Manuscript/Mixed Material [Qurʾan fragment containing Sūrahs Yāsīn, al-Fatḥ, al-Wāqiʻah, al-Mulk, and al-Nabāʾ]
About this Item
Title
- [Qurʾan fragment containing Sūrahs Yāsīn, al-Fatḥ, al-Wāqiʻah, al-Mulk, and al-Nabāʾ]
Summary
- Sūrahs from a Qurʾan written in Iran.
- This 15th century manuscript comprises five surahs (chapters) of the Qurʼan: Yāsīn (Yā Sīn, chapter 36), al-Fatḥ (The conquest, chapter 48), al-Wāqiʻah (The inevitable, chapter 56), al-Mulk (The sovereignty, chapter 67), and al-Nabā (The tidings, chapter 78). It is not fully understood why these surahs in particular are put together. They do not follow this order in the Qurʼan, and the manuscript appears to be complete and in excellent shape. It is, therefore, plausible to assume that this is not an arbitrary collection of Qurʼanic fragments that were bound together but rather was intended as a compilation in one manuscript from the start. The compilation suggests that this manuscript is of the so-called al-Suwar al-munjiyāt (The surahs that save), considered in some traditions to be of particular devotional virtues. There is no agreement on the number of these munjiyāt, nor a fixed list of them. But they typically range from five to seven surahs, and include some or all of these five chapters. It is also possible that they were meant to correspond with the five daily Muslim prayers, with each chapter to be recited in this order after each prayer. The fact that the manuscript has a green binding seems to suggest it was made for or used by an adherent of a Sufi order. The reputation of these surahs as saviors rests largely on hadiths (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) that are not well authenticated. The manuscript, probably copied in Iran, is on thick, cream laid paper, with the first and fifth lines in large muhaqqaq script and the remaining text in small naskh with diacritics in black and red. The ʻunwan (decorative opening panel) is illuminated in gold, blue, and green. Gold discs separate the verses. World Digital Library.
Created / Published
- [15th century]
Contents
- [Sūrat Yāsīn] -- Sūrat al-Fatḥ Madīnīyah, wa-hiya tasiʻ wa-ʻishrūn ayah -- [Sūrat al-Wāqiʻah] -- Sūrat al-Mulk Makkīyah wa-hiya thalāthūn āyah -- Sūrat al-Nabā Makkīyah wa-hiya arbaʻūn āyah.
Headings
- - Manuscripts, Arabic--Washington (D.C.)
Notes
- - Colored binding on boards, Gold in center block with green, red, black, and gold borders.
- - Copied in Iran?
- - Folio 1a-22b.
- - Folio 2a has note in margin by later hand: "Īn Qurʾān māl-i Shāhzādah khānum ... sulṭanah-i ashraf ... "
- - Library of Congress. Arabic manuscript, SM 80.
- - Manuscript
- - Muḥaqqaq and naskī script; 9 lines in written area 14 x 9.5 cm.
- - Name of scribe not indicated.
- - Possibly written in Turky.
- - Paper: thick, cream colored laid paper; first and fifth lines written in large Muḥaqqaq script alternating blue and gold, remainder of text on each page written in small Naskhī script with diacritics in black and red. ʻUnwan illuminated with gold blue and green. Gold discs separate the verses. Intercolumnar and interlinear rules with gold. Illuminated panels with various designs in color and gold on margins. Margins ruled in color and gold
- - Title supplied by cataloger.
- - Fihris al-makhṭūṭāt al-ʻArabīyah fi Maktabat al-Kūnghris, p. 57
- - Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site.
- - Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
- - Arabic.
Medium
- 1, 22, 1 leaves (9 lines) bound : paper ; 21.7 x 16.5 cm
Call Number/Physical Location
- BP101 1400z
Digital Id
Library of Congress Control Number
- 2014371011
Online Format
- image