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Fragments of the world’s oldest Koran,
found in Birmingham last month, may predate the Prophet Muhammad and
could even rewrite the early history of Islam, according to scholars.
The pages, thought to be between 1,448 and
1,371 years old, were discovered bound within the pages of another
Koran from the late seventh century at the library of the University of
Birmingham.
Written in ink in an early form of Arabic
script on parchment made from animal skin, the pages contain parts of
the Suras, or chapters, 18 to 20, which may have been written by someone
who actually knew the Prophet Muhammad – founder of the Islamic faith.
SEE Islam 101 ancient history: http://sharlaslabyrinth.blogspot.com/2014/09/5-non-muslims-who-know-more-about-islam.html
The pages were carbon-dated by experts at
the University of Oxford, a process which showed the Islamic holy book
manuscript could be the oldest Koran in the world.
The discovery was
said to be particularly significant as in the early years of Islam, the
Koran was thought to have been memorised and passed down orally rather
written.
But now several historians have said that the parchment might even predate Muhammad.
It is
believed that the Birmingham Koran was produced between 568AD and 645AD,
while the dates usually given for Muhammad are between 570AD and 632AD.
Historian Tom Holland, told the Times:
'It destabilises, to put it mildly, the idea that we can know anything
with certainty about how the Koran emerged - and that in turn has
implications for the history of Muhammad and the Companions.'
Keith
Small, from the University of Oxford's Bodleian Library, added: 'This
gives more ground to what have been peripheral views of the Koran's
genesis, like that Muhammad and his early followers used a text that was
already in existence and shaped it to fit their own political and
theological agenda, rather than Muhammad receiving a revelation from
heaven.
When it was found last month he said: 'This could well take us back to within a few years of the actual founding of Islam.
'According
to Muslim tradition, the Prophet Muhammad received the revelations that
form the Qur'an, the scripture of Islam, between the years AD 610 and
632, the year of his death.
'At
this time, the divine message was not compiled into the book form in
which it appears today. Instead, the revelations were preserved in 'the
memories of men'.
'Parts of it had also been written down on parchment, stone, palm leaves and the shoulder blades of camels.
Read more: Daily Mail
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