Arabic MS 688 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)
Arabic Manuscripts
Contents
Fragment of the Qurʾān on thick parchment and in large Kufi characters. Probably compiled from leaves from various old codices.
It is probable that the leaves which form the manuscript are taken from various old manuscripts. The writing is not the same and the number of lines is not identical in all the pages.
Sūrah 7:146-147 from بانهم to يعملو[ن].
Sūrah 12:38-39 from نشرك بالله to الله ا[لوحد].
Sūrah 19:9-15 from ولم تك to ولد ويوم.
Sūrah 20:121-125 from يخصفان to قال ر[ب] .
Sūrah 20:128-130 from يمشون to فسبح واضر[اف].
From ا فستعلمون to [ربهم محد[ث.
Last two lines on folio 6a in gold marks the beginning of new sūrah: سورة اقترب مائة واحدي عشرة اية (Sūrah Iqtaraba 112 verses). According to Mingana, these lines were added by a later hand.
Sūrah 23:56-58 from نسارع to بايت.
Sūrah 23:58-74 from يومنون to لنكبون.
Sūrah 25:52-65 from الا كفورا to اصرف.
Sūrah 25:68-70 from ا]لها] to فاوليك.
Sūrah 26:41-45 from اين to فالقي مو[سي].
Sūrah 26:72-77 from اذ تدعون to رب العا[مين].
Sūrah 29:67-68 from يروا to في جهنم.
Sūrah 30:13-15 from بشر]كايهم] to الاخر[ة].
Sūrah 30:19-21 from الحي to لتسكنوا ا[ليها].
Sūrah 30:48-50 from اذا to علي كل.
Sūrah 30:56-58 from فهذا to ليقولن الذ[ين].
Sūrah 31:16-17 from يبني to بالمعروف.
Sūrah 43:54-58 from كانو]ا ما فسقين] to مريم مثلا.
Physical Description
Layout
Number of written lines is not identical. The first two pages have 5 lines to the page, then follow six pages of seven lines each. The remaining pages consists of six lines each.
Hand(s)
Kufi script. The diacritical points which are in form of perpendicular strokes sloping to the left are due to a later hand. The vowel points, which seem also to point to a different scribe, are in red, green and yellow.
Decoration
Folio 7a: arabesque gold ornament.
The points of separation of verses are marked by small arabesques of golden strokes.
The points which mark larger divisions are represented by various ornaments of gold letters: folios 3a, 4b, 8a, 11a, 13a, 16a, 19a, 23b.
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Folios 1a, 2b and 4a are marked with inscriptions dated AH 1115 (1703 CE) and AH 1128 (1715 CE) by a certain Rajab ʿAlī, the owner of the manuscript, and with his official seal.
Formerly in the collection of Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880). Bibliotheca Lindesiana bookplate on the back pastedown.
Purchased by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford (1847–1913) .
Bequeathed by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1908 to The John Rylands Library.
Record Sources
Availability
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