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Lot Essay
The detailed colophon of this Qur’an records that it was written by Muhammad Ishaq Walad (son of) 'Abd'l-aziz Hasani known as Warraq, copied from a Qur’an written by Shaykh Shamen, a renowned scholar in the science of Qur'an reading, who in turn copied it from a Qur’an written by Hajji Ibrahim Sa’atah, "Hajji of the two Holy Mosques", who copied it from the illustrious Qur’an of the Caliph ‘Uthman in Mecca.
The colophon further states that it was written 'ala al-rasm al-'uthmani emphasising that it was copied adopting the 'Ottoman Calligraphy' or 'Ottoman drawing' which is the specific way in which the words and letters of the Qur'an should be drawn, approved by Caliph 'Uthman and used in his Qur'an and those written thereafter. This mention serves to reinforce how closely the scribe adhered to the way in which Caliph 'Uthman's Qur'an was written.
Caliph ‘Uthman was a key figure in the standardisation of the Qur’an. As the Islamic empire was expanding, and those who had memorised the Qur’an (huffaz) were dying, especially in battle, varying recitations of the Qur’an were causing disputes between the different centres of the empire. In response to this dissension, Caliph ‘Uthman commissioned a project to unify the Qur’anic text, calling on Zayd bin Thabit to supervise the task. The resulting standardised text was distributed and the variants suppressed. While the exact number of codices and list of recipient cities remains unknown, it is thought that copies were preserved in Mecca, Damascus, Kufa and Basra, and one retained in Medina.
Numerous accounts of renowned Islamic geographers and travellers attest to the presence of Caliph ‘Uthman’s Qur’an in Mecca, which is known also known as al-mushaf al-imam. These include Ibn Jubayr (d. 1217 AD), Ibn Battuta (d. 1369 AD), and Andalusian traveller Alqasim bin Yusuf Al-Tajyibbi Al-Sabtti (D. 1329 A.D), all of whom record seeing al-mushaf al-imam on their respective visits and pilgrimage to Mecca. Al-Samhudi, in his renowned Wafa al-Wafa bi akhbar Dar al-Mustafa, of which an abridged version is offered in lot 98 of the present sale, also discusses Uthman’s Qur’an in Mecca.
The importance granted in the colophon of the present manuscript to its origin of al-mushaf al-imam, not only authenticates the text against the authoritative text produced under Caliph ‘Uthman, but also reiterates the importance of preserving a unified and accurate text in Qur’an production in later centuries.
The colophon further states that it was written 'ala al-rasm al-'uthmani emphasising that it was copied adopting the 'Ottoman Calligraphy' or 'Ottoman drawing' which is the specific way in which the words and letters of the Qur'an should be drawn, approved by Caliph 'Uthman and used in his Qur'an and those written thereafter. This mention serves to reinforce how closely the scribe adhered to the way in which Caliph 'Uthman's Qur'an was written.
Caliph ‘Uthman was a key figure in the standardisation of the Qur’an. As the Islamic empire was expanding, and those who had memorised the Qur’an (huffaz) were dying, especially in battle, varying recitations of the Qur’an were causing disputes between the different centres of the empire. In response to this dissension, Caliph ‘Uthman commissioned a project to unify the Qur’anic text, calling on Zayd bin Thabit to supervise the task. The resulting standardised text was distributed and the variants suppressed. While the exact number of codices and list of recipient cities remains unknown, it is thought that copies were preserved in Mecca, Damascus, Kufa and Basra, and one retained in Medina.
Numerous accounts of renowned Islamic geographers and travellers attest to the presence of Caliph ‘Uthman’s Qur’an in Mecca, which is known also known as al-mushaf al-imam. These include Ibn Jubayr (d. 1217 AD), Ibn Battuta (d. 1369 AD), and Andalusian traveller Alqasim bin Yusuf Al-Tajyibbi Al-Sabtti (D. 1329 A.D), all of whom record seeing al-mushaf al-imam on their respective visits and pilgrimage to Mecca. Al-Samhudi, in his renowned Wafa al-Wafa bi akhbar Dar al-Mustafa, of which an abridged version is offered in lot 98 of the present sale, also discusses Uthman’s Qur’an in Mecca.
The importance granted in the colophon of the present manuscript to its origin of al-mushaf al-imam, not only authenticates the text against the authoritative text produced under Caliph ‘Uthman, but also reiterates the importance of preserving a unified and accurate text in Qur’an production in later centuries.