Authenticity of the Qur'an

[Zafran]

I agree to some parts of your post brother. Uthman was merely a compiler. But you need to double check your statement "not a single one among the sahaba objected to it". Thank you very much.

salaam

Every Sahabi accepted it and even praised Uthman (ra) for doing it.

ps - Uthman (ra) standardised it into the Quesrhi dialect - the Quran was already complied under Abu Bakr (ra).

peace

 

[StudentMuslim]

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The Qur'anic Manuscripts

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There has been a polemic going on that the Qur'an does not have manuscripts from the first century of hijra. However, this is not true. Many fragments of early Qur'anic manuscripts were shown by Orientalists notably Nabia Abbott in her work The Rise of the North Arabic script and its Kur'anic development, with a full description of the Kur'an manuscripts in the Oriental Institute (1939, University of Chicago Press). There she discusses some of the Quranic manuscripts, dated from second half of the first century hijra onwards, at the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago. The aim of this page is to highlight some of the early Qur'anic manuscripts to refute the claim that the Qur'an lacks manuscripts from the first century of hijra.
The dig at the Great Mosque in Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen, had found a large number of manuscripts of the Qur'an dating from first century of hijra. The date of building the Great Mosque in Ṣanʿāʾ goes back to 6th year of hijra when the Prophet Muhammad entrusted one of his companions to build a mosque. The mosque was extended and enlarged by Islamic rulers from time to time. In 1385 H/1965 CE heavy rains fell on Ṣanʿāʾ. The Great Mosque was affected and the ceiling in the north west corner was damaged. During the survey, the workers discovered a large vault full of parchment and paper manuscripts of both the Qur'an and non-Qur'anic material.
The UNESCO, an arm of the United Nations, had compiled a CD containing some of the dated Ṣanʿāʾ manuscripts as a part of "Memory of the World" programme. In this CD there are many Qur'anic manuscripts written in the hijazi script which are dated from 1st century of hijra, one of them belonging to early 1st century. Many more manuscripts have been dated from the period 1st / 2nd century of hijra.We will be showing only a few examples below.
A few more examples of the 1st and 1st / 2nd century Qur'anic manuscripts can be found in the book Maṣāḥif Ṣanʿāʾ (1985, Dār al-Athar al-Islāmiyyah). This book is a catalogue of an exhibition at the Kuwait National Museum, with articles by Hussa Sabah Salim al-Sabah, G. R. Puin, M. Jenkins, U. Dreibholz in both Arabic and English. It is expected that the Ṣanʿāʾ manuscripts will throw a great deal of light on the early Islamic history of calligraphy and illumination and even the various ahruf (they were seven) in which the Qur'an was revealed.
A few words of caution concerning the dating of the Qur'anic manuscripts need to be mentioned. It is to be remembered that assigning a date to an undated early Qur'anic manuscript is rarely simple especially in the absence of wakf marking. There is a tendency to assume that those in large scripts and without vowels are of the earliest date. This assumption, true to some extent, is nevertheless misleading in two respects. It ignores that fact that small as well as large maṣāḥif of the Qur'an were among the earliest written and that both types continued to be written thereafter. Though the assumption that manuscripts with the vowels must be considered later than those without is true in some cases, it is not always so, for some very early manuscripts of the Qur'an, originally written without vowels, may well have been voweled later. Furthermore, the first vowel system came into use shortly after the first maṣāḥif were written. There are also examples of later maṣāḥif which were unvoweled even after 3 centuries after hijra!
As a matter of caution, we stress the fact that we are only showing a single leaf of the manuscripts in the cases below. A manuscript may contain additional sūrahs. The reader is advised to go through the references for additional information.
Looking for something similar? Try

The Arabic Papyri | Arabic & Islamic Inscriptions | The Islamic Coins​

1. The Qur'anic Script & Palaeography

On The Origins Of The Kufic Script

The Christian missionaries have claimed that the Kufic script originated not earlier than 150 years after hijra. They have argued that it is also the view of both Martin Lings and Yasin Safadi. This article is a devastating refutation of their claims.
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The Dotting Of A Script And The Dating Of An Era: The Strange Neglect Of PERF 558, A. Jones, Islamic Culture, 1998, Volume LXXII, No. 4, pp. 95-103.

It is usually assumed that the dotting of the Arabic script began with the advent of dotting of Qur'anic manuscripts. However, recent observation on a 70 year old Arabic papyri has shown conclusively that dotting was available as early as 22 AH, perhaps even earlier.
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From Alphonse Mingana To Christoph Luxenberg: Arabic Script & The Alleged Syriac Origins Of The Qur'an

A path-breaking discourse or is it yet another headline grabbing exercise? You decide!
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Concise List Of Arabic Manuscripts Of The Qur'ān Attributable To The First Century Hijra.

