Introducing Hudai Afendi’s Translation of the Mushaf No. 20: Analyzing Some Points in the Variant Readings of Quran

The significance of research in old translations of Quran is evident to scholars in various facets, ranging from the linguistic benefits in the history of Persian language to various Quranic sciences. Among numerous Quran translations that are not studied and explored yet, we identified an incredible opportunity to introduce and examine the manuscript of Hudai Afendi’s translation of the Mushaf No. 20 for the first time, which dates back to the early 7th century. In addition to the linguistic and lexical benefits within the context of Persian language, which can be found in majority of old translations, the Hudai Efendi’s version includes some additional insightful points pertaining to Quranic sciences such as counting verses, Tajweed, and especially, the variant readings of Quran. The main focus of this article is to explore and investigate how the variant readings of Quran is captured in this mushaf, and how the variant readings of Quran has impacted this translation. By studying Al-Fatiha Al-Kitab up to the end of Surah An’am as well as the beginning of Surah Az-Zumar towards the end of Quran, we point out and analyze cases that have influenced the translation, and rare occurrences of the variant readings of Quran in this Mushaf, independent of the translation, while comparing with some main references in the field. We discuss how the writing of this Mushaf has affected the translation due to employing the traditional ways of scribing Quran through choosing from different variants based on the writer’s discretion.