Arabic Calligraphy
The Holy Qur’an
‘The Qur’an, Islam’s Holy book, is God’s words revealed orally to the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic.’
The Qur’an, Islam’s Holy book, is God’s words revealed orally to the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic between hegira 610 and 632. It was collected and assembled into one volume by his companions and the early caliphs, especially the third caliph, ‘Uthman Ibn ‘Affan (23–35 / 644–56), in whose time the texts were organised into the Book as we know it today. The Qur’an consists of 114 chapters (sura) and 6,236 verses (ayat).

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Page from a Qur'an

Hegira 3rd–4th centuries / AD 9th–10th centuries
Abbasid
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Türkiye
This illuminated page from a Qur'an is written in kufic script on gazelle skin. Kufic script was widely used across the Islamic world, particularly in the early centuries of Islam.