Within Islam, the Quranic text in physical form is treated with the utmost respect as it is deemed a sacred and faultless book of divine guidance from Allah swt (God). For many centuries since the onset of Islam in the 7th century, this holy book has been copied using a range of calligraphic styles and illuminations. In this light, the history of early Qur’an manuscripts provides excellent insight into the history of Arabic script. For instance, different styles of script emerged from different regions. This has made it possible to provide an approximate date of when early Quran manuscripts were copied based on the type of calligraphy used. A prominent example of this can be demonstrated through the Birmingham Quran manuscript. This script has been written using the Hijazi style of calligraphy, which emerged from the Hijaz region of modern-day Saudi Arabia. With the help of radiocarbon dating, it was possible to discover that this manuscript was produced shortly after the time of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ between the period of 568- 645.
In the 10th century, the Abbasid vizier Ibn Muqlah (d.940) introduced a system of dots to measure and fix the proportions of cursive scripts; these scripts were later codified by the famous calligrapher Ibn al-Bawwab (d.1022) into six major styles. Referred to as the ‘Six Pens’, these remain in use to the present day. These include naskhi, thuluth, muhaqqaq, rayhani, tawqi', and riq’a.
The Naskhi style of calligraphy became one of the most widely used of the six proportional scripts and can be recognised by its cursive script and proportional format of Arabic lettering. Although Naskhi was originally developed in the 10th century this form of calligraphy gained wider use over the centuries due to its legibility, which made it more appropriate for use in producing administrative and commercial documents. Therefore, this highlights the extensive nature of Arabic calligraphy and the significance of its development in disseminating Islamic literature from the time of the Holy Quran’s initial transcription.
A further connection between the history and art of early Quran manuscripts includes acknowledging the aspect of devotion involved in this process. Many Islamic scholars have argued that the notion of transcribing the Quran can be regarded as an act of religious devotion. During the early Islamic period, Muslim scribes deemed calligraphy the only type of art worthy of transmitting the word of Allah swt. As a result, early Arabic calligraphers dedicated their time to perfecting such a craft as it would ultimately serve the Muslim Ummah (community) over generations to come by preserving the Holy Quran in a manner that was deemed befitting of such divine revelation. Therefore, these early Quran manuscripts significantly highlight the interconnection between history, art, and devotion within the development of the Islamic manuscript tradition.
