Topkapi Manuscript Differences
Gaetane Eary
This manuscript is kept in the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul, Turkey. It is traditionally attributed to Uthman ibn Affan (d. 656). Similar illuminations can be found in the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and other Umayyad monuments. The size of this manuscript is 41 cm x 46 cm (16" x 18"). It contains more than 99% of the text of the Qur'an. With only two pages (23 verses) lacking, this manuscript is the closest to the complete text of the Quran. Mehmed Ali Pasha, Governor of Egypt, sent this manuscript to the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II as a gift in the 19th century (CE).[1][2]
Also cf. E. İhsanoǧlu: "An examination of the Topkapı Muṣḥaf shows that it was written with a developed kufic script. The shape of the letters does not confirm to the writing style of the early Muṣḥafs attributed to Caliph ʿUthmān, which were written on vellum in his period and therefore known as the Muṣḥafs of Caliph ʿUthmān. ... Apparently this Method of Abū al-Aswad al-Duʾalī [invented after the death of Caliph ʿUthmān] was carefully followed in placing the vowel marks of the Topkapı Palace copy. Single dots were placed in red ink above, beside or below the letters." (Altıkula, al-Muṣḥāf al-Sharif (Preface), page 9).[3]
"According to the evaluation of Munadjdjid, neither this Muṣḥaf nor the Muṣḥafs located in Tashkent, al-Mashhad al-Ḥusayn in Cairo and in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Works in Istanbul were the Muṣḥafs attributed to Caliph ʿUthmān; however considering the differences in their script, the centuries when they were copied and their different dimensions, they must have been copied from the Muṣḥafs attributed to Caliph ʿUthmān. For this reason, each of them was called the (Muṣḥaf ʿUthmān)" (Altıkula, al-Muṣḥaf al-Sharif, page 80).[3]
The study of these documents was undertaken by Gerd R. Puin of Saarland University, Germany. Puin is a renowned specialist in Arabic calligraphy and Quranic paleography. For more than 10 years he extensively examined these parchment fragments.
Puin, after extensively studying these manuscripts, came to the conclusion that the text is actually an evolving text rather than simply the word of God as revealed in its entirety to Muhammad (Warraq, 2002, p. 109).
The extraordinary discovery of Puin fascinated Andrew Rippin, a Professor of religious studies and a leading expert on Quranic studies. Rippin (cited Warraq, 2002, p. 110) concluded, Their variant readings and verse orders are all very significant. Everybody agrees on that.
If you want to see the differences in the Sanaa compared to you present day koran, you can view this entertaining and educational Youtube video made by Abdullah Gondal and Abdullah Sameer.
Exposing the Holes In The Quran
Unfortunately, just fragments of the first copies of the Quran exist today. However, some copies attributed to the time of Uthman are preserved today and the one that we explore here is part of the collection of the Ottoman military general Fakri Pasha, held in the Topkapi Palace Museum Library in Istanbul.
Even though written in the Hijazi script, it was written in various forms indicating the scribes were familiar with the Kufic script of the Umayyad period. It has been established that at least five scribes worked together to make this copy, and it may have even been written by six. It has one of the most intriguing styles of early manuscripts observed so far.
Interestingly, when the manuscript was discovered, not much emphasis was placed on decorative elements like illumination and ornamentation and this was among the reasons why it was originally ascribed to a very early date.
According to Francois Droche, paleographically and historically the manuscript can almost certainly be dated in the Umayyad period (661-731/CE. Unlike Alain George and Barry Flood who date it to the late 1st century of hijra, he cautiously widens the range and includes the first decades of the second century.
The commander of the Ottoman army in Medina was Fakhri (Fehreddin) Pasha (1868-1948). He was moved there to defend the city against the Arab revolt during World War I. Medina was besieged by Arab forces in 1917, and even when the Ottoman Empire withdrew from the war in 1918, Fakhri Pasha rejected armistice and refused to surrender.
The exact size of the photo archive is unknown. At a meeting in Paris, Pretzl had told Muhammad Hamidullah (the prolific writer on the history and culture of Islam) that they were collating 42,000 copies. According to Hamidullah, Pretzl had informed him of inconsistencies in copies of the texts, but that these did not deviate in textual differences from the original texts.
The Quran, holds a unique and central position in the lives of Muslims worldwide. As the literal word of Allah, its preservation has been of utmost importance throughout history. The Quran itself attests to its inviolability, stating:
The process of preserving the Quran began during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) through its transmission in oral and written forms. The Prophet's companions, played a significant role in preserving the Quran in writing. A group of them, most prominently Zaid bin Thabit, were designated by the Prophet (ﷺ) to record the revealed verses.
In the famous work "AlItqan fee Uloom al-Quran" (1/49) by Imam As-Suyuti, it is mentioned that the entire Quran was written down from the Prophet's dictation, and Mustafa Azami, in his book highlights that approximately 65 Sahabah were involved in writing for the Prophet (The History of the Quranic Text, from Revelation to Compilation: A Comparative Study with the Old and New Testaments by Mustafa Al-Azami p 68).
The early Muslims recognized the importance of preserving the Quran in a compiled form. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) , four prominent Sahabah from the Ansar took the initiative to gather the Quranic verses together. These individuals were Ubayy bin Ka'b, Mu'adh bin Jabal, Zaid bin Thabit, and Abu Zaid. This fact is narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari no. 3810 and Jami` at-Tirmidhi no. 3794, solidifying the historical authenticity of this significant endeavor
The dedication to preserving the Quran extended beyond the compilation of the Mushaf. Numerous companions had their own personal copies of the Quran, further safeguarding its contents. Among those who possessed individual copies were Ibn Masood, Ubay bin Kaab, Ali, Ibn Abbas, Abu Musa, Hafsa, Anas bin Malik, Umar, Zaid bin Thabit, Ibn Al-Zubair, Abdullah bin 'Amr, A'isha, Salim, Umm Salama, and 'Ubaid bin Umar, among many others, as recorded in Kitab al-Masahif p. 14 of Ibn Abee Dawood.
After the passing of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) , the first Caliph, Abu Bakr, recognized the need for a formal compilation of the Quran. He entrusted Zaid bin Thabit with the responsibility of leading a committee to gather all the written records and prepare an official Mushaf. This process is documented in Sahih al-Bukhari.no. 4986.
Upon the completion of the Mushaf, it was approved by consensus among the Sahabah, including Caliph Abu Bakr, Caliph Umar, and Hafsah, Umar's daughter and the Prophet's wife, who kept the official manuscript safe (Sahih al-Bukhari 4986).
During the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan, it was realized that some variations had emerged in the recitation of the Quran in different regions. To ensure uniformity, Caliph Uthman requested Hafsah to send him the original manuscript, which was kept in her possession. He then appointed a committee consisting of Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah bin Az-Zubair, Said bin Al-As, and AbdurRahman bin Al-Harith bin Hisham, who wrote multiple copies of the Quran in book form and sent them to various parts of the Islamic empire. This standardization initiative, as recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, further reinforced the preservation of the Quran (Sahih al-Bukhari 3506).
Remarkably, one of the copies sent by Caliph Uthman still exists today, making it one of the earliest extant copies of the Quran. Additionally, a copy of the Mushaf sent to Syria can be found in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul. Another notable manuscript, the Sanaa manuscript, is among the earliest surviving manuscripts of the Quran, written on parchment in the Hijazi script.
The preservation of the Quran is a remarkable aspect of Islamic history, achieved through various means to ensure its accuracy and authenticity. One of the most exceptional methods of preservation is through memorization, a practice that has been central to the Islamic tradition since the time of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and his companions, the Sahabah.
The companions of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) , played a crucial role in preserving the Quran through memorization. Their dedication and proficiency in memorizing the divine revelations were of such magnitude that it was impossible to list all of them. As documented in Fath al-Baari (9/52) and al-Itqaan by as-Suyooti (1/248-249), the number of Sahabah who memorized the Quran was vast and unparalleled.
The superiority of memorization as a means of preserving the Quran is acknowledged even by non-Muslim scholars. A.T. Welch, a non-Muslim scholar, testified to the significance of this oral tradition. He stated, "The revelations were memorized by some of Muhammad's followers during his lifetime, and the oral tradition that was thus established has had a continuous history ever since, in some ways independent of, and superior to, the written Quran." (The Encyclopedia of Islam, 'The Quran in Muslim Life and Thought)
The statements made by Richard Bell and Montgomery Watt suggest some ambiguity regarding the originator of the idea of collecting the Qur'an. However, the argument can be countered by analyzing the historical evidence and reliable sources.
Christian missionaries quote: Aisha reported that it had been revealed in the Holy Qur'an that ten clear sucklings make the marriage unlawful, then it was abrogated (and substituted) by five sucklings and Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) died and it was before that time (found) in the Holy Qur'an (and recited by the Muslims). (Sahih Muslim 2634).
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