Fragments of Ancient Koran Discovered at UK University

lt;pgt;Fragments of an Islamic manuscript discovered at the lt;a href=quot;http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-university-finds-worlds-oldest-9704465quot; rel=quot;nofollowquot;gt;University of Birminghamlt;/agt; have been identified as chapters one of the world#039;s oldest copies of the Koran, believed to be at least 1,370 years old.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;Results from tests carried out by the University of Oxford suggest that the manuscript, which has been in the University of Birmingham#039;s Mingana Collection for almost a century, was written somewhere between the period of AD 568 and 645, a range of dates that could predate the Islamic religion itself.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;The fragments of text had been neglected for so long because they were bound together with another older text which shared very similar handwriting. They were only spotted when a PHD student, Alba Fedeli, stumbled across them whilst working on Mingana manuscripts.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;The passages make up parts of Suras (a chapter or section of the Koran) 18 to 20. Researchers in Oxford believe the text was printed on the skin of a goat or a sheep alive during the lifetime of the Prophet Mohammed.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;Radiocarbon analysis, a testing process which can determine the age of any object containing organic materials was carried out on the Koranic fragments and is 95.4% accurate.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;According to Islamic teachings, the Prophet Muhammad received revelations from God which helped to form Islamic scriptures somewhere between the years AD 610 and 632—the year that he died.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;This means that the text, which was written in Hijazi script (an early form of Arabic), was drafted less than 20 years after the Prophet#039;s death, suggesting that the person or people who produced the various pieces could have personally known the Prophet Muhammad or witnessed him preaching.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;Susan Worrall, director of special collections at the University of Birmingham, lt;a href=quot;http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2015/07/quran-manuscript-22-07-15.aspxquot; rel=quot;nofollowquot;gt;saidlt;/agt;: quot;The radiocarbon dating has delivered an exciting result, which contributes significantly to our understanding of the earliest written copies of the [Koran].quot;lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;quot;We are thrilled that such an important historical document is here in Birmingham, the most culturally diverse city in the UK,quot; she said.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;The script is set to temporarily leave its place in the university#039;s collection of more than 3,000 Middle Eastern documents and be placed on public display at the university#039;s Barber Institute of Fine Arts between October 2 and October 25.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;Speaking to the lt;a href=quot;http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birmingham-university-finds-worlds-oldest-9704465quot; rel=quot;nofollowquot;gt;Birmingham Maillt;/agt;, Muhammad Afzal, chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque expressed his delight at the historical discovery in the multicultural city.lt;/pgt; lt;pgt;quot;When I saw these pages I was very moved. There were tears of joy and emotion in my eyes. And I#039;m sure people from all over the UK will come to Birmingham to have a glimpse of these pages,quot; Afzal said.lt;/pgt;