Arabic MS 688 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)

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Arabic Manuscripts

Contents

Fragment of the Qurʾān on thick parchment and in large Kufi characters. Probably compiled from leaves from various old codices.

Title: al-Qurʾān
Title: القران
Language(s): Arabic

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.

1a-1b
Title: Sūrat al-ʾAʿrāf
Title: سورة الاعارف

Sūrah 7:146-147 from بانهم to يعملو[ن].

2a-2b
Title: Sūrat Yusuf
Title: سورة يوسف

Sūrah 12:38-39 from نشرك بالله to الله ا[لوحد].

3a-3b
Title: Sūrat Maryam
Title: سورة مربم

Sūrah 19:9-15 from ولم تك to ولد ويوم.

4a-4b
Title: Sūrat Ṭā Hā
Title: سورة طه

Sūrah 20:121-125 from يخصفان to قال ر[ب] .

5a-5b
Title: Sūrat Ṭā Hā
Title: سورة طه

Sūrah 20:128-130 from يمشون to فسبح واضر[اف].

6a-6b
Title: Sūrah 20:135-Sūrah 21:1-2

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.

7b
Title: Sūrat al-Muʿminūm
Title: سورة المومنون

Sūrah 23:56-58 from نسارع to بايت.

8a-12b
Title: Sūrat al-Muʿminūm
Title: سورة المومنون

Sūrah 23:58-74 from يومنون to لنكبون.

13a-17b
Title: Sūrat al-Furqān
Title: سورة الفرقان

Sūrah 25:52-65 from الا كفورا to اصرف.

18a-18b
Title: Sūrat al-Furqān
Title: سورة الفرقان

Sūrah 25:68-70 from ا]لها] to فاوليك.

19a-19b
Title: Sūrat al-Shuʿarāʾ
Title: سورة الشعراء

Sūrah 26:41-45 from اين to فالقي مو[سي].

20a-20b
Title: Sūrat al-Shuʿarāʾ
Title: سورة الشعراء

Sūrah 26:72-77 from اذ تدعون to رب العا[مين].

21a-21b
Title: Sūrat al-ʿAnkabūt
Title: سورة العنكبوت

Sūrah 29:67-68 from يروا to في جهنم.

22a-22b
Title: Sūrat al-Rūm
Title: سورة الروم

Sūrah 30:13-15 from بشر]كايهم] to الاخر[ة].

23a-23b
Title: Sūrat al-Rūm
Title: سورة الروم

Sūrah 30:19-21 from الحي to لتسكنوا ا[ليها].

24a-24b
Title: Sūrat al-Rūm
Title: سورة الروم

Sūrah 30:48-50 from اذا to علي كل.

25a-25b
Title: Sūrat al-Rūm
Title: سورة الروم

Sūrah 30:56-58 from فهذا to ليقولن الذ[ين].

26a-26b
Title: Sūrat Luqmān
Title: سورة لقمان

Sūrah 31:16-17 from يبني to بالمعروف.

27a-27b
Title: Sūrat al-Zukhruf
Title: سورة الزخرف

Sūrah 43:54-58 from كانو]ا ما فسقين] to مريم مثلا.

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Parchment codex
Dimensions (leaf): 230 × 320 mm.
Foliation: Modern pencil foliation in Arabic numerals. On folio 7a, remains of an old foliation in ink: نهم , meaning 'ninth' in Persian.

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

Origin: 9th century CE

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

Description based on A. Mingana, Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the John Rylands Library Manchester (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1934).

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