The “Qur'ān Of ʿUthmān” At The Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi (Turkish and Islamic Art Museum), Istanbul, Turkey, From 1st / 2nd Century Hijra

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First Composed: 21st September 2009

Last Updated: 3rd January 2010

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Assalamu ʿalaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

Figures: (a) Folio 4a showing sūrah al-Baqarah - part of verse 30 to part of verse 34. (b) Folio 317b showing sūrah Fāṭir - verse 44 to the end, and sūrah Yāsīn - from the beginning until part of verse 7. (c) Folio 419a showing sūrah al-Muddathir - part of verse 31 to part of verse 56. (d) Folio 432b showing sūrah al-Ḍuḥa - part of verse 4 to end. Sūrah al-Sharh - from the beginning until the end. Sūrah Tīn - from the beginning until end of verse 3. (e) Folio 439 say "Katabah ʿUthmān bin ʿAffān fī sanat thalathyn".

Date

Late 1st century / early 2nd century of hijra. Two folios (183b, 439) of this manuscript were published by Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Munajjid.[1] A facsimile edition of this manuscript was prepared by Dr. Tayyar Altikulaç in the year 2007.[2] A folio of this manuscript was also published recently by Seracettin Şahin.[3]

Interestingly, on the last folio (no. 439) of the manuscript is written in kufic script “katabahu ʿUthmān bin ʿAffān fī sanat thalathyn” (“ʿUthmān bin ʿAffān wrote in the year 30 AH”). However, the script and ornamentation negates this possibility. Dr. Altikulaç considers this manuscript to be from second half of 1st century or first half of 2nd century hijra.[4] He thinks that it is a Basran muṣḥaf which does not fully confirm with any of 7 or 10 mutawatir readings in terms of dotting or vowelization. It was written, therefore, before the standardization and spread of famous readings. Likewise, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Munajjid did not consider this manuscript to be from the time of caliph ʿUthmān and dates it to second half of 1st century hijra. According to him, this manuscript is the "earliest muṣḥaf we have seen".[5]

The dating of this manuscript to late 1st century / early 2nd century of hijra is also supported by the fact that the script in this manuscript has interesting similarities to that of codex Mixt. 917, which is also dated to similar time period.

Accession Number

TIEM Inv. No. 457 (‘Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi Inv. No. 457’) .

Size & Folios

Total number of folios: 439. Only 17 folios are missing out of which 14 folios are restored by a later hand, by Dāwūd bin ʿAlī al-Kaylānī on 3rd December, 1437 CE. These folios are 1, 38, 91, 120, 139, 222, 299, 308, 408, 415, 427, 436, 437, 438. The other three missing folios are the ones after folio nos. 9, 215, 406. Size: 32 cm x 23 cms. Written area: 22 cm x 16 cm. Thickness: 13 cm.

History Of The Manuscript

Very little information is available. Transferred from the Aya Sofiya library to the Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi on 30th March, 1912 CE. It was here the manuscript was given the accession no. 457. Remains there till date. Its origins and when it arrived at the Aya Sofia library is unknown. On the first folio, a waqf seal of the Ottoman Sultan Mahmoud I (1730-1754 CE) is present.

Script & Ornamentation

Kufic.

The manuscript is written on gazelle skin. On the other hand, the folios restored in 1437 CE are made of paper.

There are 15 lines per folio except three folios, viz., f. 184a has 16 lines; f. 405a has 14 lines; f. 406a has 13 lines and f. 406b has 14 lines. The folios restored in 1437 CE folios have between 7 and 10 lines per page. The verse endings are marked by a set of diagonal dashes; every fifth verse is marked with a golden ‘d’ shaped character. Every tenth verse is marked with a patterned circular gold medallion connected by blue, green, and red dots [Figures (c) and (d)]. The consonants are frequently differentiated by dashes. The beginning of the sūrah, number of verses and whether Makki or Madani are indicated in gold [Figures (b) and (d)]. It appears that this sūrah separator along with the marking of every fifth verse was done by a different (later?) hand.

On the last folio (no. 439) of the manuscript is written in kufic script “katabahu ʿUthmān bin ʿAffān fī sanat thalathyn”. This statement is enclosed inside a highly ornate rectangular box with a semicircle jutting out from its left hand side [Figure (e)]. This appears to be a floor design of a mosque with mihrab.

There are good number of other Qur'ans [such as the ones at St. Petersburg, Istanbul, two in Cairo (al-Hussein mosque and Dār al-Kutub) and Samarqand] having at times turned up in different parts of the Islamic world, almost all purporting to show the traces of the blood of the third caliph ʿUthmān upon certain pages, and thus the genuine ʿUthmānic Qur'an, the imām, which he was reading at the time of his death. Taking into account the palaeographic considerations, this Qur'an does not belong to time of the third caliph ʿUthmān.

