National Library of Australia - Home page
Treasures From The Worlds Great Libraries
Book of Hours Qur'an from Aceh Province Glorious Antiphonal Dead Sea Scroll Book of the Dead 'R' from 14th-century Gradual Mamluk Qur'an Buddhist statue
PEOPLE & POLITICS EXPLORATION SCIENCE & INVENTIONS MUSIC LITERATURE & ART RELIGION WORDS & LANGUAGE
click to enlarge

al-Qur'an al-Karim 1841
Courtesy of the National Library of Indonesia

 

click to visit Library
National Library of Indonesia
Jakarta, Indonesia

al-Qur'an al-Karim
1841

Written in Arabic script, this beautiful example of an illuminated Qur'an 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 Qur'an 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 Qur'an 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.