

thumb|A ḥilya by Hâfiz Osman (1642–1698), who established the standard layout used for this type of [[calligraphic panel]] The term ḥilya (, plural: ḥilān, or ḥulān; , plural: ) denotes both a visual form in Ottoman art and a religious genre of Ottoman-Arabic literature each dealing with the physical description of Muhammad. Hilya means "ornament". They originate with the discipline of ''shama'il'', the study of Muhammad's appearance and character, based on hadith accounts, most notably al-Tirmidhi's ''Shama'il al-Muhammadiyya'' "The Sublime Characteristics of Muhammad". In Ottoman-era folk Islam, there was a belief that reading and possessing Muhammad's description protects the person from trouble in this world and the next, it became customary to carry such descriptions, rendered in fine calligraphy and illuminated, as amulets. In 17th-century Ottoman Turkey, ḥilān developed into an art form with a standard layout, often framed and used as a wall decoration. Later ḥilān were written for the four Rashid caliphs, the Companions of the Prophet, Muhammad's grandchildren Hasan and Husayn, and walis or saints.

== Origins in hadith ==