Contents

The contents of the manuscript, as tabulated below, are gathered from the facsimile edition.

Folios Qur'anic Sūrah Image Publication Comments
1b al-Fātiḥah Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 1b is written in a later hand.
1b -34a al-Baqarah Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 1b is written in a later hand.
34a - 54a āl-ʿImrān Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folios 38a, 38b are written in a later hand.
54a - 75b al-Nisā Altikulaç, 2007 -
75b - 91b al-Mā'idah Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folios 91a, 91b are written in a later hand.
91b - 108a al-Anʿām Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 91b is written in a later hand.
108a - 127a al-Aʿrāf Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folios 120a, 120b are written in a later hand.
127a - 134a al-Anfāl Altikulaç, 2007 -
134a - 148b Tawbah Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folios 139a, 139b are written in a later hand.
148b - 159a Yūnus Altikulaç, 2007 -
159a - 169b Hūd Altikulaç, 2007 -
169b - 179b Yūsuf Altikulaç, 2007 -
179b - 183b al-Rʿad Altikulaç, 2007; Al-Munajjid, 1972 (f. 183b) -
184a - 188b Ibrāhīm Altikulaç, 2007 -
188b - 192a al-Ḥijr Altikulaç, 2007 -
192a - 202a al-Nahl Altikulaç, 2007 -
202a - 211b al-Isrāʾ Altikulaç, 2007 -
211a - 218b al-Kahf Altikulaç, 2007 -
218b - 223b Maryam Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folios 222a, 222b are written in a later hand.
223b - 231a Ṭāhā Altikulaç, 2007 -
231a - 237b al-Anbiyā Altikulaç, 2007 -
237b - 244b al-Ḥajj Altikulaç, 2007 -
244b - 250b al-Muʾminūn Altikulaç, 2007 -
250b - 258a al-Nūr Altikulaç, 2007 -
258a - 263b al-Furqān Altikulaç, 2007 -
263b - 271a al-Shuʿarā Altikulaç, 2007 -
271a - 277b al-Naml Altikulaç, 2007 -
277b - 285b al-Qaṣaṣ Altikulaç, 2007 -
285b - 291a al-ʿAnkabūt Altikulaç, 2007 -
291a - 296a al-Rūm Altikulaç, 2007 -
296a - 299a Luqmān Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 299a is written in a later hand.
299a - 301a al-Sajdah Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folios 299a, 299b are written in a later hand.
301a - 308b al-Aḥzāb Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folios 308a, 308b are written in a later hand.
308b - 313b Sabʾ Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 308b is written in a later hand.
313b - 317b Fāṭir Altikulaç, 2007 -
317b - 321b Yāsīn Altikulaç, 2007 -
321b - 326b al-Ṣāffāt Altikulaç, 2007 -
326b - 331a Ṣād Altikulaç, 2007 -
331a - 337b al-Zumar Altikulaç, 2007 -
337b - 344b Ghāfir Altikulaç, 2007 -
344b - 349a Fussilat Altikulaç, 2007 -
349a - 353b al-Shūra Altikulaç, 2007 -
353b - 358b al-Zukhruf Altikulaç, 2007 -
358b - 360b al-Dukhān Altikulaç, 2007 -
360b - 363a al-Jāthiya Altikulaç, 2007 -
363a - 367a al-Aḥqāf Altikulaç, 2007 -
367a - 370a Muḥammad Altikulaç, 2007 -
370a - 373b al-Fataḥ Altikulaç, 2007 -
373b - 375b al-Ḥujurāt Altikulaç, 2007 -
375b - 377b Qāf Altikulaç, 2007 -
377b - 379b al-Dhāriyāt Altikulaç, 2007 -
379b - 381b al-Ṭūr Altikulaç, 2007 -
381b - 383b al-Najm Altikulaç, 2007 -
383b - 385b al-Qamar Altikulaç, 2007 -
385b - 388a al-Raḥmān Altikulaç, 2007 -
388a - 390a al-Wāqiʿah Altikulaç, 2007 -
390a - 393b al-Ḥadid Altikulaç, 2007 -
393b - 396a al-Mujādilah Altikulaç, 2007 -
396a - 398b al-Ḥashr Altikulaç, 2007 -
399a - 400b al-Mumtaḥinah Altikulaç, 2007 -
400b - 402a al-Ṣaff Altikulaç, 2007 -
402a - 403a al-Jumuʿah Altikulaç, 2007 -
403a - 404a al-Munāfiqūn Altikulaç, 2007 -
404a - 406a al-Taghābūn Altikulaç, 2007 -
406a - 407b al-Talāq Altikulaç, 2007 -
408a - 409a al-Tahrīm Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folios 408a, 408b are written in a later hand.
409a - 410a al-Mulk Altikulaç, 2007 -
410a - 411b al-Qalam Altikulaç, 2007 -
411b - 413a al-Ḥaqqah Altikulaç, 2007 -
413a - 414a al-Maʿārij Altikulaç, 2007 -
414a - 415b Nūḥ Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folios 415a, 415b are written in a later hand.
415b - 417a al-Jinn Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 415b is written in a later hand
417a - 418a al-Muzzammil Altikulaç, 2007 -
418a - 419b al-Muddathir Altikulaç, 2007 -
419b - 420a al-Qiyāmah Altikulaç, 2007 -
420a - 421b al-Insān Altikulaç, 2007 -
421b - 422b al-Mursalāt Altikulaç, 2007 -
422b - 423b al-Nabāʾ Altikulaç, 2007 -
423b - 424b al-Nāziʿāt Altikulaç, 2007 -
424b - 425a al-ʿAbasa Altikulaç, 2007 -
425a - 426a al-Takwīr Altikulaç, 2007 -
426a - 426b al-Intifār Altikulaç, 2007 -
426b - 427b al-Mutaffifīn Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folios 427a, 427b are written in a later hand.
427b - 428a al-Inshiqāq Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 427b is written in a later hand.
428a - 428b al-Burūj Altikulaç, 2007 -
428b - 429a al-Tāriq Altikulaç, 2007 -
429a - 429b al-ʿAlā Altikulaç, 2007 -
429b - 430a al-Ghāshīyah Altikulaç, 2007 -
430a - 431a al-Fajr Altikulaç, 2007 -
431a - 431b al-Balad Altikulaç, 2007 -
431b al-Shams Altikulaç, 2007 -
431b - 432a al-Layl Altikulaç, 2007 -
432a - 432b al-Ḍuḥa Altikulaç, 2007 -
432b al-Sharḥ Altikulaç, 2007 -
432b - 433a al-Tīn Altikulaç, 2007 -
433a - 433b al-ʿAlaq Altikulaç, 2007 -
433b al-Qadr Altikulaç, 2007 -
433b - 434a al-Bayyinah Altikulaç, 2007 -
434a - 434b al-Zalzalah Altikulaç, 2007 -
434b al-ʿAdiyāt Altikulaç, 2007 -
434b - 435a al-Qāriʿah Altikulaç, 2007 -
435a al-Takāthur Altikulaç, 2007 -
435a - 435b al-ʿAsr Altikulaç, 2007 -
435b al-Humazah Altikulaç, 2007 -
435b - 436a al-Fīl Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 436a is written in a later hand.
436b al-Quraysh Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 436b is written in a later hand.
436b al-Māʿun Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 436b is written in a later hand.
437a al-Kawthar Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 437a is written in a later hand.
437a al-Kafirūn Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 437a is written in a later hand.
437a - 437b al-Naṣr Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folios 437a and 437b are written in a later hand.
437b al-Masad Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 437b is written in a later hand.
437b al-Ikhlās Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 437b is written in a later hand.
438a al-Falaq Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 438a is written in a later hand.
438a al-Nās Altikulaç, 2007 Missing folio 438a is written in a later hand.

