Codex M a VI 165 – A Qur'ānic Manuscript From The 1st Century Hijra At The Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen, Germany
Islamic Awareness
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First Composed: 17th October 2010
Last Updated: 8th April 2020
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Folios (a) 1 recto, (b) 24 recto, (c) 33 recto, (d) 37 verso, (e) 50 recto and (f) 54 verso of Codex M a VI 165 at the Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen, Germany.
Date
Second half of the 1st century of hijra.
It is unclear if this manuscript was included in Noseda's table of ḥijāzī manuscripts from 1st century hijra. Giving information about a ḥijāzī manuscript kept at the Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen, he marks a single dash (i.e., ‘fragmented’ text) for sūrah 17 alone.[1] As far as we are aware, there are no ḥijāzī manuscripts at the Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen that contain sūrah 17 only. Could this be a typographical error? Perhaps Noseda had only limited information concerning this manuscript at the time of writing and made note of the starting sūrah only. Alba Fedeli cautiously attributed this manuscript to the 8th century CE and commented upon some of its variants.[2]
Three folios of Codex M a VI 165 were radiocarbon dated under the auspices of the Corpus Coranicum project. Folio 23 has been dated to 637–758 CE with 95.4% probability, with that range being broken down into a 94.8% probability that it dates to between 637 and 690 CE and a 0.6% probability that it dates to between 753 and 758 CE. Folio 28 has been dated to 611–669 CE with 95.4% probability. Folio 37 has been dated to 655–767 CE with 95.4% probability, with that range being broken down into a 75.3% probability that it dates to between 655 and 718 CE and a 20.1% probability that it dates to between 742 and 767 CE. Radiocarbon analyses of folios combinedly date the codex to 649–675 CE with 95.4% probability.[3]
Manuscript Number
M a VI 165.
Size & Folios
19.5 cm x 15.3 cm. There are 18-21 lines per page. Manuscript on parchment.
This manuscript has 77 folios, containing continuous text of the Qur'an from 17:35 to 36:57. This constitutes about 26.2% of the total text of the Qur'an.
History Of The Manuscript
Whilst serving in his position as first Prussian Consul to Damascus in the middle of the 19th century, Johann Gottfried Wetzstein made numerous acquisitions of ancient Arabic manuscripts, many of which belonged to the Qur'an. Wetzstein's acquisitions ended up in several collections across Germany, with this particular ḥijāzī manuscript now kept at the Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen, Germany. In his foreword to a small catalogue he published, Wetzstein said he hoped these more than 1,100 kufic folios of the Qur'an he had collected would be of some interest to those involved in palaeography and Qur'anic criticism,[4] and gave a brief entry for M a VI 165.[5] Weisweiler was the first person to give a brief description of this manuscript in his handlist of manuscripts at the Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen, Germany.[6]
Script & Ornamentation
Ḥijāzī. B1a according to the classification of Déroche.
The script is ḥijāzī though listed as kufic in the catalogue entry. The script is fairly large, thick, rather narrow, slightly rounded, with high shafts and slight tilt to the right. In some folios, the script has faded and it has been retouched by a later hand with black ink. The consonants are frequently differentiated by dashes. A set of 2 or 3 oval dots punctuate the verses. Every tenth verse is marked by a red hollow circle surrounded by dots. The end of sūrahs is characterized by a series of sets of dots forming triangles to fill the line.
The beginning and end of the sūrahs is characterized by ornamentation and with sūrah heading written in the naskhi script, both of which are done inconsistently by a later hand. The muṣḥaf is vocalised by red dots and black dashes, the latter very inconsistently, and is of a later hand.
Contents
The contents of the manuscript are tabulated below. The whole manuscript is online at the library.
