Qur'anic Verses

Qur'anic verses 74-78 of the 22nd chapter of the Qur'an entitled Surat al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage), written in Kufi script close to the E style, on parchment during the 9th-10th cents. Dimensions of Written Surface: 13 (w) x 22.3 (h) cm The text is executed in Kufi script close to the E style typical of horizontal Qur'ans produced on parchment during the 9th-10th centuries (Déroche 1992, 116, cat. no. 62). The text is executed in Kufi script in black ink at 17 lines per page. Diacritics are executed as red dots, while only one verse marker shaped like a gold flower inscribed in a square appears at the very end of Surat al-Hajj. Immediately after the square ayah marker on the 11th line of text, a gold painted horizontal panel serves to separate Surat al-Hajj from Surat al-Mu'minun. Interestingly, the title of Surat al-Mu'minum is not given; instead, the chapter begins immediately with the bismillah. This calligraphic fragment includes verses 74-78 of the 22nd chapter of the Qur'an entitled Surat al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage), as well as the first eight verses of the 23rd chapter of the Qur'an entitled Surat al-Mu'minun (The Believers). The folio provides a continuation of immediately preceding verses included on a folio from the same Qur'an in the collections of the Library of Congress (AL-8). Surat al-Hajj advises the community of believers to serve God in order to seek His help and protection, while Surat al-Mu'minun describes faith, prayer, and chastity. Script: Kufi AL-9