Location

Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi (Turkish and Islamic Art Museum), Istanbul, Turkey.

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References

[1] S. al-Munajjid, Dirāsāt fī Tārīkh al-Khatt al-ʿArabī Mundhu Bidayatihi ilā Nihayat al-ʿAsr al-Umawi (French Title: Etudes De Paleographie Arabe), 1972, Dār al-Kitāb al-Jadid: Beirut (Lebanon), pp. 56-57, Figs. 26 and 27.

[2] T. Altikulaç, HzOsman’a Nisbet Edilen MushafI Şerîf (Türk ve İslâm Eserleri Müzesi Nüshası), 2007, Volumes I and II, İslam Araştırmaları Merkezi (İSAM): Istanbul (Turkey).

[3] S. Şahin, The Museum Of Turkish And Islamic Arts - Thirteen Centuries Of Glory From The Umayyads To The Ottomans, 2009, Blue Dome Press: New York (NY), p. 23 (description), pp. 24-25 (picture).

[4] T. Altikulaç, HzOsman’a Nisbet Edilen MushafI Şerîf (Türk ve İslâm Eserleri Müzesi Nüshası), 2007, op. cit., pp. 106-107 (Volume I, Turkish section), pp. 120-121 (Volume I, Arabic section).

[5] S. al-Munajjid, Dirāsāt fī Tārīkh al-Khatt al-ʿArabī Mundhu Bidayatihi ilā Nihayat al-ʿAsr al-Umawi (French Title: Etudes De Paleographie Arabe), 1972, op. cit., p. 55.

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