What may be the world’s oldest fragments of the Koran have been found by the University of Birmingham.
Radiocarbon dating found the manuscript to be at least 1,370 years old, making it among the earliest in existence.
The pages of the Muslim holy text had remained unrecognised in the university library for almost a century.
The British Library’s expert on such manuscripts, Dr Muhammad Isa Waley, said this “exciting discovery” would make Muslims “rejoice”.
The manuscript had been kept with a collection of other Middle Eastern books and documents, without being identified as one of the oldest fragments of the Koran in the world.
Oldest texts
When a PhD researcher looked more closely at these pages it was decided to carry out a radiocarbon dating test and the results were “startling”.
The university’s director of special collections, Susan Worrall, said researchers had not expected “in our wildest dreams” that it would be so old.
“Finding out we had one of the oldest fragments of the Koran in the whole world has been fantastically exciting.”
The University of Birmingham’s manuscript was in a collection brought back from the Middle East
The tests, carried out by the Oxford University Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, showed that the fragments, written on sheep or goat skin, were among the very oldest surviving texts of the Koran.
These tests provide a range of dates, showing that, with a probability of more than 95%, the parchment was from between 568 and 645.
“They could well take us back to within a few years of the actual founding of Islam,” said David Thomas, the university’s professor of Christianity and Islam.
“According to Muslim tradition, the Prophet Muhammad received the revelations that form the Koran, the scripture of Islam, between the years 610 and 632, the year of his death.”
Prof Thomas says the dating of the Birmingham folios would mean it was quite possible that the person who had written them would have been alive at the time of the Prophet Muhammad.
“The person who actually wrote it could well have known the Prophet Muhammad. He would have seen him probably, he would maybe have heard him preach. He may have known him personally – and that really is quite a thought to conjure with,” he says.
First-hand witness
Prof Thomas says that some of the passages of the Koran were written down on parchment, stone, palm leaves and the shoulder blades of camels – and a final version, collected in book form, was completed in about 650.
Prof Thomas says the writer of this manuscript could have heard the Prophet Muhammad preach
He says that “the parts of the Koran that are written on this parchment can, with a degree of confidence, be dated to less than two decades after Muhammad’s death”.
“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.”
Susan Worrall says the university wants to put this internationally significant discovery on public display
The manuscript, written in “Hijazi script”, an early form of written Arabic, becomes one of the oldest known fragments of the Koran.
Because radiocarbon dating creates a range of possible ages, there is a handful of other manuscripts in public and private collections which overlap. So this makes it impossible to say that any is definitively the oldest.
But the latest possible date of the Birmingham discovery – 645 – would put it among the very oldest.
‘Precious survivor’
Dr Waley, curator for such manuscripts at the British Library, said “these two folios, in a beautiful and surprisingly legible Hijazi hand, almost certainly date from the time of the first three caliphs”.
The first three caliphs were leaders in the Muslim community between about 632 and 656.
The fragments of the Koran are still clearly legible
Dr Waley says that under the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, copies of the “definitive edition” were distributed.
“The Muslim community was not wealthy enough to stockpile animal skins for decades, and to produce a complete Mushaf, or copy, of the Holy Koran required a great many of them.”
Dr Waley suggests that the manuscript found by Birmingham is a “precious survivor” of a copy from that era or could be even earlier.
“In any case, this – along with the sheer beauty of the content and the surprisingly clear Hijazi script – is news to rejoice Muslim hearts.”
Muhammad Afzal of Birmingham Central Mosque said he was very moved to see the manuscript
The manuscript is part of the Mingana Collection of more than 3,000 Middle Eastern documents gathered in the 1920s by Alphonse Mingana, a Chaldean priest born near Mosul in modern-day Iraq.
He was sponsored to take collecting trips to the Middle East by Edward Cadbury, who was part of the chocolate-making dynasty.
The local Muslim community has already expressed its delight at the discovery in their city and the university says the manuscript will be put on public display.
“When I saw these pages I was very moved. There were tears of joy and emotion in my eyes. And I’m sure people from all over the UK will come to Birmingham to have a glimpse of these pages,” said Muhammad Afzal, chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque.
Prof Thomas says it will show people in Birmingham that they have a “treasure that is second to none”.
This post is directed to a certain someone yang tidak tau menghormati sesama manusia.
Firstly mohon maaf kalau ada yg terasa atau tersinggung.Alhamdulillah,dah setahun saya mulakan perniagaan ini saya pun tak menduga mendapat sambutan yang baik terhadap lampu ini.Ramai yang bertanya mcm mana saya boleh mendapatkan idea untuk menjual lampu ini.Dengan jujur saya katakan ianya adalah pemberian dari Allah swt.Hanya mereka yang rapat dengan saya tahu cerita sebenarnya disebalik lampu ini dan maknanya dalam kehidupan saya.Ianya bukan setakat satu perniagaan.
