The Quran is the sacred scripture of the Islamic religion. The Quran consists of 114 chapters called Surahs. Each Surah includes a number of Ayats, or verses. According to Muslim belief, the Quran was delivered to the Prophet Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel and revealed in stages. The revelations began, according to Muslim faith, on the 27th night of Ramadan, known as Laylat al-Qadr.
The chapters of the Quran are arranged from the longest Surah, Surah al-Baqarah ("the cow" in English), to the shortest, Surah Nas ("mankind" in English). The verses are written in "rhymed prose" literary form and do not possess poetry's basic rhythmic meter, however the sounds at the end of each verse rhyme. The Quran is one of the earliest Arabic books, and to this day the scripture reflects the foundation for the study of the Arabic language. Furthermore, the Quran is the primary and significant authority in defining Islamic law, followed by the practices of the Prophet (Sunnah).
The name "Quran" appeared for the first time in the Quran itself, in approximately seventy different verses. There are two interpretations for its linguistic origin. The first, is that "Quran" is derived from the Assyrian wordqeryana which means text or study. The second is that the origin of the word is in the Arabic rootqaraʾa, referring to "recitation". Moreover, there are additional names for the Quran in the scripture itself, includingAl-Kitaab("The Book"),Al-Furqaan ("The Criterion") andAl-Dhikr("The Reminder").
Muslims believe that the Quran is the Word of God, delivered to the Prophet Muhammad throughout his 22-year mission. The Quran chapters were recited and memorized up until the time that it was written down. Oral conveyance of the Quran generated a variety of recitations. The third Caliph, Uthman Ibn Affan, codified the version of the Quran that is known today. The Quran relays an array of diverse topics concerning the lives of its disciples, such as war and peace, commerce, education and marriage.
The Quran integrates narratives from monotheistic religions prevalent in the Arabian Peninsula prior to the emergence of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. In Islamic tradition, notable biblical figures, such as Moses, Abraham and Joseph, are regarded as prophets, as well as Jesus.
The National Library of Israel houses a large and varied collection of manuscripts, printed books and digital publications of the Quran. These include ancient and rare Qurans from the Shalom Yehuda Collection, numerous printed books featuring commentary on the Quranic text as well as a range of academic studies on the Quran. In addition, the National Library of Israel preserves many Quran readings recorded across the globe. Your are invited to peruse the Library's Quran collection in the galleries below.
The Qurans shown in this gallery were inscribed during the first four hundred years of Islam. They differ from later Qurans in two aspects: the first is the square calligraphy form, named Kufic Script, which originated in the city of Kufa in Iraq. The second unique aspect refers to dots that were used to aid with pronunciation, as opposed to lines adapted in subsequent Qurans. In this method, a dot that appears above a letter, known asfatha, is equivalent to the short "a" vowel sound in English (ă). A dot below a letter is calledkasra, and is equivalent to the long "e" vowel sound in English (ē). Thedamma is a dot marked between the letters, equivalent to the long "oo" vowel sound (o͞o). The dotted vowel-aid markings usually appear in red.
The Qurans displayed in this gallery are not only holy scriptures, but are also exquisite works of artistic craftsmanship. Several manuscripts exhibited below were once owned by Sultans and have been embellished in gold and deep blue. The blue color originates from the lapis lazuli gemstone, which was ground into a powder to be used as a dye.
The recordings found in this gallery come from across the Muslim world and range from the 1930s to the late 1960s.
