Surah 18:56

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Ms. or. fol. 4313 (Scan 1)
This codex is one of the earliest surviving Quranic manuscripts, with combined radiocarbon dating of its parchment placing its production between 605 and 651 AD. The seven folios in Berlin were once part of a larger codex that is now split, with 33 additional folios currently held in the Egyptian National Library. The Berlin leaves were acquired in 1939 from the estate of Bernhard Moritz, the former director of the Khedivial Library.

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Ms. or. fol. 4313 (Scan 2)
This codex is one of the earliest surviving Quranic manuscripts, with combined radiocarbon dating of its parchment placing its production between 605 and 651 AD. The seven folios in Berlin were once part of a larger codex that is now split, with 33 additional folios currently held in the Egyptian National Library. The Berlin leaves were acquired in 1939 from the estate of Bernhard Moritz, the former director of the Khedivial Library.

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Ms. or. fol. 4313 (Scan 3)
This codex is one of the earliest surviving Quranic manuscripts, with combined radiocarbon dating of its parchment placing its production between 605 and 651 AD. The seven folios in Berlin were once part of a larger codex that is now split, with 33 additional folios currently held in the Egyptian National Library. The Berlin leaves were acquired in 1939 from the estate of Bernhard Moritz, the former director of the Khedivial Library.

Vat. ar. 1785
This 9-folio parchment fragment is an important early witness to the Quranic text, exhibiting a transitional script that blends elements of Hijazi IV and early Kufic B.Ia styles. It completely lacks vocalization and uses simple dashes for diacritics, which supports its early production date.

Muṣḥaf of Najaf Ashraf (Codex 1 of Imām ʿAlī Library)
This codex contains a colophon attributing it to ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib and dating it to 40 AH (660 AD), though scholars believe this colophon was added later. It also features a waqf (endowment) deed written on the first page in 1775 AD.

Meknes, Private library of Sherif ʿAbdarraḥmān b. Zīdān, no call number
This nearly complete early Kufic Quran was photographed by Otto Pretzl during a research trip to Morocco in 1934. While the main body belonged to the private library of Sherif ʿAbdarraḥmān b. Zīdān, fragments of this codex have since been dispersed to the Royal Library in Rabat, the Tareq Rajab Museum in Kuwait, and sold through auction houses like Christie's.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 324 (c)
Carbon dating of fragments from Arabe 324 (c) places its origin between 660-780 AD. The manuscript is part of a composite codex, where Arabe 324 (c) and Gotha Ms. orient. A 462 are original leaves, while other sections such as Arabe 324 (a) and (d) were added centuries later to replace damaged or missing pages.

Saray Medina 1a (Karatay 3)
This almost complete codex is notable for being written by at least six different scribes in Kufic script. Originally documented in Gotthelf Bergsträßer's archives as 'Medina 1a', its folios were later repaired with paper edges, and a few missing pages were completed in Naskh script.

Topkapı Palace Museum, "Saray Medina 1b" (M. 3)
This manuscript was documented by Gotthelf Bergsträßer as 'Saray Medina 1b', and its photographs became part of his famous archive in Munich. Notably, it still retains a dark olive-coloured leather binding with a traditional flap (miklep) and mandorla (şemse), as well as multi-colored geometric sura headings.

Samarkand Kufic Quran (Scan 1)
This monumental manuscript is one of the oldest surviving Qurans, traditionally believed to be the personal copy of Caliph Uthman stained with his blood. After being taken by Russian imperial forces in 1868 to Saint Petersburg, it was repatriated to Tashkent in 1923.

Samarkand Kufic Quran (Scan 2)
This monumental manuscript is one of the oldest surviving Qurans, traditionally believed to be the personal copy of Caliph Uthman stained with his blood. After being taken by Russian imperial forces in 1868 to Saint Petersburg, it was repatriated to Tashkent in 1923.

Cairo, Khedivial Library, Moritz 1905, table 31-36 (Scan 1)
The physical manuscript is currently lost and its origin is unknown; it survives today only through six photographs published in Bernhard Moritz's monumental 1905 album 'Arabic Palaeography'.

Cairo, Khedivial Library, Moritz 1905, table 31-36 (Scan 2)
The physical manuscript is currently lost and its origin is unknown; it survives today only through six photographs published in Bernhard Moritz's monumental 1905 album 'Arabic Palaeography'.