| Codex M a VI 165 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Folios | Qur'anic Surah / Ayah | Image Publication | Comments |
| 1r | 17:35 - 17:46 | – | – |
| 1v | 17:46 - 17:56 | – | – |
| 2r | 17:56 - 17:64 | – | – |
| 2v | 17:64 - 17:71 | – | – |
| 3r | 17:71 - 17:82 | – | – |
| 3v | 17:82 - 17:93 | – | – |
| 4r | 17:93 - 17:100 | – | – |
| 4v | 17:100 - 17:110 | – | – |
| 5r | 17:110 - 17:111; 18:1 - 18:10 | – | – |
| 5v | 18:10 - 18:17 | – | – |
| 6r | 18:17 - 18:21 | – | – |
| 6v | 18:21 - 18:28 | – | – |
| 7r | 18:28 - 18:36 | – | – |
| 7v | 18:37 - 18:47 | – | – |
| 8r | 18:47 - 18:55 | – | – |
| 8v | 18:55 - 18:63 | – | – |
| 9r | 18:63 - 18:76 | – | – |
| 9v | 18:76 - 18:85 | – | – |
| 10r | 18:85 - 18:96 | – | – |
| 10v | 18:96 - 18:106 | – | – |
| 11r | 18:107 - 18:110; 19:1 - 19:7 | – | – |
| 11v | 19:7 - 19:20 | – | – |
| 12r | 19:20 - 19:33 | – | – |
| 12v | 19:33 - 19:45 | – | – |
| 13r | 19:45 - 19:58 | – | – |
| 13v | 19:58 - 19:67 | – | – |
| 14r | 19:67 - 19:79 | – | – |
| 14v | 19:79 - 19:97 | Fedeli, 2009 | – |
| 15r | 19:97 - 19:98; 20:1 - 20:16 | Fedeli, 2009; Fedeli, 2010 | – |
| 15v | 20:16 - 20:40 | – | – |
| 16r | 20:40 - 20:55 | – | – |
| 16v | 20:56 - 20:70 | – | – |
| 17r | 20:70 - 20:80 | – | – |
| 17v | 20:80 - 20:90 | – | – |
| 18r | 20:90 - 20:104 | – | – |
| 18v | 20:104 - 20:117 | – | – |
| 19r | 20:117 - 20:129 | – | – |
| 19v | 20:129 - 20:135; 21:1 - 21:3 | – | – |
| 20r | 21:3 - 21:17 | – | – |
| 20v | 21:17 - 21:30 | – | – |
| 21r | 21:30 - 21:43 | – | – |
| 21v | 21:43 - 21:57 | – | – |
| 22r | 21:58 - 21:73 | – | – |
| 22v | 21:73 - 21:84 | – | – |
| 23r | 21:84 - 21:94 | – | – |
| 23v | 21:94 - 21:105 | – | – |
| 24r | 21:105 - 21:112; 22:1 - 22:4 | Fedeli, 2010 | – |
| 24v | 22:5 - 22:11 | – | – |
| 25r | 22:11 - 22:18 | – | – |
| 25v | 22:18 - 22:28 | – | – |
| 26r | 22:28 - 22:35 | – | – |
| 26v | 22:36 - 22:42 | – | – |
| 27r | 22:42 - 22:52 | – | – |
| 27v | 22:52 - 22:61 | – | – |
| 28r | 22:61 - 22:70 | – | – |
| 28v | 22:71 - 22:78 | – | – |
| 29r | 22:78; 23:1 - 23:13 | – | – |
| 29v | 23:14 - 23:24 | – | – |
| 30r | 23:25 - 23:37 | – | – |
| 30v | 23:37 - 23:52 | – | – |
| 31r | 23:53 - 23:69 | – | – |
| 31v | 23:69 - 23:82 | – | – |
| 32r | 23:82 - 23:100 | – | – |
| 32v | 23:100 - 23:118 | – | – |
| 33r | 23:118; 24:1 - 24:10 | – | – |
| 33v | 24:10 - 24:20 | – | – |
| 34r | 24:20 - 24:27 | – | – |
| 34v | 24:27 - 24:31 | – | – |
| 35r | 24:31 - 24:35 | – | – |
| 35v | 24:35 - 24:42 | – | – |
| 36r | 24:42 - 24:51 | Fedeli, 2010 | – |
| 36v | 24:51 - 24:58 | – | – |
| 37r | 24:58 - 24:61 | – | – |
| 37v | 24:61 - 24:64; 25:1 - 25:3 | – | – |
| 38r | 25:3 - 25:13 | – | – |
| 38v | 25:14 - 25:23 | – | – |
| 39r | 25:23 - 25:35 | – | – |
| 39v | 25:35 - 25:45 | – | – |
| 40r | 25:45 - 25:60 | – | – |
| 40v | 25:60 - 25:75 | – | – |
| 41r | 25:75 - 25:77; 26:1 - 26:18 | – | – |
| 41v | 26:18 - 26:41 | – | – |
| 42r | 26:41 - 26:64 | – | – |
| 42v | 26:64 - 26:94 | – | – |
| 43r | 26:94 - 26:123 | – | – |
| 43v | 26:124 - 26:152 | – | – |
| 44r | 26:152 - 26:178 | – | – |
| 44v | 26:178 - 26:204 | – | – |
| 45r | 26:204 - 26:227; 27:1 - 27:3 | – | – |
| 45v | 27:3 - 27:16 | – | – |
| 46r | 27:16 - 27:28 | – | – |
| 46v | 27:28 - 27:40 | – | – |
| 47r | 27:40 - 27:50 | – | – |
| 47v | 27:50 - 27:61 | – | – |
| 48r | 27:61 - 27:71 | – | – |
| 48v | 27:71 - 27:85 | – | – |
| 49r | 27:85 - 27:93; 28:1 - 28:2 | – | – |
| 49v | 28:2 - 28:11 | – | – |
| 50r | 28:11 - 28:20 | – | – |
| 50v | 28:20 - 28:28 | – | – |
| 51r | 28:28 - 28:36 | – | – |
| 51v | 28:36 - 28:46 | – | – |
| 52r | 28:46 - 28:55 | – | – |
| 52v | 28:55 - 28:63 | – | – |
| 53r | 28:64 - 28:74 | – | – |
| 53v | 28:74 - 28:80 | – | – |
| 54r | 28:80 - 28:88 | – | – |
