AhlulBayt News Agency: The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) has received a rare copy of the Quran written in the handwriting of Abu al-Hasan Ali bin Hilal bin Abdul Aziz, one of the most renowned calligraphers in the Islamic world.
This handwritten Quran by Abdul Aziz, known as “Ibn Bawab,” was donated to ISESCO by Ratiba al-Safrioui, a retired professor from a Moroccan university.
According to ISESCO, al-Safrioui made this donation in recognition of the organization’s pioneering role in preserving and promoting the manuscript heritage of the Islamic world.
ISESCO Director General Salim bin Mohammed al-Malik praised the donation, describing it as a commendable act that represents a noble tradition of supporting Islamic manuscripts and encouraging the spread of knowledge.
He added that this contribution further strengthens ISESCO’s mission to protect cultural treasures from destruction and damage, while introducing the heritage of Muslim societies and their cultural, scientific, and civilizational achievements.
At the donation ceremony, al-Safrioui explained that this Quran was originally received by her late brother, Sayyid Abdul-Hayy al-Safrioui, and includes an introductory booklet along with a French translation of the meanings of some Surahs.
Ibn Bawab is regarded as one of the greatest calligraphers of the third and fourth centuries AH. He developed the principles of Naskh script and established aesthetic proportions between the components of each letter.
He authored sixty-four Qurans, the most famous being the only surviving copy written in Baghdad in 391 AH. That manuscript is preserved in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland, and the copy donated to ISESCO was taken from it.
/129
Your Comment