QURAN MAINTAINS ITS ORIGINALITY

World's Oldest Quran Found

FRAGMENTS of the world's oldest Quran, dating back almost to the time of the Prophet Muhammad, have been found bound within the pages of another copy of the Islamic holy book in the library of the University of Birmingham.

The two pages from the Islamic holy book manuscript are thought to be between 1,448 and 1,371 years old, making it the earliest copy of the Quran in existence.

Written in ink in the early Arabic script of Hijazi, on parchment made from animal skin, it is thought the pages were added to the younger manuscript due to confusion over where they belonged. Researchers say the script used in the two books is similar, meaning the older pages could have been thought to belong to the younger seventh century Quran.

The animal skin parchment was dated, using radiocarbon dating at the University of Oxford, to between 568 AD and 645 AD with around 95.4 per cent accuracy. The Prophet Muhammad is thought to have lived between 570 AD and 632 AD. The two ancient pages, which contain parts of the Surahs, or chapters, 18 to 20, may have been written by someone who actually knew the Prophet Muhammad.

Experts say the text contained on the pages is remarkably similar to modern copies of the Quran and suggests many parts of the holy book have not changed since the time of the Prophet Muhammad.

The discovery is thought to be particularly significant as in the early years of Islam, the Quran was thought to have been memorised and passed down orally rather than written.

Professor David Thomas, an expert on Christianity and Islam at the University of Birmingham, said: 'If it is what we now think it is, this is very important indeed. Islam is associated, of course, with the Prophet Muhammad, and he lived in the late sixth and early seventh century. Now this manuscript could well have been written just after he died.' 

Speaking to the BBC, he added: 'The person who actually wrote it could well have known the Prophet Muhammad. He would have seen him probably, he would may be have heard him preach. He may have known him personally.'

During Prophet Muhammad’s time, the Quran was memorised and recited orally but Caliph Abu Bakr, the first leader of the Muslim community after Muhammad, ordered the Quranic material to be collected into a book. The final written form was completed under the direction of the third leader, Caliph Uthman, in about 650 AD, which the Muslims today consider to be the standardized form.

Professor Thomas said the pages found in the Birmingham University library suggest the parts of the Quran it covers have not changed much since those early days.

He said: 'The parts of the Koran that are contained in those fragments are very similar indeed to the Koran as we have it today, and so this tends to support the view that the Koran that we now have is more or less very close indeed to the Koran as it was brought together in the early years of Islam.'

Professor Nadir Dinshaw, who studies interreligious relations at the University of Birmingham, described the discovery as 'startling'.

'The tests carried out on the parchment of the Birmingham folios yield the strong probability that the animal from which it was taken was alive during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad or shortly afterwards. These portions must have been in a form that is very close to the form of the Koran read today, supporting the view that the text has undergone little or no alteration and that it can be dated to a point very close to the time it was believed to be revealed.' 

The pages formed part of the Mingana Collection, which was gathered by Alphonse Mingana, a Chaldean priest born near Mosul in modern day Iraq. Sponsored by Edward Cadbury, from the chocolate dynasty, he collected 3,000 Middle Eastern documents, which were placed into the care of the University of Birmingham by Cadbury.

The manuscript will be on public display at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Brimingham. Susan Worrall, Director of Special Collections, said, "The radiocarbon dating has delivered an exciting result, which contributes significantly to our understanding of the earliest written copies of the Quran. We are thrilled that such an important historical document is here in Birmingham, the most culturally diverse city in UK".

From The Daily Mail (UK) 22 July 2015 and The Times of India 23 July 2015