The Making Of The Noble Mus’haf In The Islamic West(From The Conquest To The Ziyani Era)

Abstract

The Qur'an was intermittently revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and Muslims memorised it and wrote it down on various materials such as leaves, bones and skins. After the Prophet's time, there was a need to compile the Qur'an, and the first compilation took place during the time of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq. The second compilation took place during the reign of Othman Ibn Affan, who ordered the Qur'an to be transcribed into unified manuscripts with a standardised script. These manuscripts served as a constant reference for people to recite, copy and distribute in different regions. Since then, the word "Mus’haf" has been used to refer to the Book of Allah, characterised by its bound pages between covers. The Othmani Mus’haf spread throughout the Muslim lands and reached the Islamic West through conquerors during the Umayyad period. Muslims there also copied it and developed their skills in calligraphy, illumination, binding and other related crafts. The making of the Noble Mus’haf thus became an independent industry with its own arts, techniques and practitioners.