The study of ancient manuscripts of the Qur'an is steadily gathering pace. In decades past, a few scholars have compiled lists of Qur'anic manuscripts attributable to the 1st century hijra. Although helpful, these lists contain only the barest details, usually only the name of the manuscript concerned or sometimes even less. With this in mind, we have constructed this document that contains additional details providing further insights into these valuable manuscripts, accompanied by full bibliographic references. A discussion of how scholars date early Qur'anic manuscripts and an assessment of the value of these manuscripts is also provided along with some detailed mathematical calculations. Should one ponder over this list, they will come to the appreciation scholars involved in this field of study suffer from an embarrassment of riches. Quite simply, there is no other work from the Late Antiquity that comes close to the Qur'an in terms of the number of their earliest manuscripts including textual content.
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Radiocarbon (Carbon-14) Dating And The Qur'ānic Manuscripts

Radiocarbon dating of ancient Qur'anic manuscripts in the literature is very rare. Can radiocarbon dating provide more accurate results than traditional palaeographic techniques and associated methods? A discussion of the scientific principles underpinning this radiometric dating technique, together with some practical examples from actual Qur'anic manuscripts, highlights the strengths and weaknesses of this procedure as compared to more traditional palaeographic based methods.
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Dated Texts Containing The Qur’an From 1-100 AH / 622-719 CE.

The corpus of dated texts containing the Qur'an from 1-100 AH / 622-719 CE proving the early codification of the Qur'an in Arabic.
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2. Examples Of The Qur'anic Manuscripts

THE ʿUTHMĀNIC MANUSCRIPTS​

No discussion about the Qur'anic manuscripts begins without the mention of the ʿUthmānic manuscripts of the Qur'an. Narrations differ as to how many copies were directly ordered and sent out by the Caliph ʿUthmān, but they range from four to seven. It seems certain from various Muslim historical sources that several were lost, through fire amongst other things. There are some copies that are attributed to ʿUthmān. However, it is to be added that there is a disagreement between the scholars whether they are truly ʿUthmānic. Some Western scholars have rejected the Qur'anic manuscripts attributed to ʿUthmān as "pious forgeries" without showing any scientific evidence (i.e., study of the parchment, script, ink etc.). This itself is unscientific to an extreme. We will discuss some important manuscripts attributed to ʿUthmān below.

The "Qur'ān Of ʿUthmān" At Tashkent (Samarqand), Uzbekistan, From 2nd Century Hijra.

A folio from a Qur'anic manuscript in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, commonly attributed to caliph ʿUthmān, has recently been subject to radiocarbon tests at Oxford, United Kingdom. Although the dates generated by this radiometric technique at either confidence level do not rule out the possibility that this manuscript was produced in ʿUthmān's time, palaeographic studies suggest an 8th century (2nd century hijra) date.
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The "Qur'ān Of ʿUthmān" At The Topkapi Museum, Istanbul, Turkey, From 1st / 2nd Century Hijra.

This manuscript was written in Kufic script and contains 408 folios. The extant folios contain more than 99% of the text of the Qur'an. Only two folios are missing. The manuscript shows the script, illumination and marking of vowels that are from the Umayyad times (i.e., late 1st century / early 2nd century of hijra).
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The "Qur'ān Of ʿUthmān" At St. Petersburg (Russia), Katta Langar, Bukhārā And Tashkent (Uzbekistan), From 2nd Century Hijra.

A manuscript written in the late the ḥijāzī script, containing about 40% of the text of the Qur'an, with full texts of 22 surahs and fragments of another 22.
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The Al-Hussein Mosque Manuscript.
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FIRST CENTURY HIJRA​

Below are the examples of the 1st century hijra manuscripts written in the ḥijāzī and the Kufic scripts.

Codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 01-27.1 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From Mid-1st Century Of Hijra.

Perhaps the most significant manuscript of the Qur'an palimpsest so far discovered at Ṣanʿāʾ, this codex is datable to the middle of the first century of hijra and consists of 36 folios. The leaves from codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 01-27.1 have appeared under the hammer at auction houses like Christie's, Sotheby's and Bonham's; the most recent one at Christie's in 2008 fetching a remarkable sum of £2,200,000, around fifteen times the estimated asking price. This codex exemplifies the principal tendencies of the early ḥijāzī script and is of tremendous importance regarding the textual transmission of the Qur'an, Arabic palaeography, codicology and other related disciplines. Below is a detailed description of some of the folios from this codex.
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Codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 01-25.1 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 1st Century Of Hijra.

Written in the ḥijāzī script. The codex consists of 29 folios. There are few diacritical marks but no vocalization. The verses divisions indicate the beginning of the usage of simple ornamentation which is nothing but adjacent strokes. An interesting feature of this early ḥijāzī manuscript is the presence of sūrah al-Fātiḥah which is followed immediately by sūrah al-Baqarah. The presence of sūrah al-Fātiḥah is rare in the Qur'ans from first century hijra, the only other known example being the “Great Umayyad Qur'ān”, DAM 20-33.1, also from Ṣanʿāʾ.
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Codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 01-29.1 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 1st Century Of Hijra.

