Early Personal Quranic Manuscripts in Light of the Sana’a Palimpsest (DAM 01-27.1): An Analytical and Foundational Study

Abstract

Objectives: This research focuses on the issue of the methodology of engaging with personal Quranic manuscripts (muṣḥafs) attributed to the early centuries of Islam. Based on a thorough examination of the Sana’a Palimpsest DAM 01-27.1, this study rebuts the Orientalist assertion that the Quran read by Muslims today has evolved from a lost, original text. This study is structured into three sections and seeks to fulfill three main objectives. First, to establish and clarify the relationship between orthography books (rasm) and the documentation of Quranic manuscripts, and to examine how these books define the orthographical features of the text. Second, to examine how Islamic sources addressed private muṣḥafs and provided rulings on them. Third, to provide an examination of the Sana’a Palimpsest.

Methodology: This study adopts a foundational and analytical approach, which focuses on establishing the phenomenon’s roots and origin and then analyzing it.

Findings: The authenticity of the Quran is attributed to its uninterrupted oral transmission, its agreement with the rasm of the muṣḥaf, and the soundness of its Arabic language. The writing of muṣḥafs involved meticulous review by leading reciters (qurrāᵓ). In addition, the Sana’a Palimpsest serves as direct evidence that supports Uthmān Ibn ᶜAffān’s decision of eliminating personal muṣḥafs and adopting the standard version corresponding to what was written during the time of Prophet Muhammad. This evidence substantiates the ruling that private muṣḥafs contained anomalous readings (shādh), with high probabilities of omissions, alterations, and personal renditions, thus cannot be considered a “lost original text” as Orientalists suggested.

Originality: The originality of this research lies in its exploration of how Islamic sources engage with private muṣḥafs and the rulings associated with them. This study examines the implications of these rulings on the reliability of Quranic manuscripts and provides a comprehensive analysis of Sana’a Palimpsest, which has been the subject of significant debate among Orientalist scholars.