OLD MANUSCRIPTS OF THE QURAN

Question 1

Which Caliph is associated with some of the earliest existing mushafs of the Qur’an?

Answer 1

Caliph Uthman

Question 2

Where is one of the most famous mushafs attributed to the time of Caliph Uthman located today?

Answer 2

The Museum of the city of Tashkent in Uzbekistan

Question 3

Where can a facsimile of the Tashkent mushaf be found in the United States?

Answer 3

Columbia University Library

Question 4

Which museum houses a copy of the mushaf that was sent to Syria?

Answer 4

The Topkapi Museum in Istanbul

Question 5

What type of parchment is an early manuscript of the Qur’an written on in Dar al-Kutub as-Sultaniyyah in Egypt?

Answer 5

Gazelle parchment

Question 6

Name three locations where ancient Qur’anic manuscripts have been compared to confirm their consistency with the Tashkent mushaf.

Answer 6

The Library of Congress in Washington, the Chester Beatty Museum in Dublin, and the London Museum

Question 7

Which institution collected over 42,000 ancient copies of the Qur’an for research before being destroyed in World War II?

Answer 7

The Institute for Koranforschung at the University of Munich

Question 8

Which ancient structure contains Qur’anic inscriptions commissioned by the Umayyad Caliph ‘Abd al-Malik in 691-692 C.E.?

Answer 8

The Dome of the Rock

Question 9

What is the significance of the Birmingham Qur’an Manuscript discovered at the University of Birmingham?

Answer 9

It is one of the oldest texts of the Qur’an in the world, containing parts of surahs 18-20, written on parchment and radiocarbon dated to between 568 and 645

Question 10

Which method was used to date the Birmingham Qur’an Manuscript?

Answer 10

Radiocarbon (C-14) dating

Question 11

According to the text, who stated, “There is probably no other book in the world which has remained twelve centuries [now fourteen] with so pure a text”?

Answer 11

Sir William Muir

Question 12

What verse from the Qur’an is cited as evidence of its preservation in both oral and written form?

Answer 12

Qur’an 15:9: “Verily, We have revealed the Reminder, and verily We shall preserve it.”

Question 13

Who is credited with the quote, “There is probably no other book in the world which has remained twelve centuries with so pure a text”?

Answer 13

Sir William Muir

Question 14

What is the main argument made by the evidence provided about the ancient Qur’anic manuscripts?

Answer 14

The evidence confirms that the Qur’an has been preserved without changes from its original form, as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad and as recited by the early Companions.

Question 15

Which century is the Birmingham Qur’an Manuscript believed to date back to?

Answer 15

The first century of Islam, close to the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad.