📜 The Birmingham Quran Manuscript

Old Parchment, New Questions

🔍 Introduction

In 2015, the world of Islamic studies was rocked by the announcement that a Quranic manuscript in the University of Birmingham had been radiocarbon dated to between 568 and 645 AD — a range that overlaps with the life of Muhammad (570–632 AD). This led to sensational headlines: “The Oldest Quran in the World?”, and many Muslims around the world took it as definitive proof of Islam’s long-standing claim that the Quran has been preserved unchanged since the time of Muhammad.

But when examined more carefully, the Birmingham manuscript tells a far more nuanced — and problematic — story. It raises questions about authorship, compilation, standardization, and textual integrity. Far from proving perfect preservation, it may actually point toward a fluid, evolving text that was later canonized.

📚 What Is the Birmingham Quran Manuscript?

Designation: Mingana 1572a (two parchment leaves)
Location: Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham
Material: Animal skin parchment, written in Hijazi script — an early, slanted Arabic style used in the 7th century
Contents:
- Surah 18:17–31 (al-Kahf)
- Surah 19:91–98 (Maryam)
- Surah 20:1–40 (Taha)

These surahs are mid-to-late Meccan, and they emphasize themes of resurrection, divine power, and warnings to disbelievers.

🧪 Radiocarbon Dating: Science and Caveats

Conducted by the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU) using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS)
Results:
- Date range: 568–645 AD (95.4% probability)
- Median date: ~610 AD — close to the traditional start of Muhammad’s revelations

⚠️ Critical Caveat:

The dating refers to the death of the animal used for parchment, not the writing of the text itself.

That means the manuscript could have been written decades later, especially since parchment was expensive and often stored for years before use.

🧩 Paleographic and Codicological Features

Scholars analyzing the script note:

Use of Hijazi script, without vowel markings or diacritics (dots to distinguish letters)
This made early Qurans ambiguous and required oral transmission to resolve readings
This supports the scholarly consensus that the Quran existed in multiple reading traditions in early Islam (later known as the Qira’at)

According to François Déroche, a leading expert in Quranic manuscripts:

“The orthographic system is not yet stabilized... This indicates a pre-canonical phase in the transmission of the Quran.”

🧠 Scholarly Interpretations

Mainstream scholars agree on the following:

✅ The Manuscript Shows:

Very early transmission of Quranic material in written form
Quranic verses were likely being copied and disseminated soon after Muhammad’s death (632 AD)

❌ But It Does NOT Show:

That the entire Quran was fixed and compiled in Muhammad’s lifetime
That Uthman’s recension (standardized version) already existed by the date of this manuscript
That the modern Quran is word-for-word identical to what was first written

According to Dr. Nicolai Sinai (Oxford):

“The Birmingham manuscript is consistent with the idea that parts of the Quran were being written down early... but this does not validate the Islamic claim of complete and perfect preservation.”

🤯 The Apologetic Spin vs. Historical Method

🔊 Muslim Apologetic Claim:

“This proves the Quran we have today is identical to what was revealed to Muhammad. Preservation confirmed!”

🔍 Scholarly Response:

Not so fast.

The manuscript covers only parts of 3 surahs — less than 5% of the Quran
Its date is for the material, not the ink
Its script lacks vowels and markings, making variant readings inevitable
The Sana’a palimpsest (another early Quranic manuscript) shows textual corrections and overwriting, suggesting an evolving text
Dozens of early Quranic manuscripts (e.g. Topkapi, Paris-Petrograd, Tübingen) show orthographic and textual differences

📉 The Uthman Problem

Islamic tradition claims that Caliph Uthman (r. 644–656) ordered a final version of the Quran and destroyed all others. The Birmingham manuscript could pre-date or coincide with Uthman’s reign — so:

Why does it still show signs of the pre-standardization era?

If the text had already been fixed by Uthman’s command, we would expect perfect consistency, full diacritics, and an established orthographic system. That is not what the manuscript reveals.

📌 Final Analysis

🔎 What It Confirms:

Some Quranic material was committed to writing very early.
Oral and written traditions were co-developing within the first century.

❌ What It Doesn’t Prove:

That the entire Quran was finalized in Muhammad’s lifetime.
That the modern Quran is identical to the earliest written forms.
That Islam’s traditional narrative of perfect preservation is historically sustainable.

🧨 The Real Takeaway

The Birmingham Quran manuscript is not a triumph of apologetics — it is a window into the textual development of early Islam. It shows a world in which the Quranic text was still being shaped, written in ambiguous script, and lacked the standardized form it would later be given.

The Muslim claim that the Quran is unchanged word-for-word since Muhammad’s time cannot be reconciled with the actual manuscript evidence — not from Birmingham, not from Sana’a, and not from any of the earliest surviving fragments.

📚 Further Reading and References

Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit report: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2015/07/quran-manuscript-22-07-15.aspx
Déroche, François, The Qur'an Manuscripts in the Islamic World
Sinai, Nicolai, The Qur’an: A Historical-Critical Introduction
Hilali, Asma, The Sanaa Palimpsest and the Transmission of the Qur’an
Neuwirth, Angelika, The Qur'an and Late Antiquity

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the Author

Mauao Man is a blog created by a New Zealand writer who believes in following the evidence wherever it leads. From history and religion to culture and society, Mauao Man takes a clear, critical, and honest approach — challenging ideas without attacking people. Whether exploring the history of Islam in New Zealand, the complexities of faith, or the contradictions in belief systems, this blog is about asking the hard questions and uncovering the truth.

Mauao Man

Saturday, June 21, 2025