Written in the ḥijāzī script. This codex was probably written by at least two different copyists as the scripts differ in various folios. There are few diacritical marks but no vocalization. The sūrahs are separated by simple ornaments. The are 9 published folios of this codex but it is believed that others also exist. Located at Dār al-Makhtūtāt, Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.
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Arabe 328a – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 1st Century Hijra In Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.

This is one of the most important manuscripts written in the ḥijāzī script from 1st century hijra. It has 58 folios; 56 of them at the the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, and one each at the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vat. Ar. 1605) and the Nasser David Khalili Collection (Acc. no. KFQ 60). This manuscript has 58 folios which contains about 26% of the total text of the Qur'an. The discussion on the folio at the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana is available here.
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MS. Or. 2165 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From The 1st Century Hijra In The British Library.

Hailed as by the earlier keepers of it as "probably the earliest Qur'an ever brought to Europe", the British Library says that it is the "oldest Qur'an manuscript" in their possession. This manuscript is written in the ḥijāzī (or ma'il) script. It is usually dated around the mid-second century of hijra. However, a recent study by Yasin Dutton has shown that this manuscript is remarkably similar to the first century Qur'anic manuscript MS. Arabe 328a in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris. Based on the similarity between MS. Arabe 328a and MS. Or. 2165, he suggests redating this manuscript to the time just before the Umayyad Caliph Walid (r. 86-96 AH), i.e., within the period 30-85 AH with the latter end of this time scale being safer. This manuscript has 121 folios which contains about 53% of the total text of the Qur'an.
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The “Great Umayyad Qur'ān” (Codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 20-33.1) From The Time Of Caliph Al-Walīd, Late 1st Century Hijra.

This monumental and the earliest Kufic Qur'anic manuscript, perhaps one of the most well-studied and is dated to the last decade of the 1st century of hijra, around 710 - 715 CE, in the reign of the Umayyad Caliph al-Walīd. This manuscript is unique in the sense that it open with a group of full page images. These images are the only known Qur'an illustrations and are absolutely unique among extant Qur'an manuscripts. Apparently 25(?) folios from this codex survive. Located at Dār al-Makhtūtāt, Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.
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The “Damascus Umayyad Qur'ān” TIEM ŞE 321 – 1st Century Of Hijra.

This manuscript was dated by Déroche using art-historical methods to the time after 72 AH / 691-692 CE or more probably during the last quater of the 1st (early 8th) century AH. It is written in Kufic or perhaps late ḥijāzī script. The letters are spread over the entire page due to an extensive use of elongation of horizontal connections or to a regular spacing of the letters or groups of letters irrespective of being part of the word or not. The sūrah headings are illuminated. The illumination of this Qur'an relies on motifs which find their parallels with the mosaics at the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The codex has 33+ folios and is located at the Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi (Turkish and Islamic Art Museum), Istanbul, Turkey.
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The ‘Mingana Palimpsest’ – A Manuscript Containing The Qur'ān From 1st Century Hijra.

Mrs. Agnes Smith Lewis was the first scholar to publish this unique palimpsest that has scriptio superior which is a Christian material (Arabic Christian homilies) and the scriptio inferior consisting of the Qur'anic verses. Mingana presented a full transcription of the Qur'anic text of the scriptio inferior of the manuscript, with the parallel text from the present day Qur'an. But his claim of "variants" in the Qur'anic text has come under suspicion partly because of his own history of being involved in suspected forgeries. Recent study by Fedeli on this manuscript has confirmed that the "inevitable and easy conclusion" is that all of Mingana's transcription can be suspected to be wrong. A recent surge of interest in this manuscript is due to the fact that the scriptio inferior was written in the ḥijāzī script.
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Inv. No. LNS 19 CAab – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 1st Century Of Hijra.

This manuscript bears a striking resemblence to the British Musuem Ms. Or. 2165. Just like the latter, the former is not vocalised. The consonants are frequently differentiated by dashes. Six oval dots ranked in three pairs punctuate the verses. Every tenth verse is marked by a red hollow circle surrounded by dots. Even the size of the folio is same as those found in Ms. Or. 2165. Thus, it can be said with reasonable certainty that both Ms. Or. 2165 and LNS 19 CAab belong to the same codex. There is one folio in this collection. Located at Dār al-Athar al-Islāmiyyah, Kuwait.
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Ms. Or. Fol. 4313 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 1st Century Of Hijra.