Saya pernah menerima tawaran dari sekumpulan jejaka Melayu untuk memasarkan lampu saya di Malaysia dengan confirmed order seribu unit setiap bulan,which they wanted to make an advanced payment for 2 months,mereka hanya meminta saya menambahkan audio ‘zikir’ yang telah mereka siapkan.Pada luaran CDnya nampak biasa. Bila saya mendengar CD tu permulaannya pun biasa,but bila middle part dah masuk chanting yang lain yang bukan dari agama kita.Cik Puan kalau saya mengejar kekayaan saya takkan even mendengar CD tu saya akan terus menerima tawarannya.Saya tahu tanggungjawap dan amanah saya sebagai seorang umat Islam.
Saya ini manusia biasa yang tidak lari dari melakukan dosa setiap hari,jadi siapalah saya untuk menilai pelanggan yang membeli lampu saya.Kalau awak nak katakan seorang itu tidak boleh membeli lampu ini hanya kerana kelainannya,tidak pernah pulak saya terbaca atau dengar yang mereka ini tidak boleh membeli sesuatu yang ada kaitan dengan agama.Ada ke hadis2 untuk support ulasan awak. Boleh tak awak yang bijaksana jelaskan pada saya.Tolonglah jangan menghina golongan tertentu terlalu sangat they pun manusia biasa yang mempunyai perasaan seperti kita.
Saya memang ada pelanggan dari agama lain.Sebelum awak tanya saya mengapa saya menjual pada mereka kenapa awak tak tanya mengapa mereka membeli.Untuk pengetahuan awak saya amat tersentuh hati bila diberitahu lampu2 yg dibeli adalah hadiah untuk teman2 Islam mereka.Cuba tanya pada diri sendiri pernah ke awak membeli sesuatu yang memberi kebaikan pada teman2 awak. Janganlah menilai seseorang tanpa mengetahui niat mereka.
Dalam perniagaan yang singkat ini saya dah banyak menerima rejection oleh pihak2 tertentu just because this is an Islamic product,saya pun dah biasa dgn msg2 yang tak bermakna seperti ini walau macam mana pun ianya tidak akan mematahkan semangat saya.Saya yakin pada ketentuan Allah.HE IS THE BEST PLANNER N INSYAALLAH HE WILL EASE MY PATH.Janganlah soalkan adat dalam perniagaan when u have yet to walk the path that I have walked,u never knew the sweat n tears that I went thru in this biz.
Just a little note for you kalau awak membenci seseorang istighfar dan hadiahkan surah Fateha untuknya.InsyaAllah akan ada kelegaan dihati.
Erwin nak pegi Malaysia kerana Islam, tapi kena slam. Ada yg lemparkan kata2 sinis. Ada yg dah dekat skali dgn fitnah kononnya Erwin tu nak pegi Malaysia kerana career.
Dia nak ke negara jiran kerana Islam pun kena kritik. Apa ni? Korang ingat sini byk senang ke nak jalankan tugas sebagai orang Muslim? Apa salah ke nak pegi tempat yg menyenangkan diri untuk mempraktikkan agama sendiri?
Kalau korang nak defend Singapura, konon2nya sini pun tak susah nak jalankan tanggung jawab sebagai orang Islam, meh sini saya bagitau sikit.
1. Tandas shopping centre kebanyakkan nya tiada paip air untuk beristinjak. Yg ada tissue. Senang tak?
2 Sembahyang jumaat kadang2 majikan tak kasi pergi. Kalau kasi pun, lincah2 kita kena balik. Senang tak?
3. Yg pakai tudung, tidak dibenarkan berkerja di dalam uniform group. Yg nak cari kerja, kadang tak dapat kerana pakai tudung. Senang tak?
4. Contractor2 melayu islam, tidak dibenarkan ke kawasan2 tertentu di dalam tentera walaupun hanya bertugas. Senang tak?
5. Tempat mushollah walaupun sudah semakin byk, tetap berkurangan. Nak sembahyang, kadang kena pergi jauh sikit. Senang tak?
6. Nak sembahyang bila dah sampai waktu, brani tak agak2 nak ckp pada majikan kita nak time off dari kerja untuk menunaikan solat? Senang tak?
Jadi kalau dia nak pergi ke negara jiran kerana dia fikir ia akan menyenangkan dirinya untuk menunaikan ibadah, yg kita sibuk2 nak slam dia asal? Cubalah beri semangat sikit untuk dia. Jgn pula kita berprasangka buruk terhadap sesuatu yg baik.
Saya tak marah. Cakap2 aja. Selamat Hari Raya. Kalau tersilap kata, mohon maaf.
Regarding the recent article “Erwin Ingin Berhijrah Ke Malaysia Kerana Islam”
Lets clarify and go through this step by step, point by point.
1st) to recall word for word what i said will be close to impossible. But i recall my intentions of the article.
-the intention wasnt to badmouth or slander Singapore’s Islam. It was just a pleasant feeling to be in a place where one gets COMPLETE freedom where Islam is concerned.
