London : An ancient copy of the Quran found at the University of Birmingham in July may have belonged to Abu Bakr, one of the world’s first ever Muslims, British media reported.
Radiocarbon dating carried out in July found the fragments to be at least 1,370-years-old, raising the possibility that it could be the oldest copy of the Islamic holy book in existence.
Now Jamal bin Huwareib, managing director of the UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Islamic studies, has suggested that such an early document could have been commissioned by a very small number of people – the most likely of them being Abu Bakr, The Independent reported. Abu Bakr is widely understood to be the first person to convert to Islam outside the Prophet Mohammed’s direct family. He served as a friend and trusted advisor to the prophet and became the first ever Muslim caliph in 632, ruling for 27 months until his death 634. The age of the Birmingham Quran means it is likely to have been created in Islam’s very earliest years, when the world’s global Muslim population was only in the low hundreds. “I believe this is the Koran of Abu Bakr,” bin Huwareib told BBC News, adding: “It’s the most important discovery ever for the Muslim world.”
The quality of the Birmingham Quran’s parchment and handwriting suggests the 200 leaf document could only have been created for an incredibly important figure, he said.