| 54v | 28:88; 29:1 - 29:10 | – | – |
| 55r | 29:10 - 29:18 | – | – |
| 55v | 29:18 - 29:27 | – | – |
| 56r | 29:27 - 29:34 | – | – |
| 56v | 29:34 - 29:42 | – | – |
| 57r | 29:42 - 29:51 | – | – |
| 57v | 29:51 - 29:61 | – | – |
| 58r | 29:61 - 29:69 | – | – |
| 58v | 30:1 - 30:10 | – | – |
| 59r | 30:10 - 30:22 | Fedeli, 2010 | – |
| 59v | 30:22 - 30:28 | – | – |
| 60r | 30:28 - 30:38 | – | – |
| 60v | 30:38 - 30:46 | – | – |
| 61r | 30:46 - 30:56 | – | – |
| 61v | 30:56 - 30:60; 31:1 - 31:8 | – | – |
| 62r | 31:8 - 31:16 | – | – |
| 62v | 31:16 - 31:23 | – | – |
| 63r | 31:23 - 31:32 | – | – |
| 63v | 31:33 - 31:34; 32:1 - 32:5 | – | – |
| 64r | 32:5 - 32:19 | – | – |
| 64v | 32:19 - 32:30 | – | – |
| 65r | 32:30; 33:1 - 33:7 | – | – |
| 65v | 33:7 - 33:17 | – | – |
| 66r | 33:17 - 33:24 | – | – |
| 66v | 33:24 - 33:33 | – | – |
| 67r | 33:33 - 33:38 | – | – |
| 67v | 33:38 - 33:50 | – | – |
| 68r | 33:50 - 33:53 | – | – |
| 68v | 33:53 - 33:62 | – | – |
| 69r | 33:62 - 33:72 | – | – |
| 69v | 33:72 - 33:73; 34:1 - 34:6 | Fedeli, 2010 | – |
| 70r | 34:6 - 34:13 | – | – |
| 70v | 34:13 - 34:19 | – | – |
| 71r | 34:19 - 34:28 | – | – |
| 71v | 34:28 - 34:34 | – | – |
| 72r | 34:34 - 34:43 | – | – |
| 72v | 34:43 - 34:52 | – | – |
| 73r | 34:52 - 34:54; 35:1 - 35:5 | – | – |
| 73v | 35:5 - 35:12 | – | – |
| 74r | 35:12 - 35:22 | – | – |
| 74v | 35:22 - 35:32 | – | – |
| 75r | 35:32 - 35:40 | – | – |
| 75v | 35:40 - 35:45 | Fedeli, 2010 | – |
| 76r | 36:1 - 36:16 | – | – |
| 76v | 36:16 - 36:31 | – | – |
| 77r | 36:31 - 36:45 | – | – |
| 77v | 36:45 - 36:57 | – | – |
Location
Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen, Germany.
References & Notes
[1] S. N. Noseda, "Note Esterne In Margin Al 1° Volume Dei ‘Materiali Per Un'edizione Critica Del Corano’", Rendiconti: Classe Di Lettere E Scienze Morali E Storiche, 2000, Vol. 134, Fasc. 1, p. 20.
[2] A. Fedeli, "Relevance Of The Oldest Qur'ānic Manuscripts For The Readings Mentioned By Commentaries. A Note On Sura ‘Ta-Ha’", Manuscripta Orientalia, 2009, Volume 15, Number. 1, pp. 3-10; For more information about this manuscript and the collection where it is located see, idem., "The Kufic Collection Of The Prussian Consul Wetzstein: The 1100 Leaves Of The The Universitätsbibliothek In Tübingen And Their Importance For Palaeography And Qur'ānic Criticism", in R. M. Kerr & T. Milo (Eds.), Writings And Writing From Another World And Another Era: Investigations In Islamic Text And Script In Honour Of Dr Januarius Justus Witkam, 2010, Archetype: Cambridge, pp. 117-142.
[3] M. J. Marx & T. J. Jocham, "Radiocarbon (14C) Dating Of Qur'ān Manuscripts", in A. Kaplony, M. Marx (Eds.), Qur'ān Quotations Preserved On Papyrus Documents, 7th-10th Centuries, 2019, Documenta Coranica: Volume 2, Brill: Leiden, pp. 188-221, esp. Table 6.2 on p. 216. Also see M. J. Marx & T. J. Jocham, "Zu Den Datierungen Von Koranhandschriften Durch Die 14C-Methode", Frankfurter Zeitschrift Für Islamisch-Theologische Studien, 2015, Volume 2, p. 23. More at "Rarität entdeckt: Koranhandschrift stammt aus der Frühzeit des Islam" at Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen, Germany. Accessed on 25th December 2014.
[4] J. G. Wetzstein, Catalog Arabischer Manuscripte In Damaskus Gesammelt, 1863, Druck von Trowitzsch & Sohn: Berlin, p. 2.
[5] ibid., p. 17.
[6] M. Weisweiler, Verzeichnis Der Arabischen Handschriften, 1930, Universitätsbibliothek Tübingen, Volume II, Verlag von Otto Harrassowitz: Leipzig, p. 125. (No. 161). Weisweiler gives the starting verse as 17:37. According to the verse numbering system adopted by the well-known modern printed editions, it is 17:35. The script is ḥijāzī though listed as kufic in the catalogue entry.
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