Written in the ḥijāzī script. The codex has 8 folios. Manuscript on parchment. The muṣḥaf is not vocalised. The consonants are differentiated by dashes. Six oval dots ranked in three pairs usually punctuate the verses. Every tenth verse is marked by a hollow circle surrounded by dots. Folios located at Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Germany, and Dār al-Kutub al-Misriyya, Cairo.
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An ‘Umayyad’ Fragment Of The Qur'ān From 1st Century Hijra.

This private-owned fragment of the Qur'an was recently published by Yasin Dutton. On the basis of palaeography and radiocarbon analysis, he dated it to the second half of the 1st century of hijra / late 7th or early 8th century CE.
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A Qur'ānic Manuscript In The Ḥijazi Script From c. 700 CE.

Eight folios (one fragmentary), 20-27 lines to the page written in brown ḥijāzī script, diacritical marks, where present, consists of oval dots or angled dashes, no vowel points, clusters of brown ink dots to indicate verse divisions, circular devices consisting of green and red dots every ten verses, one long, narrow rectangular panel of green and red decoration with a circular marginal device consisting of coloured dots on final folio, probably to indicate the sūrah heading of sūrah al-Nisa, leaves sewn together with original stitching. It contains sūrah āl-‘Imrān, verses 34-184.
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A Qur'ānic Leaf In The Ḥijāzī Script On Vellum, 1st Century Of Hijra.

It is written in the ḥijāzī script in brown ink on vellum. No vocalization, verses indicated occasionally by four dots; a few dots and angled dashes indicating diacritical marks and consonants.
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A Perg. 2 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 1st Century Hijra.
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Written in the ḥijāzī script. Yellowish, thin parchment with strong damage. Located at the Austrian National Library, Vienna
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A Perg. 213 – A Qur'anic Manuscript From 1st Century Hijra.

Manuscript from the Austrian National Library, Vienna. Written in the ḥijāzī script. Two folios extant.
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A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 1st Century Hijra: Surah al-Ma'idah. Verses 7 Through 12.

A manuscript from the Beit al-Qur'an, Manama, Bahrain, written in the Kufic script.
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P. Michaélidès No. 32 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From First Century Hijra.

Manuscript from the Collection George Michaélidès, Cairo (Egypt) written in the Kufic(?) script.
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A Ma‘il Manuscript in Kuwait – A Qur'anic Manuscript From First Century Hijra.

Manuscript from the Tariq Rajab Museum, Kuwait. Written in the ma‘il script [External Link].
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FIRST / SECOND CENTURY HIJRA
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Codex Mixt. 917 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 1st / 2nd Century Hijra.

This manuscript was written in either the late ḥijāzī or kufic script and contains 105 folios. The extant folios contain about 27% of the text of the Qur'an. A rare form of punctuation is also displayed in this manuscript corroborating its eighth century CE dating.
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Codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 01-28.1 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 1st / 2nd Century Of Hijra.

This codex, found in the Great Mosque in Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen, has 60 folios. There is a clear definition of the text area and of the distance between the lines which has given a uniform appearance, a feature which is generally uncommon in the ḥijāzī manuscripts. Diacritical marks are frequent. It has Qur'an 2:1–71:14 (fragmented, not sequential text).
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Codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 01-18.3 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 1st / 2nd Century Of Hijra.

Written in the late ḥijāzī script. The codex consists of 16 folios. Few diacritical marks but no vocalization. The vertical format is a common feature of most Qur'ans written in the ḥijāzī style. This example is an exception, where the horizontal format contradicts somewhat vertical features of the script.
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Surah al-Isra' (17) Verses Number: From 20 To 22 And Part Of 23.

Located at Dār al-Makhtūtāt, Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.
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Surah al-Mumtahinah (60) Verses Number: Part Of 4 To 8 And Part Of 9.

Located at Dār al-Makhtūtāt, Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.
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Surah al-Ma'idah. Verses Number: Part Of Verse 94 To Part Of Verse 97.

Manuscript from the Beit al-Qur'an, Manama (Bahrain), written in the Kufic script.
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SECOND CENTURY HIJRA​

Codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 01-30.1 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 2nd Century Of Hijra.

It is written in the late ḥijāzī script. There are about 32 lines per page. Few diacritical marks but no vocalization. The indication of the end of every tenth verses has been added later. The total number of folios in this codex are not known but 9 of them have been published so far. Located at Dār al-Makhtūtāt, Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.
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Codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 01-32.1 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 2nd Century Of Hijra.

Written in the late ḥijāzī script. About 12 lines per page. It has few diacritical marks but the vocalization is probably contemporary. The style bears many features common to both ḥijāzī and early Kufic, or perhaps show a transition from the former to the latter. The total number of folios in this codex are not known but 7 of them have been published so far. Located at Dār al-Makhtūtāt, Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.
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Codex Ṣanʿāʾ DAM 01-29.2 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 2nd Century Of Hijra.

