AN ANCIENT MUSHAF ATTRIBUTED TO HAZRAT ALI: TIEM 458

In many countries, especially in the Islamic geography, there are many mushafs from the early periods. Most of these mushafs are attributed to the third caliph, Hazrat Uthman, but there are also mushafs claimed to be by the fourth caliph, Hazrat Ali. Since he presided over the reproduction of the mushafs during his caliphate, the possibility of the existence of a Mushaf belonging to Hazrat Uthman can be considered reasonable. On the other hand, the claim that Hazrat Ali has a surviving mushaf raises many questions. In this study, one of the mushafs attributed to Hazrat Ali, the mushaf with inventory number 458 in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, is analyzed. The Mushaf is analyzed in terms of its attribution to Hazrat Ali, its formal and historical characteristics. Because early mushafs can contain many important data such as calligraphy, illumination, information on the beginning of the sūrah, and end-of-verse signs. In addition, the extent to which the principles of qiraat and rasm al-mushaf were taken into account in the spelling of the manuscripts can also provide new and remarkable information in these fields. The Qiraat and official mushaf aspects of the Mushaf will be the subject of a separate and comprehensive study. For this reason, the Mushaf, which is the subject of this study in terms of its formal, historical and attribution to Hazrat Ali, was written in kufic calligraphy and then dots were placed to determine the irab and letters. Considering all the features of the mushaf, which is also quite sufficient in terms of illumination elements, it is concluded that it was written in the middle of the second century of Hijri. In addition, it is seen that it is not possible for it to have belonged to Hazrat Ali both in terms of its characteristics and the date it was written.
Key Words: Qur'an al-Qarim, History of Mushaf, Ancient Mushafs, Calligraphy, Illumination, Hazrat Ali, TIEM 458.