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Selections of Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Calligraphy
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Qur'anic verses
AUTHOR/CREATOR
Calligrapher: unknown
CREATED/PUBLISHED
15th century
NOTES
Dimensions of Written Surface: 21.5 (w) x 29.4 (h) cm
Script: thuluth (headings) and masahif (verses)
This Qur'anic fragment includes surahs 101-104, some of the shortest and final chapters of the Qur'an. These are continued on the fragment's verso (see 1-84-154.19 V), as well as on another fragment held in the collections of the Library of Congress (see 1-87-154.133 R & V).
At the top of the fragment appears the text, though not the chapter heading, of the 101st chapter entitled al-Qari'ah (The Calamity). This particular surah describes the Day of Judgment, when men's deeds will be weighed to determine whether they will dwell in an abode of pleasure (Heaven) or a blazing fire (Hell). Thereafter follows chapter 102, i.e. al-Takathur (The Piling Up), which warns of humans' inclination to gather worldly goods rather than to pursue the higher things in life. Chapter 103, al-'Asr (Time and Age), continues with a praise for those who are constant and patient in life. Finally, this fragment's recto includes at the bottom the chapter heading and initial bismillah of the 104th chapter entitled al-Humazah (The Slanderer), whose text appears on the fragment's verso (see 1-84-154.19 V).
The verso includes surahs 104 to 106, some of the shortest and final chapters of the Qur'an, continuing the text on the recto. At the top of this fragment appears the text of al-Humazah. This particular verse condemns insincerity, hypocrisy and backbiting. Thereafter follows chapter 105, al-Fil (The Elephant), which refers to events that took place during the year of the Prophet's birth. Finally, chapter 106, al-Quraysh (The Tribe of Quraysh), appears at the very bottom of the folio. This surah urges the worship of one single God.
The chapter headings include the total number of verses and are calligraphed in gold thuluth script on a blue and red background. Verse markers consist of rosettes (shamsah) in gold with red centers, with twelve petals outlined in black and blue & red dots punctuating the perimeter.
The calligraphy used for the verses is masahif, a cursive script that is a smaller and less stiff version than muhaqqaq. Its name, which means "codices" or "volumes," reflects its common use for copying the Qur'an. Masahif and other bold cursive scripts such as naskh and muhaqqaq are typical of Qur'ans produced in Egypt during the 14th-15th centuries (James 1988: 16-21).
SUBJECT
Thuluth
Islamic manuscripts
Masahif
Illuminated Islamic manuscripts
Arabic script calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy
Arabic calligraphy
MEDIUM
30.5 (w) x 41 (h) cm
CALL NUMBER
1-84-154.19
REPOSITORY
Library of Congress, African and Middle Eastern Division, Washington, D.C. 20540
DIGITAL ID
ascs 063
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.amed/ascs.063
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