This beautiful codex is one of the two Qur'ans found in Ṣanʿāʾ which resemble the monumental codex from Syria, the “Great Umayyad Qur'ān” (Codex Ṣanʿāʾ – DAM 20-33.1). Their similarity in size, proportion, number of lines, script and illumination suggest that the “Great Umayyad Qur'an” may have served as a model. The fragments from this codex reflect the Syrian codex in quality rather than features. The letters are spaciously distributed and once connected individual letters tend to blend with their neighbours. The total number of folios in this codex are not known but 10 of them have been published so far. Located at Dār al-Makhtūtāt, Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.
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Codex TIEM ŞE 12995 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From 2nd Century Of Hijra.

Written in the ḥijāzī script. The interesting part of this manuscript is the use of different colour of inks. Four varieties of ink have been used for the copy of the text. In addition of the most common used brown ink, the scribe also employed a red, an orange and a green one. These inks are not connected with the beginning or the end of sūrahs. The usage of inks does not follow any rule or sequence. However, an interesting patterning of the coloured inks is applied to the last three lines of a sūrah and the first three lines of the next one. For example, the end of sūrah al-Nisā is written in green and contrasts wiith the first and third lines of sūrah al-Mā'idah which are written in red, the second one being also in green. Only 22 folios of this codex survive. It is written in the reading of Ibn ʿĀmir. Located at the Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi (Turkish and Islamic Art Museum), Istanbul, Turkey.
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The "Qur'ān Of ʿUthmān" At Tashkent (Samarqand), Uzbekistan, From 2nd Century Hijra.

This famous manuscript, also known as the Samarqand manuscript, housed in Tashkent, is commonly attributed to Caliph ‘Uthman. A folio from a Qur'anic manuscript in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, has recently been subject to radiocarbon tests at Oxford, United Kingdom. Although the dates generated by this radiometric technique at either confidence level do not rule out the possibility that this manuscript was produced in ‘Uthman's time, palaeographic studies suggest an 8th century (2nd century hijra) date.​

The "Qur'ān Of ʿUthmān" At St. Petersburg (Russia), Katta Langar, Bukhārā And Tashkent (Uzbekistan), From 2nd Century Hijra.

A manuscript written in the late ḥijāzī script, containing about 40% of the text of the Qur'an, with full texts of 22 surahs and fragments of another 22.​

A Perg. 203: A Qur'anic Manuscript From The Beginning Of 2nd Century Hijra In The Austrian National Library.

Manuscript from the Austrian National Library, Vienna. Written in the Kufic script.
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A Perg. 201: A Qur'anic Manuscript From The Beginning Of 2nd Century Hijra In The Austrian National Library.

Manuscript from the Austrian National Library, Vienna. Written in the Kufic script.
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A Perg. 186: A Qur'anic Manuscript From Middle Of 2nd Century Hijra In The Austrian National Library.

Manuscript from the Austrian National Library, Vienna. Written in the Kufic script.
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A Perg. 202: A Qur'anic Manuscript From 2nd Century Hijra In The Austrian National Museum.

Manuscript from the Austrian National Library, Vienna. Written in the Makkan script.
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A Perg. 207: A Qur'anic Manuscript From 2nd Century Hijra In The Austrian National Museum.

Manuscript from the Austrian National Library, Vienna. Written in the Makkan script.
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A Perg. 27: A Qur'anic Manuscript From The End Of 2nd Century Hijra In The Austrian National Museum.

Manuscript from the Austrian National Library, Vienna. Written in themashq script.
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One Of The Earliest Dated Qur'anic Manuscript (107 AH / 725 CE) At Egyptian National Library.

An example of one of the earliest dated Qur'anic manuscripts at the Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya (Egyptian National Library), Cairo (Egypt).
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A Kufic Manuscript in the King Faisal Centre For Research and Islamic Studies - A Qur'anic Manuscript From 2nd Century Hijra.

A manuscript from the King Faisal Centre For Research and Islamic Studies, Saudi Arabia, written in Kufic script [External Link].
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SECOND / THIRD CENTURY HIJRA
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Surah Al-Ma'idah, Surah al-An‘am. Part Of 117 (Surah Al-Ma'idah) To Part Of 1 Of Surah Al-An‘am.

Located at Dār al-Makhtūtāt, Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.
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Surah Al-Baqarah. Part Of 80 To Part Of 81.

Located at Dār al-Makhtūtāt, Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.
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Surah Al-Mursalat. 5 To 26 And Part Of 27.

