Surah 20:12

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 328 (c)
This manuscript is believed to originate from the same codex as the famous Birmingham Quran manuscript (Mingana 1572a), which was radiocarbon dated to between 568 and 645 AD. This makes it part of one of the oldest surviving Quranic manuscripts in the world and an early descendant of the Uthmanic codex.

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.

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Ms. or. fol. 4313 (Scan 4)
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) (Scan 1)
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.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 324 (c) (Scan 2)
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.

Samarkand Kufic Quran
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.

Berlin, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Ms. or. oct. 1819
This manuscript features unique historical touches including faded notes from multiple hands, penciled-in Surah headings, and a small geometric drawing accompanied by blessings. Its original red-brown leather covers, decorated with a blind-tooled pattern of crossing hatched bands, were preserved by being bound directly into its newer binding. Additionally, the text displays colorful editorial marks, with missing letters like Alifs later added in red and green ink.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 5122
This nearly complete 8th-century Quranic manuscript is notable for its extensive preservation, containing text from the very beginning of the Quran to its final Surah. Curiously, folio 134 has been reported missing from the French National Library since approximately 2000, and no microfilm image of it survives.

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.
![Cairo, Khedivial Library, "qāf 3" (Gotthelf Bergsträßer archives) [maṣāḥif 387], in kūfī type C script, showing Surah 20:12 from 8th Century AD found in Egypt, currently housed at Egyptian National Library and Archives, Cairo](https://mss.readyapologia.com/quran/codex_01335/208_manuscript-1335-page-42957-image-28666.jpg)
Cairo, Khedivial Library, "qāf 3" (Gotthelf Bergsträßer archives) [maṣāḥif 387]
This extensive 8th-century manuscript is well-known today through a collection of 471 photographs taken by Gotthelf Bergsträßer around 1930, preserving its contents in his archive.

Boston, Massachussets, Museum of Fine Arts, 15.126
This early Quranic manuscript fragment is notable for its monumental 7-line layout per page on parchment. Pieces of similar 7-line codices are among the most famous and highly prized early Kufic Qurans produced during the early Abbasid period.

Istanbul, Topkapı Palace Museum, "Saray 50386" (Karatay 42)
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.

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.

Codex Petermann I 38
This manuscript, comprising 213 parchment folios, contains the entire second half of the Quran starting from Surah Maryam (19). It was documented by Wilhelm Ahlwardt in his 1887 catalogue of Arabic manuscripts at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and is notable for its robust Early Kufic script (D.Vb) with characteristic letterforms, such as the initial and medial 'kāf' often resembling 'dāl'.

Copenhagen, Det Kongelige Bibliotek, Cod. Arab. 36
This manuscript was part of the first palaeographical study of Arabic script in the West, written by Jakob Georg Christian Adler in 1780. Acquired by Friedrich Buchwald in the 17th century, the fragment features a carpet-like tooled design binding with gilded frames and Danish state emblems on the spine.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 325 (j) (Scan 1)
This fragmentary manuscript features Kūfī D.III script with an evolving orthography, using partially added oblique strokes for diacritics. Uniquely, it employs color-coded dots for pronunciation, using red and orange for vocalization and orange and green specifically for the hamza.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 325 (j) (Scan 2)
This fragmentary manuscript features Kūfī D.III script with an evolving orthography, using partially added oblique strokes for diacritics. Uniquely, it employs color-coded dots for pronunciation, using red and orange for vocalization and orange and green specifically for the hamza.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 343
The manuscript uses decorative medallions and bands to mark every ten verses, rather than separating individual verses. A marginal note in cursive script reveals it was once owned by Aḥmad Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Huwaydī, with later readers adding pious notes in the margins.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 367 (a) (Scan 1)
This manuscript is notable for its early Kufic script and rare use of oblique strokes for diacritics alongside red dots for vocalization. Interestingly, individual verses are not separated, but golden Kufic 'hāʾ' letters mark groups of five verses, and ornate medallions indicate groups of ten.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 367 (a) (Scan 2)
This manuscript is notable for its early Kufic script and rare use of oblique strokes for diacritics alongside red dots for vocalization. Interestingly, individual verses are not separated, but golden Kufic 'hāʾ' letters mark groups of five verses, and ornate medallions indicate groups of ten.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 372 (Scan 1)
The manuscript features vocalisation indicated by red dots, alongside occasional green dots whose function remains unclear. Verse groupings are marked by golden Kufic hāʾ letters for five verses and illuminated medallions for ten verses.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 372 (Scan 2)
The manuscript features vocalisation indicated by red dots, alongside occasional green dots whose function remains unclear. Verse groupings are marked by golden Kufic hāʾ letters for five verses and illuminated medallions for ten verses.

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.

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.

Cambridge, Cambridge University Library, MS Add.2964
This fragment of an Abbasid Qur'ān is written on parchment and features 5 lines per page. It is a valuable example of the 'New Style I' script from the 10th to 11th century.

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.

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.