Moritz 1905, Tables 39-40
This codex fragment was documented in Bernhard Moritz's 1905 'Arabic Palaeography' album and was reportedly discovered in the ancient Egyptian city of Bahnasa (Oxyrynchos). Scholars suggest it may originally belong to the same large codex as other early Quranic fragments currently held in the Vatican, Paris, and the Khalili Collections.

Rampur Raza Library No. 1
This manuscript is a highly prized copy traditionally ascribed to the penmanship of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Caliph. It features modern gold and colored borders on the paper margins.

Vat. Ar. 1605 (3)
The title of Surah 61 is written in red using an archaic naskhi script without diacritics, naming it 'sūrat al-ḥawāriyyīn' instead of the usual 'sūrat aṣ-ṣaff', a variant title known to the masoretic tradition.

Istanbul, Topkapı Palace Museum, "Saray 50386" (Karatay 42) (Scan 1)
This near-complete Kufic Quran is bound in brown leather over wood with arabesque interlacing and iron rings. It bears the foundation seal of Sultan Osman III, and its first three leaves as well as sura headings are illuminated.

Istanbul, Topkapı Palace Museum, "Saray 50386" (Karatay 42) (Scan 2)
This near-complete Kufic Quran is bound in brown leather over wood with arabesque interlacing and iron rings. It bears the foundation seal of Sultan Osman III, and its first three leaves as well as sura headings are illuminated.

Topkapı Palace Museum, Saray 50395 (Scan 1)
This nearly complete codex is an exceptional document, as complete codices in Kūfī D script style are extremely rare. The manuscript features illuminated pages for the first three and last six folios, as well as at surah beginnings.

Topkapı Palace Museum, Saray 50395 (Scan 2)
This nearly complete codex is an exceptional document, as complete codices in Kūfī D script style are extremely rare. The manuscript features illuminated pages for the first three and last six folios, as well as at surah beginnings.

Topkapı Palace Museum, Saray 50395 (Scan 3)
This nearly complete codex is an exceptional document, as complete codices in Kūfī D script style are extremely rare. The manuscript features illuminated pages for the first three and last six folios, as well as at surah beginnings.

Arabe 399
This manuscript features a forged colophon claiming it was copied in 798 AD by order of Caliph Harun al-Rashid. An old legend also suggested it was a diplomatic gift sent to Charlemagne, though scholars have proven both the attribution and the legend to be false.

Wetzstein II 1929 (Ahlwardt 338)
This manuscript features the 'New Style III' script with large, filled-in letter heads, and fine strokes that resemble later Maghrebi styles. While consonantal diacritics are entirely absent, it is heavily vocalized using red dots.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 325 (k)
This fragment originally belonged to the same manuscript as the fragment cataloged as no. 58 by François Déroche. It is notably decorated with an intricate full-page illumination on folio 105v, featuring a gilded and interlaced geometric border. The manuscript also employs partial oblique diacritics and red vocalization dots, with verses separated by gilded Kufic letters and medallions.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 334 (k) (Scan 1)
This heavily decorated manuscript is notable for its rich gold ornamentation, including golden hāʾ for five-verse markers and margin medallions spelling out ten-verse counts. It is part of a larger dispersed codex and connects directly with manuscript C. 4, while folio 150r bears an enigmatic 'no 7' note written by a later European hand.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 334 (k) (Scan 2)
This heavily decorated manuscript is notable for its rich gold ornamentation, including golden hāʾ for five-verse markers and margin medallions spelling out ten-verse counts. It is part of a larger dispersed codex and connects directly with manuscript C. 4, while folio 150r bears an enigmatic 'no 7' note written by a later European hand.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 345 (a)
This manuscript is notable for its polychrome dotting, employing red dots for vocalization and green dots for hamza. Additionally, sura titles and verse counts are distinctively inscribed in yellow ink using a different script style (Group D).

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 367 (d) (Scan 1)
The manuscript features rare oval diacritics and red dots for vocalization. Golden Kufic letters (hāʾ) are used to mark groups of five verses, while ten-verse groups are marked with decorative medallions. Notably, the beginning of Surah 19 includes the surah's title and verse count inscribed in golden ink.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 367 (d) (Scan 2)
The manuscript features rare oval diacritics and red dots for vocalization. Golden Kufic letters (hāʾ) are used to mark groups of five verses, while ten-verse groups are marked with decorative medallions. Notably, the beginning of Surah 19 includes the surah's title and verse count inscribed in golden ink.

