Surah 5:21

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.

Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Ms. or. fol. 4313 (Scan 5)
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.

London, The British Library, Or. 2165 (Scan 1)
Considered by Gotthelf Bergsträßer to be the most important representative of the ḥiǧāzī script style due to its extensive size. It features a bold hand with tall, right-leaning hastae that sets it apart from more conventional early Kufic Qurans. Two folios from this same codex are currently preserved at the Dār al-Āṯār al-Islāmiyya in Kuwait.

London, The British Library, Or. 2165 (Scan 2)
Considered by Gotthelf Bergsträßer to be the most important representative of the ḥiǧāzī script style due to its extensive size. It features a bold hand with tall, right-leaning hastae that sets it apart from more conventional early Kufic Qurans. Two folios from this same codex are currently preserved at the Dār al-Āṯār al-Islāmiyya in Kuwait.

London, The British Library, Or. 2165 (Scan 3)
Considered by Gotthelf Bergsträßer to be the most important representative of the ḥiǧāzī script style due to its extensive size. It features a bold hand with tall, right-leaning hastae that sets it apart from more conventional early Kufic Qurans. Two folios from this same codex are currently preserved at the Dār al-Āṯār al-Islāmiyya in Kuwait.

London, The British Library, Or. 2165 (Scan 4)
Considered by Gotthelf Bergsträßer to be the most important representative of the ḥiǧāzī script style due to its extensive size. It features a bold hand with tall, right-leaning hastae that sets it apart from more conventional early Kufic Qurans. Two folios from this same codex are currently preserved at the Dār al-Āṯār al-Islāmiyya in Kuwait.

Tareq Rajab Museum QUR-1-TSR
This early manuscript, featuring script characteristics often associated with the slanting 'Ma'il' style, is among the oldest surviving Qur'anic fragments. Written on parchment, it is a prominent example of early Islamic calligraphy displayed at the Tareq Rajab Museum.

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 (Scan 1)
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.

Meknes, Private library of Sherif ʿAbdarraḥmān b. Zīdān, no call number (Scan 2)
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.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 324 (c) (Scan 3)
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.

Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 339
This manuscript features almost complete diacritical marks using oblique strokes, red dots for vocalization, and green dots for hamza. Each surah is introduced by an ornamental band containing its title and verse count in gold lettering, and verse groups are marked with gold hāʾ symbols and letter-numeral medallions.

Istanbul, Topkapı Palace Museum, Saray 50385
This codex is known primarily through photographs in the Gotthelf Bergsträßer archive, taken in the early 1930s. Although the original manuscript is no longer identifiable in the current museum catalogue, these rare photographs survived World War II and provide a crucial record of this early text.

Vienna, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. mixt. 917
The manuscript was previously owned by Kaikobad I, Sultan of the Sultanate of Rum (1219-1237). According to scholars, other folios of the same codex are held in the Library of Topkapı Sarayı in Istanbul.

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.

Vat. Ar. 1605 (33)
This manuscript folio is notable for having been cut lengthwise, resulting in the loss of its inner margin and about half of each line. Its script completely lacks diacritical marks, though vowels are indicated by red dots, and individual verses are separated by large gold dots.

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
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.

Cairo, Khedivial Library, today: Egyptian National Library and Archives, Moritz 1905, table 37-38 (Scan 1)
Documented in Bernhard Moritz's seminal 1905 work 'Arabic Palaeography', this manuscript is known only through two surviving images, with its physical dimensions and total leaf count remaining a mystery. It serves as an important surviving example of early Kufic script from the Abbasid era.

Cairo, Khedivial Library, today: Egyptian National Library and Archives, Moritz 1905, table 37-38 (Scan 2)
Documented in Bernhard Moritz's seminal 1905 work 'Arabic Palaeography', this manuscript is known only through two surviving images, with its physical dimensions and total leaf count remaining a mystery. It serves as an important surviving example of early Kufic script from the Abbasid era.

Berlin, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Wetzstein II 1915 (Ahlwardt 313) (Scan 1)
This manuscript is part of the collection acquired by Johann Gottfried Wetzstein, the Prussian consul in Damascus from 1848 to 1862. It is notable for its extensive use of early diacritical marks, including red dots for vocalization and green dots often associated with the letter 'ha'.

