Koran - Safaivid - 1550

A clean, well preserved folio from a 16th Century Qur'an from the Ottoman. The folio contains the final verse of chapter 59, together with the header (Surah) and first first three verses of Chapter 60, Al-Mumtahanah. The Surah is written in gold thuluth within a plain header framed in gold and is interrupted by the final verse where the calligrapher ran over the space for chapter 59.

The first three verses of Chapter 60 revealed in Medina around 7 A.H., provide foundational guidance on loyalty, friendship, and the boundaries between the Muslim community and those actively hostile to it. These verses were revealed following the Treaty of Hudaibiyah when a companion, Hatib bin Abi Balta'ah, sent a secret letter to the Quraysh in Mecca informing them of a planned Muslim advance. The verses serve as a rebuke to this action and a permanent guideline for believers. The surah later clarifies in verses 7-9 that kindness and justice are permitted toward non-Muslims who are peaceful and do not actively fight against the community.

The manuscript written in evenly spaced naskhi in black ink, with the verses marked by simple gold aya containing a blue centre dot and four equally spaced radial markings. A thick gold frame surrounds the scripture, with a finer blue outer frame line completing the framing. There are a small number of devotional markings in red within the script.

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