MS Brunensis-Birminghamiensis (BrB)
This codex is reconstructed from 74 scattered leaves across multiple collections, including the Mingana Collection in Birmingham and the Minassian Collection at Brown University. Described by Alba Fedeli, it provides insight into the dispersal of early Qur'anic manuscripts in modern antiquarian markets.

Providence, Rhode Island, Brown University Library, 6577
This folio is part of the Minassian Collection at Brown University, which houses over 200 early Qur'anic manuscript leaves. It belongs to the same original manuscript as several other folios in the collection, including shelfmarks 6490, 6583, 6586, 6580, and 6518.

Ms. Yah. Ar. 966 (Scan 1)
This manuscript features a rare, dated colophon from 292 AH (904-905 AD) by Ahmad al-Khayqani, who updated the vowelling and diacritical marks. Written in Persian, this colophon is considered one of the oldest known testimonies of the New Persian language written in the Arabic script.

Ms. Yah. Ar. 966 (Scan 2)
This manuscript features a rare, dated colophon from 292 AH (904-905 AD) by Ahmad al-Khayqani, who updated the vowelling and diacritical marks. Written in Persian, this colophon is considered one of the oldest known testimonies of the New Persian language written in the Arabic script.

Diez A oct 172
This codex is largely complete, containing the entire Quran, though the first folio and a few other leaves were supplied by a later hand. Written on parchment, the manuscript represents an important transitional stage in the evolution of the Arabic script toward the Maghrebi style. While generally well-preserved, some of the early and late folios exhibit water damage and have been repaired.

BNF Arabe 6430 (Scan 1)
This 10th-century Quranic manuscript is notable for being written on Oriental paper rather than parchment. It features complete diacritics and vocalization, with distinctive colorful verse markers including yellow Kufic 'hāʾ' letters to signal groups of five verses.

BNF Arabe 6430 (Scan 2)
This 10th-century Quranic manuscript is notable for being written on Oriental paper rather than parchment. It features complete diacritics and vocalization, with distinctive colorful verse markers including yellow Kufic 'hāʾ' letters to signal groups of five verses.

Cambridge, Cambridge University Library, MS Add.1134 (Scan 1)
The manuscript fragment was acquired by Edward H. Palmer and E.E. Tyrwhitt Drake during a research trip to the Sinai Peninsula in 1878. It represents a rare and important example of early Western Islamic calligraphy.

Cambridge, Cambridge University Library, MS Add.1134 (Scan 2)
The manuscript fragment was acquired by Edward H. Palmer and E.E. Tyrwhitt Drake during a research trip to the Sinai Peninsula in 1878. It represents a rare and important example of early Western Islamic calligraphy.

Cambridge MS Or.476
This fragment of an Abbasid-era Quran is notable for its 'New Style I' script, representing a stylized evolutionary phase in early Arabic calligraphy. The manuscript preserves an elegant and compact layout of 7 lines per page on parchment.

Cambridge University Library MS Or.771
This manuscript is a fragment of an Abbasid Qur'ān written on 36 parchment folios.

Providence, Rhode Island, Brown University Library, 6724 (Scan 1)
Part of the Minassian Collection at Brown University, this leaf is written in New Style I script on paper, demonstrating the transition to paper as a writing material for Qurans in the Islamic world.

Providence, Rhode Island, Brown University Library, 6724 (Scan 2)
Part of the Minassian Collection at Brown University, this leaf is written in New Style I script on paper, demonstrating the transition to paper as a writing material for Qurans in the Islamic world.

Dublin, Chester Beatty Library, Is 1431
This complete Quran was produced in Baghdad by the renowned calligrapher ʿAlī b. Hilāl, also known as Ibn al-Bawwāb, around 1000-1001 AD. He is a significant figure in Islamic art, closely associated with the adoption of the round Naskh script to transcribe the Quran.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 382 (a)
This anonymous, undated manuscript features a distinct 'New Style (type III)' script. While it lacks regular diacritics, vocalization is marked with red dots. Interestingly, individual verses are not separated, but golden Kufic hāʾ letters signal groups of five verses, and medallions mark every ten verses. Furthermore, Sura 63 has its title and verse count beautifully rendered in golden ink.

Doha, Qatar National Library, HC.MS.00715
This codex is closely related to two other Andalusian manuscripts held in Istanbul, which were written in Cordoba (1143-1144 AD) and Valencia (1182-1183 AD), suggesting a similar provenance. It features distinctive Maġribī micrography for the main text and angular chrysography for the Surah headings.