Handwritten Illuminated 19th Century Qur’an by Habib al-`Abidin Husayn

 
Identifier
BOK.MDE.AD19C.2
Title
Handwritten Illuminated 19th Century Qur’an by Habib al-`Abidin Husayn
Alternative Title
Blue Qur'an
Description
Holding true to the belief that only Allah can create anthropomorphic images, Muslim calligraphers and illuminators turned handwritten Qur’an’s such as this into its own work of art. The artistic embellishments served as a devotion to deity, as the written words from the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) were considered the presence of Allah. This Qur’an is written in naskh script, which translates to “to copy,” as it was the primary script used to copy the Qur’an.

There are two parts of a Qur’an which are usually illuminated more than the rest: the opening and closing Sūrah’s. The opening frontispieces “are sometimes referred to as ‘carpet’ pages since their appearance resembles oriental carpets. In architectural terms, opening a Qur’an volume might be compared to entering a sacred building, with the carpet page as the gateway or portal to the holy text itself” (Baker). This “Ottoman Turkish [Qur’an,]... written by Habib al-`Abidin Husayn” boasts blue, purple, and gold illuminations for these two Sūrah’s (“A Nice”).
* * *
“A Nice, Highly Illuminated, Islamic Arabic Koran.” LiveAuctioneers. Palmyra Heritage Gallery in NY, June 21, 2020. https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/85932076_a-nice-highly-illuminated-islamic-arabic-koran.

Baker, Colin F. “Illumination of the Qur'an.” The British Library, December 3, 2018.
https://www.bl.uk/sacred-texts/articles/illumination-of-the-quran.
Date Created
1864 AD
1281 AH
Creator
Habib al-`Abidin Husayn
Audience
Religion of Islam
Muslims
Geographical Coverage
Temporal Coverage
19th Century
Format
Handwritten manuscript
Collecting Areas
English History of Writing Collection
English Illumination
English Manuscript
English Religious Text
Language
Arabic
Subject
Type
Qur'an
Bibliographic Citation
Habib al-`Abidin Husayn. Handwritten Qur'an "Blue Qur'an." 19th Century.

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