Located at Dār al-Makhtūtāt, Ṣanʿāʾ, Yemen.
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SOME UNIQUE MANUSCRIPTS
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The Famous "Blue" Qur'an.
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EXTERNAL LINKS TO THE QUR'ANIC MANUSCRIPTS
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Professor Brannon Wheeler's Qur'an Manuscripts Page

It contains a healthy collection of Qur'anic manuscripts dated from 1st century of hijra onwards till 14th century of hijra in various scripts such as ma'il, kufic, thuluth, bihari, diwani, andalusi, maghribi and nastaliq.
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The Schøyen Collection, National Library Of Norway

It has some good collection of Qur'anic manuscripts dating from as early as 2nd century of hijra.
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3. The Qira'at In The Qur'anic Manuscripts Early Qur'anic manuscripts, unlike the modern printed editions, rarely contain information of the Qira'at in which they were written. Deciphering the Qira'at in the Qur'anic manuscripts is a recent endeavour and a very tedious task. Scholars like Nabia Abbott had only mentioned about Qira'at in the manuscripts in a very cursory way. Recently, in-depth studies have been undertaken to decipher the Qira'at in the Qur'anic manuscripts by Dr. Yasin Dutton of University of Edinburgh. He has been looking into various Qur'anic manuscripts to understand the purpose of using various coloured dots in the writing of the Qur'an and studying the consonantal structure (where dotting is nearly absent as in early Qur'ans written in ḥijāzī or ma'il script) to find out the Qira'at in which the Qur'an manuscript was written. Here are a few examples of the manuscripts in which the Qira'at has been identified.

The Qira'at Identified In The Qur'anic Manuscripts
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We will also mention Dr. Dutton's publications and provide a brief overview. This section is primarily for those who have access to journals in their libraries.

Y. Dutton, "An Early Muṣḥaf According To The Reading Of Ibn ‘Amir", Journal Of Qur'anic Studies, 2001, Volume III (no. I), pp. 71-89.

This study is based on 1st century Qur'anic manuscript "Arabe 328a" in Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, written in ḥijazi (or ma'il) script. This manuscript has enough material to be able to ascertain the reading it represents. This manuscript is almost devoid of dotting and hence the consonantal structure is used to determine the Qira'at and it was found to be that of Ibn ‘Amir (d. 118 / 736) - one of the reading later to be declared indisputably mutawatir by Ibn Mujahid (d. 324 / 926). This study is first of its kind on early Qur'anic manuscripts.
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Y. Dutton, "Some Notes On The British Library's ‘Oldest Qur'an Manuscript’ (Or. 2165)", Journal Of Qur'anic Studies, 2004, Volume VI (no. 1), pp. 43-71.

The study by Dr. Dutton has shown that this manuscript is remarkably similar to first century manuscript Arabe 328a in Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, and was written in the Qira'at of Ibn ‘Amir. Based on the similarity between MS. Arabe 328a and MS. Or. 2165, he suggests redating this manuscript to the time just before Umayyad Caliph Walid (r. 86-96 AH), i.e., within the period 30-85 AH with the latter end of this time scale being the safer.
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Y. Dutton, "Red Dots, Green Dots, Yellow Dots & Blue: Some Reflections On The Vocalisation Of Early Qur'anic Manuscripts - Part I", Journal Of Qur'anic Studies, 1999, Volume I (no. I), pp. 115-140.

Y. Dutton, "Red Dots, Green Dots, Yellow Dots & Blue: Some Reflections On The Vocalisation Of Early Qur'anic Manuscripts - Part II", Journal Of Qur'anic Studies, 2000, Volume II (no. I), pp. 1-24.

This two-part detailed study is done on the Qur'anic manuscripts from Bodleian Library (Oxford) that date from 3rd / 4th century of hijra. The broad conclusions of this study are:

1. Variants, including shadhdh variants, are not only marked, but in a sense, highlighted by the use of different coloured dots.
2. The presence of shadhdh variants alongside Seven, Ten or Fourteen Qira'a suggests that the shadhdh variants were treated as seriously as the main readings by those responsible for vocalization.
3. The vocalized manuscript enables us to have some idea of the reading, or readings, represented. Where there are only single or limited folios available this is not usually possible, but where there is either a distinctive feature, or enough of a sufficiently well-vocalized manuscript, it is often possible to fix the reading with some precision.

4. The Qur'anic Manuscripts In Museums, Institutes, Libraries & Collections​

Maktabat al-Jami‘ al-Kabir (Maktabat al-Awqaf), The Great Mosque, San‘a', Yemen (See the manuscripts from 1st, 1st/2nd, 2nd and 2nd/3rd century of hijra).​

Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyya (Egyptian National Library), Cairo, Egypt.​

Astan-i Quds-i Razavi Library, Mashhad, Iran.​

Islamic Museum, Jerusalem, Palestine.​

Beit al-Qur'an, Manama, Bahrain (See the manuscripts from 1st and 1st/2nd century of hijra).​

The Nasser David Khalili Collection Of Islamic Art, London, United Kingdom.​

Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, France.​

The Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, United States of America.​

The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Ireland.​

The Institute Of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia (See the manuscript from 1st/2nd century of hijra).​

​

© Islamic Awareness, All Rights Reserved.

