Folio from a Qur'an manuscript
Date: 9th-10th century
Dimensions:
4 3/4 × 7 1/4 in. (12.1 × 18.4 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Frances and Frederick Wilkins
Object number: 96.1.105
Provenance: with Frances Semaan Wilkins (1916-1999) and Frederick Wilkins (1916-2004), San Antonio, by 1978; Frances Semaan Wilkins and Frederick Wilkins by gift to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 1996
Published References
J. Powers and J. Johnston, eds., San Antonio Museum of Art: Guide to the Collection (San Antonio: San Antonio Museum of Art, 2012), 56.
Label Text
The Qur’an, the sacred scripture of Islam, records God’s revelations to the Prophet Muhammad. Because of its central importance to the Muslim faith, copying the Qur’an was performed by scribes with great care. Many early Qur’an manuscripts, like the volume to which this folio belonged, were written in the kufic script, a style of calligraphy that combines angular and rounded letter forms. Written from right to left, the text includes red diacritical marks that indicate the position of vowels.
The text on this folio belongs to Sura 22, verses 30–31, which describe the monotheistic worship of God alone expected of the faithful:
"The [meat of] cattle has been made lawful for you, except what has [already] been recited to you. So shun the impurity of idolatry, and shun words of falsehood. Be upright [in devotion] to Allah, associating none with Him [in worship]. For whoever associates [others] with Allah is like someone who has fallen from the sky and is either snatched away by birds or swept by the wind to a remote place."
(J. Powers, 2021)
The text on this folio belongs to Sura 22, verses 30–31, which describe the monotheistic worship of God alone expected of the faithful:
"The [meat of] cattle has been made lawful for you, except what has [already] been recited to you. So shun the impurity of idolatry, and shun words of falsehood. Be upright [in devotion] to Allah, associating none with Him [in worship]. For whoever associates [others] with Allah is like someone who has fallen from the sky and is either snatched away by birds or swept by the wind to a remote place."
(J. Powers, 2021)
Not on view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
