Some New Findings about Khorāsān bint Abi al-Qāsim’s Qur’ān, A 30-Parts Manuscript with Persian Translation from the 5th Century AH

This article introduces and examines an old Qur’ān from the 5th century AH, which was owned by a maiden named Khorāsān bint Abi al-Qāsim b. Ali b. Mānkadīm in the early sixth century AH. More than 17 different parts (juz’) of this Qur’ān have so far been found in various libraries in Iran and around the world. There is no proof of this manuscript’s being endowed in any part of its found pages. The only mentioned name is its owner’s name which is written in the beginning of the first juz’ of the Qur’ān (MS no. 2752 in the Library of Ᾱstān Quds, Mashhad) along with her lineage reaching up to Imam Ali ibn Abi Tālib (AS) indicating that her ancestors were from the Alawites of Tabaristān, but her father’s ancestor emigrated to Nishapur a century before this copy was transcribed. The Qur’an has been written in 30 separate parts along with a Persian translation in the old Naskhī script, possibly in Nishapur (where Khorāsān bint Abi al-Qāsim lived). The text of this Qur’ān is written based on the reading of al-Kisā’ī, Ibn ‘Ᾱmir and AbŪ ‘Amr. The Persian  translation of the verses, although influenced by the style and diction of the Persian translation of Tabarī’s commentary  (Tarjume Tafsīr Tabarī), has its own spelling and lexical specifics.