Thank you very much, it will take me a long time to read all this, but I promise that I will thoroughly go through all this. Thanks again.

 

[جوري]

Gossamer Skye

I have read Islamic history in detail (Seerat un nabbi by Ibn E Hisham, who quotes it from Ibn e Ishaaq, earliest known biographer of our Holy Prophet Muhammad). I went to school in Pakistan for 14years. I do not know how familiar you are with our education system, but Islamic Education is embedded in our schools and is obligatory, so I dare say that I do have "some little amount" of knowledge regarding Islam. And please next time do not make assumptions that someone is ignorant or unlearned. Just because some one disagrees with you does not mean that he is ignorant.

You are right in saying that I am new to the forum, so it will take me a little time to adjust. Please be patient. Thank you.

Wasalam.

I don't need your resume, firstly I wasn't talking about you in my statements of folks unlearned of a topic or learned vis a vis some orientalist 'scholar' given you have joined very late in the game, and secondly I have no way to verify your credentials or anything else about you personally save of what you write which might be colored with questionable detail..

Ibn Ishaq himself wasn't deemed a reliable source on the life of the prophet by Bukhari who refused to use alot of his details in the ahadith however these are minor details nonetheless and deserve a separate thread!
Wanting to learn doesn't start with an assertion but with proper questions.. I really have no quarrels with you, & I don't care just the same whether your religiosity is contingent upon the friendliness of the forum. 'be nice to me or I'll leave Islam' as foreshadowing your progress or lack thereof is probably a reflection on you than on the forum itself!

all the best

 

[جوري]

Thank you very much, it will take me a long time to read all this, but I promise that I will thoroughly go through all this. Thanks again.

my pleasure indeed.. for a better more thorough read may I recommend

a history of Quranic text from revelation to compilation by Dr. Al-Azami

 

[StudentMuslim]

being nice is good I think . But being nice or vice versa has nothing to do with my being faithful or faithless. Healthy discussion is always good and that is why I am here for. I am sorry I got the impression that you said that I should study first and then start questioning my faith. SO I just wanted to remind you that I have studied some and I am still doing more and more research.

But there is something called common sense, poeple should rely on it more than anything.
Thank you and Wasalam.

 

[جوري]

being nice is good I think . But being nice or vice versa has nothing to do with my being faithful or faithless. Healthy discussion is always good and that is why I am here for. I am sorry I got the impression that you said that I should study first and then start questioning my faith. SO I just wanted to remind you that I have studied some and I am still doing more and more research.

But there is something called common sense, poeple should rely on it more than anything.
Thank you and Wasalam.

we have had many an acerbic under-educated critics piercing an otherwise 'healthy' exchange, and they have no interest in learning, rather asserting their ignorance which they desire the rest of us to imbue without the slightest common sense from a simple historical perspective if not a religious one.
They'd rather read and believe and convince themselves and desire for us to be convinced just the same that we worship moon gods, or that Mary got pregnant with Jesus by eating dates or that Allah is the devil and so is Mohammed etc etc.. they call themselves 'scholars' they are in fact far removed... and it gets so tedious when it is an every day occurrence!

if you personally have questions and insert them in the search feature I guarantee you'll get at least 5-6-7 threads on the matter.. it is because most of them get their info from the same source and they don't bother verify it. They believe it and how dare us not admit to their beliefs!

If you are here to learn and for an honest intellectual debate and exchange then I wish you genuine progress.. if Islam isn't for you, it is all good just the same!

peace

 

[StudentMuslim]

we have had many an acerbic under-educated critics piercing an otherwise 'healthy' exchange, and they have no interest in learning, rather asserting their ignorance which they desire the rest of us to imbue without the slightest common sense from a simple historical perspective if not a religious one.
They'd rather read and believe and convince themselves and desire for us to be convinced just the same that we worship moon gods, or that Mary got pregnant with Jesus by eating dates or that Allah is the devil and so is Mohammed etc etc.. they call themselves 'scholars' they are in fact far removed... and it gets so tedious when it is an every day occurrence!

if you personally have questions and insert them in the search feature I guarantee you'll get at least 5-6-7 threads on the matter.. it is because most of them get their info from the same source and they don't bother verify it. They believe it and how dare us not admit to their beliefs!

If you are here to learn and for an honest intellectual debate and exchange then I wish you genuine progress.. if Islam isn't for you, it is all good just the same!

peace

Dear sister,

I express my gratitude once again. I am here to learn in all honesty and I am not here to assert my opinions on others. In future I will try to look for the answers within the forum itself before jumping up and posting something. Shukran Wasalam.

 

[جوري]

Dear sister,

I express my gratitude once again. I am here to learn in all honesty and I am not here to assert my opinions on others. In future I will try to look for the answers within the forum itself before jumping up and posting something. Shukran Wasalam.

I had no intention to be abrasive toward you, I thought you were soloqi, a fellow we have had of late who pretended to be Muslim!

