 |
|

Courtesy of the National Library of Indonesia
|
1841
Written
in Arabic script, this beautiful example of an
illuminated
was copied in Aceh, North Sumatra, a region famous
for the piety of its people and considered to
be the source of the most beautifully illustrated
in Indonesia. This copy contains a date of presentation
of 1841 (in the Islamic calendar, the month of
of 1257 AH), but may be older. It is written on
European-made paper, and black, red and yellow
inks have been used for the illuminations.
Muslims
accept that the
is the word of God, revealed to the Prophet Mohammed
(c.570–632 CE) in Arabia over the course of 23
years from c.610 CE. It consists of revelations
which outline the basic beliefs of Islam and the
values and norms to be followed in worldly affairs.
It also contains exemplary stories of the Prophets,
including many known in the Judeo-Christian tradition,
and speaks of the eternal rewards or punishments
awaiting those who either accept or reject its
message. During the lifetime of the Prophet, the
was memorised and recited by many people. There
is strong speculation that it was also written
down on leaves, bones, parchment and other such
materials as were available. It is said that these
diverse fragments were collected as the one text
during the reign of the third Caliph, `Uthmān
bin `Affān, after the Prophet’s death. This
text is regarded as the ultimate divine authority
for Muslim life and belief, and the verses on
display tell of Moses’ encounter with the Prophet
Khidr.
Islam
is believed to have spread to Indonesia from the
present day province of Aceh, which has been a
strongly Islamic centre since the thirteenth
century. Islam is today the religion of the overwhelming
majority of Indonesians. Indonesia recognises
Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity as
the religions of its citizens.
|