Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
The sacred book of Islam, the Qur'an is believed by Muslims to be a literal transcription of the word of God, spoken in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad (died 632). In order to convey the importance of the divine word, Arabic calligraphy—sometimes highly elaborate and embellished with gold—was used to create copies of the Qur'an.<br><br>This folio was written in the oldest style of Arabic calligraphy, called Kufic script, used in earliest surviving copies of the Qur'an. The wide format of the page is well suited to this style of Kufic that has elongated, horizontal strokes. Vowels are indicated by red dots, and the triangles of gold dots mark the end of each verse.<br><br>The text on the recto recounts an argument between God and Lucifer. Proud Lucifer declares himself superior to humans because he was formed from fire, while humans were molded from clay. In the verses on the verso, God casts Lucifer out of heaven as punishment for his pride.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
114264
label
Folio from a Qur'an
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
114264
contentType
drawing
title
Folio from a Qur'an
description
The sacred book of Islam, the Qur'an is believed by Muslims to be a literal transcription of the word of God, spoken in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad (died 632). In order to convey the importance of the divine word, Arabic calligraphy—sometimes highly elaborate and embellished with gold—was used to create copies of the Qur'an.<br><br>This folio was written in the oldest style of Arabic calligraphy, called Kufic script, used in earliest surviving copies of the Qur'an. The wide format of the page is well suited to this style of Kufic that has elongated, horizontal strokes. Vowels are indicated by red dots, and the triangles of gold dots mark the end of each verse.<br><br>The text on the recto recounts an argument between God and Lucifer. Proud Lucifer declares himself superior to humans because he was formed from fire, while humans were molded from clay. In the verses on the verso, God casts Lucifer out of heaven as punishment for his pride.
date
800s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60749225
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Sheet: 23.7 x 33.7 cm (9 5/16 x 13 1/4 in.)
cul
Probably Egypt, Abbasid period (750–1258)
accession
1933.493
Source extras
tec
Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on parchment
tombstone
Folio from a Qur'an, 800s. Probably Egypt, Abbasid period (750–1258). Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on parchment; sheet: 23.7 x 33.7 cm (9 5/16 x 13 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Edward L. Whittemore Fund, 1933.493
collection
Islamic Art
inscriptions
inscription
Recto: Sura al-Saad (38: 77-part 75-76).
Verso: Sura al-Saad (38: part 77-80).
inscription_remark
Script: Kufi (seven lines to a page)
creditline
Edward L. Whittemore Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:00:21.352000
sourceId
114264
dept
Islamic Art
coll
Islamic Art
med
Opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on parchment
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
50af0a6be1dcbd6e