 

[StudentMuslim]

It is okay, anyone can be mistaken. I do not have any hard feelings towards you.

 

[جوري]

It is okay, anyone can be mistaken. I do not have any hard feelings towards you.

thanks then :welcome: aboard
I won't question why you wrote the stuff you did on my sura thread yesterday, maybe it was a real genuine Q.. anyhow I hope you learn alot here..

 

[AntiKarateKid]

I agree to some parts of your post brother. Uthman was merely a compiler. But you need to double check your statement "not a single one among the sahaba objected to it". Thank you very much.

Which objected?

edit: Uthman didn't collect the Quran actually.

Upon the command of the Prophet (PBUH), the companions used to write what was revealed of the Holy Qur’an. They used for this purpose palm branches stripped of leaves, parchment, shoulder bones stone tablets, etc. About 40 people were involved in this task. Among those was Zayd Bin Thabet who showed his work to the prophet (PBUH). Thus, the Qur’an was properly arranged during the Prophet’s life but it was not compiled in one book yet. In the meantime, most of the Prophet’s companions learned the Qur’an by heart.

When Abu Bakr Assiddeeq became Caliph after the Prophet (PBUH) had died, a large number of the companions were killed during the war of the apostasy. Omar Bin Al khatab went to the caliph and discussed the idea of compiling the Qur’an in one volume. He was disturbed, as most of and those who memorized it had died. Then, Abu Bakr called for Zayd commissioned him to collect the Qur’an in one book, which became known as “ Mos’haf”.

After Zayed accomplished the tedious task and organized the Qur’an into one book, he submitted the precious collection to Abu Bakr who kept it in his possession until the end of his life. During Omar’s caliphate, it

was kept with the Prophet’s wife “Hafsa”.

In Othman’s days, readers began to recite the Qur’an in different ways (dialects) as Islam reached many countries. Othman then had various copies made based the original copy with Hafsa. Thus the Qur’an was

preserved and the Caliph was very much pleased with his achievement.

Today, every copy of the Qur’an has to conform with the standard copy of Othman. In fact Muslims over the ages excelled in producing the best manuscripts of the Holy Qur’an in the most wonderful handwriting. With the introduction of printing, more and more editions of Holy Qur’an were available all over the world.

 

[StudentMuslim]

thanks then :welcome: aboard
I won't question why you wrote the stuff you did on my sura thread yesterday, maybe it was a real genuine Q.. anyhow I hope you learn alot here..

It was a genuine question. It was regarding the Satanic Verses issue, never mind about it right now, it is irrelevant on this thread

 

[Zafran]

what website did you get that from - I googled it and anti Islamic sites come up?

 

[AntiKarateKid]

It's late here and I'll respond to your post tomorrow sometime.

Though I will say this, keep in mind that had there been any loss/alteration, many more than one Sahaba (who had memorized the Quran also) would have had a problem with the contents and you would be reading hundreds of hadiths of complaints.

 

[Zafran]

Hadrat Zaid Bin Thabit(Prophet Muhammad (SAW)'s adopted son)

Thats not true - your mixing up the Zaids. That was Zaid Ibn Harith (ra) Not Zaid Ibn Thabit (ra). You seriously need to watch where you get your info from.

 

[StudentMuslim]

what website did you get that from - I googled it and anti Islamic sites come up?

Yes it is a stupid anti-Islamic website, that is why I mentioned earlier that there was a lot of stupid stuff on the article which i disregarded.

I think it is on some website by some guy with Abrahamic faith, it is both anti-Islamic and anti-Christianity

 

[StudentMuslim]

Thats not true - your mixing up the Zaids.

ohhhhhh, did I? OOoppps I am sorry I will have to re-look at it.
Do you remember what was the full name of Hadrat Zaid (prophet's adopted son) so I can rectify my error.

 

[StudentMuslim]

Zaid Bin Harith

I am really sorry and I apologize for my huge error!

 

[جوري]

btw just for the record here what the actual sahih Muslim number 6022 says :



6022 - حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبي شيبة ، حدثنا يحيى بن آدم ، عن عمار بن رزيق ، عن أبي إسحاق ، عن الأغر أبي مسلم ، عن أبي هريرة ، وأبي سعيد قالا : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : « ما جلس قوم مسلمون يذكرون الله إلا حفتهم (1) الملائكة وتغشتهم (2) الرحمة وتنزلت عليهم السكينة (3) »

source:
http://www.muslm.net/vb/archive/index.php/t-164216.html

which you are free to look up.

It has a strong chain of Isnad. I will not translate so you wouldn't think me biased but here is an Arabic/English translation site where you are free to cut and paste the text into:

http://translation.babylon.com/Arabic/to-English

 

[StudentMuslim]

Oh wow, that is a HUGE surprise, one can never trust what is on a website.................