Qur'anic verses

Qur'anic verses (160-182) of the 37th chapter of the Qur'an entitled Surat al-Saffat (Those Arranged in Ranks), writen in Naskh script verging on Riq'ah script, during the 19th and 20th centuries. Dimensions of Written Surface: 14 (w) x 29.2 (h) cm Surat al-Saffat describes the battle between good and evil as represented through the events in the lives of various prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Aaron. Surat Sad describes the story of kings like David and Solomon in order to prove that righteousness is more powerful than pure strength. The name of the latter surah derives from the free-standing abbreviated gutteral letter "s" at the very beginning of the chapter. The fully vocalized text is executed in a rather mediocre naskh script verging on riq'ah, a modern script usually reserved for quotidian writing during the 19th and 20th centuries. There is no illumination around the simple black frame, although the rather roughly executed verse markers reveal traces of gold paint. The chapter heading for Surat Sad is executed in red ink and states that the chapter contains 88 verses revealed in Mecca. In the lower right corner of the verso of the fragment there appears a black double palmette motif, perhaps intended as a marginal decoration marking off a new section (juz'). Subsequent words of the text (so-called "catchwords") are written in diagonal in the lower right corner and are intended to help foliate the manuscript. This calligraphic fragment includes the last verses (160-182) of the 37th chapter of the Qur'an entitled Surat al-Saffat (Those Arranged in Ranks) and the chapter heading and first five verses of the 38th chapter entitled Surat Sad (The Letter S). The text continues with verses 5-22 of Surat Yad on the fragment's verso (1-90-154.191 V). Script: naskh 1-90-154.191