Berlin, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Wetzstein II 1915 (Ahlwardt 313) (Scan 2)
This manuscript is part of the collection acquired by Johann Gottfried Wetzstein, the Prussian consul in Damascus from 1848 to 1862. It is notable for its extensive use of early diacritical marks, including red dots for vocalization and green dots often associated with the letter 'ha'.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 338 (b) (Scan 1)
Written on parchment in brown ink, this fragment consists of 24 folios with 9 to 11 lines per page. It features partial vocalization using red dots, and uses golden markers to indicate groups of five and ten verses.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 338 (b) (Scan 2)
Written on parchment in brown ink, this fragment consists of 24 folios with 9 to 11 lines per page. It features partial vocalization using red dots, and uses golden markers to indicate groups of five and ten verses.

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 352 (f) (Scan 1)
This anonymous manuscript features teardrop-shaped verse dividers with the word 'aya' in gold letters, and gold medallions marking every five and ten verses. Its surviving folios have been separated over time, with pieces currently held in both the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Arabe 352 f) and the Forschungsbibliothek Gotha (A 437).

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 352 (f) (Scan 2)
This anonymous manuscript features teardrop-shaped verse dividers with the word 'aya' in gold letters, and gold medallions marking every five and ten verses. Its surviving folios have been separated over time, with pieces currently held in both the Bibliothèque nationale de France (Arabe 352 f) and the Forschungsbibliothek Gotha (A 437).

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 362 (b)
This manuscript is notable for its teardrop-shaped verse markers containing the word 'aya' in gold on a white background, as well as distinct medallions marking groups of five and ten verses. The text largely lacks typical diacritical marks, instead employing red dots for vocalization and green dots for the hamza.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 365 (a) (Scan 1)
This anonymous, undated parchment codex is written in early Kufic script and features elaborate verse dividers, including golden Kufic hāʾ markers for every five verses. Notably, folio 17 of this codex is among a group of early Quranic manuscript pages reported missing from the French National Library since approximately 2000.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 365 (a) (Scan 2)
This anonymous, undated parchment codex is written in early Kufic script and features elaborate verse dividers, including golden Kufic hāʾ markers for every five verses. Notably, folio 17 of this codex is among a group of early Quranic manuscript pages reported missing from the French National Library since approximately 2000.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 365 (a) (Scan 3)
This anonymous, undated parchment codex is written in early Kufic script and features elaborate verse dividers, including golden Kufic hāʾ markers for every five verses. Notably, folio 17 of this codex is among a group of early Quranic manuscript pages reported missing from the French National Library since approximately 2000.

Arabe 371
Codex Arabe 371 is a large-format manuscript (334 x 381 mm) written in an unclassified Kufic script with 14 lines per page. The text features early vocalization using red dots.

BnF Arabe 376 (a)
This early Quranic manuscript, held in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, features elegant golden Kufic hāʾ letters marking groups of five verses and detailed medallions for groups of ten. It is an important example of early Kufic script (D.I) discovered in Fustat, reflecting the artistic developments in Quranic production of its era.

Georgian National Museum sxm/ag. 2529
This early Qur'anic fragment features a horizontal format with thirteenth-line pages, typical of early examples. It is believed to have originally belonged to the same codex as folios currently held in the Qatar National Library, the Library of Congress, and the Lausanne Collection.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 369 (b)
This manuscript fragment, consisting of seven parchment folios, features nearly complete diacritics using points and oblique strokes, and red dots for vocalization. Notably, individual verses are not separated; instead, groups of five verses are marked by yellow Kufic 'hāʾ' letters, and groups of ten by yellow circles.

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.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 374 (c)
This codex utilizes distinctive golden Kufic hāʾ letters to signal groups of five verses, while surahs are preceded by their titles and verse counts in golden ink. It is part of the important early Quranic materials discovered in Fustat.

Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Arabe 374 (d)
This parchment manuscript features colorful punctuation with blue dots for diacritics, red for vocalization, and yellow for the hamza. Its verses are contiguous without individual separation, utilizing medallions to mark verse groupings.

BNF Arabe 6430
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.

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.

Codex Metropolitan 29.160.23-25
This manuscript features a highly monumental layout with only four lines per page, written on paper in an angular 'New Style' script. The shift to paper from parchment and the striking, stylized calligraphy are hallmarks of luxurious Eastern Islamic productions from the 11th and 12th centuries.