•the fact u get Adhan loudly at almost every few kilometres during every waktu. We dont get that in Sg. Its a pleasant feeling to be hearing different Voices and different Intonations of Adhan . U cant disagree that Singapore disallows the Adhan to be recited out loud during Prayer Time. Basically, it feels nice for a change.
•the fact that our kids dont have to be restricted to only Madrasah Schools to be obliging our Islamic Laws on Aurah.
Sikhs can wear turban but Muslimahs cant wear Hijab? Freedom or not? U decide.
•the fact that every school will teach the basic of Islam since as early as Nursery.
We have been programmed to think that Government school offers better future in this modern world. Thus many of us Sgporean Muslims refuses to send our child to Madrasah School Instead.
Agree to Disagree
•People being rejected Jobs because they are Malays or Muslims.
Women do not get a job because they wear Hijab.
•I can go on about this, but thats not my point. There is no denying that certain aspects of our Beautiful Religion is being constrained by the government disguised in the name of Racial Harmony and whatever not. U cant disagree that this is true.
•Take Note that i dont think its a bad thing or so difficult to be A Muslim in Singapore, im just saying that is a nice feeling to see the complete freedom of Islam . Especially when u see ur own country facing Racial and Discrimination against Malays/Islam ,which is obvious but yet ppl seem to take it like it is Subtle .
In short, i didnt kutok my own country at all. Im just praising the COMPLETE freedom Malaysia has regarding Islamic Practices.
2) Ive spoken about this migration to various people. So perhaps some factors might have been missed out this time round. Either i forgot to say it, or they forgot to write it.
But here goes
• I have every intention to study Islam one day. And in Malaysia, there are various schools and Universities, and it is easily accessible to study Islam where Certifications are concerned.
Whereas in Singapore, it is really limited.
So , is it wrong that im migrating becos the study of Islam is easily accessible as compared to where i was born? Am i lying or am i just stating facts? U decide
3) the ones yg easily melatar or jumped to conclusions base on what one party interpreted. The comments u people give out ,seriously?
Mengata, menghina, menyindir, perli,
Fooh, sangat Muslim prangai korang ye😅. Renungkanlah prangai korang yg mengata ye.
4) The only major Question i have is this, where was it stated or mentioned that i critisized Singapore or their Muslims AT ALL? Can show me
And yes, it is also because i wana pursue my career . Its related but not solely the reason for it.
Slamat Hari Raya Maaf Zahir Batin , Maaf kalau ade silap kata atau terkasar bahasa. Assalamualaikum.
PETALING JAYA: Pelakon baru yang berasal dari Singapura, Erwin Dawson berhasrat untuk berhijrah ke Malaysia selain mahu mendapatkan taraf Pemastautin Tetap (PR) di negara ini apabila layak kelak.
Pemilik nama sebenar Mohamed Erwin Shah Evan Dawson, 26, itu berkata, dia tertarik untuk menetap di Malaysia kerana berasa lebih bebas untuk mengamalkan ajaran Islam berbanding di negara asalnya.
“Sejak beberapa bulan tinggal di negara ini saya tertarik dengan komuniti Islam di Malaysia yang berbeza daripada negara asal saya.
“Sebagai seorang Muslim saya ingin berada dalam komuniti yang membolehkan saya mengamalkan agama saya tanpa sebarang sekatan dan itu adalah faktor utama mengapa saya ingin memohon menjadi rakyat negara ini,” katanya kepada mStar Online.
Bagaimanapun kata Erwin dia sedar bukan mudah untuk mendapatkan PR dan perlu tinggal di negara ini sekurang-kurangnya lima tahun sebelum membuat permohonan tersebut.
Erwin memberitahu dia tinggal di negara ini sejak November tahun lalu.
Erwin semakin selesa bergelar pelakon di Malaysia.
Dalam pada itu, jejaka kacukan Melayu Singapura dan New Zealand ini berkata, keluarganya juga tidak menghalang dengan keputusannya itu memandangkan jarak kedua-dua buah negara tidak jauh.
“Jika diikutkan sejarah bapa kepada ibu saya berasal dari Perak tetapi saya tidak pernah ke sana kerana semua ahli keluarga telah berpindah ke Singapura jadi bukan sesuatu yang pelik apabila saya ingin berhijrah ke Malaysia.
“Mungkin ada saudara-mara jauh yang masih tinggal di sini tetapi tidak pernah mengenali atau berjumpa dengan mereka,” katanya.
Sementara itu, Erwin berkata, dia ingin meneruskan karier lakonannya di Malaysia selepas melihat peluang untuknya mengembangkan kerjayanya sangat besar.
“Alhamdulillah setakat ini saya gembira dengan perkembangan kerjaya saya di Malaysia dan kepercayaan pihak produksi memberikan tawaran juga cukup baik.
Bagaimanapun kata Erwin, dia berharap dapat membeli sebuah kereta dalam masa terdekat bagi memudahkan dia berulang-alik ke lokasi penggambaran memandangkan ketika ini terpaksa berharap kepada krew produksi.
