Öz
A research on the history and development of Arabic manuscripts around the Arabian Peninsula is considered the first step towards Arabic calligraphy work used in the writing of the Mushaf Al-Sharif in the Hejaz (Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Madinah Al-Munawwarah). This leads us to study the history of the writing of the Mushaf Al-Sharif based on the first period of Islam, as the writing of the Mushaf witnessed two stages: the writing stage during the time of the Prophet (saw), and its compilation and calligraphic stage during the time of the Khulafa Ar-Rashidun (the Rightly Guided Caliphs). During the revelation stage, the Prophet (saw) chose his most proficient Companions in reading and writing as scribes of the revelation. The research question is concerned with the alphabet and the quality of the manuscripts which were written during the period of the Prophet (saw), before their compilation and calligraphic work during the time Abu Bakr As-Siddiq and Uthman ibn Affan (May Allah be pleased with them). The research also seeks to answer following questions: Was there another calligraphic style for the Mushaf Al-Sharif before the Kufic script used in the Mushaf Al-Sharif? Are the features of the manuscripts in Makka Al-Mukarramah the same as the ones of the manuscripts in Madinah Al-Munawwarah? What are the similarities and differences between the Hijazi script or Kufic script in the Mushaf Al-Sharif?
Analyses on the most important sources, testimonials and works on early period manuscripts show that throughout history Muslims scholars attached great importance to the issue and wrote about it. However, most of the writings from the early centuries are remnants from after the 3rd Hijri century. The most important sources, which dealt with the script of the Mushaf Al-Sharif independently are as follows: Ibn al-Nadim's work, titled "Kitab al-Fihrist" (H. 384/994 A.D.), and Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi's work, titled "Risala fi 'ilm al-Kitaba" (Treatise about Calligraphy) (H. 414/1023 A.D.). Sources dealing with the history of the Mushaf Al-Sharif are the following: Abu Abbas Al-Mahdawi's work, titled "Hajau Masahifi al-Amsar" (H. 440/1048 A.D.); Abu Omar al-Dani's work "Al-Mukni fi Marifeti Marsumi Masahifi al-Amsar" (H. 444/1052 A.D.); Al-Kirmani's "Had al-Masafih" (H. 500/1106 A.D.); Imam al-Shatibi's "'Aqilat al-Atrab" (H. 590/1193 A.D.); Yusuf al-Qaydi al-Khwarizmi's "Hajau al-Masahif" (H. 618/1221 A.D.); and the work, titled "Mawrid al-Zaman fi Rasmi Ahruf al-Qur'an" by Al-Kharraz (H. 718/1318 A.D.).
There also exist contemporary testimonials from experts on Islamic and Qur'anic research. One of the most important and most renowned personalities in this field today is Prof. Dr. Tayyar Altıkulaç, who conducted very important work on the analyses of the Qur'anic manuscripts (masahif) attributed to the great Companion Uthman ibn Affan (ra), including the Topkapi manuscript, the Ṣan ̒a manuscript, the manuscript in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, and the Al-Mashad al-Husseini manuscript. He also worked on the manuscript attributed to the great Companion Ali bin Abu Talib (ra), which is in Teheran. Prof. Dr. Ghanim Qadduri al-Hamad is another one among contemporary experts, who dedicated all his efforts on the research of this issue. His books, "Qur'anic Sciences in Sources and Manuscripts", and "Handwritten Masahif" are some examples of his work.
Also Orientalists were interested in the history of the Mushaf Al-Sharif. The most important work in this field is the book of Theodor Nöldeke (H. 1348/1930 A.D.) titled, "The History of Qur'an". Then comes the orientalist, Anton Spitaler, who worked on this field and accumulated an archive of rare manuscripts and historical pieces within the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, which was destroyed during World War II in 1944 through British air bombing. Anton Spitaler claimed that the archive was lost due to this. However Michael Marx and Angelika Neuwirth proved the opposite and started to restore the archive in 2007, with a 18-year financial support of the German government, which is called the Project "Corpus Coranicum". The project is conducted in teamwork of researchers from various countries.