Birmingham Qur'an folios (radiocarbon 568–645)
568 – 645
Place: birmingham-uk · coming soon
52.451, -1.931 · On the map
The radiocarbon date of the PARCHMENT is attested. What it implies for the date of writing is debated. Location: Cadbury Research Library, Birmingham (Mingana Collection, Islamic Arabic 1572a). EPILOGUE/manuscript witness.
Two parchment leaves at the University of Birmingham, radiocarbon-dated with 95% probability to 568–645, carry parts of Suras 18–20 in Hijazi script, including Q 19:91–98 ('it is not fitting for the Merciful to take a son'). They are among the oldest physical witnesses to Qur'anic text about Jesus.
Where scholars disagree
For
- University of Birmingham team (2015 release): possibly written in or close to Muhammad's lifetime
Against
- Stephen J. Shoemaker — Creating the Qur'an (2022): cautions against over-precise use of radiocarbon dates for early Qur'ans
Links
Report and reading
In
The Birmingham folios contain Q 19:91–98.
witnessed_by
attestedIn
Qur'an, Sura 18 (al-Kahf): Companions of the Cave and Dhu al-Qarnayn
The Birmingham folios contain part of Sura 18.
witnessed_by
attested
Sources
- 'Birmingham Qur'an manuscript dated among the oldest in the world' (press release, 22 July 2015)
University of Birmingham. Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Wikipedia: Birmingham Quran manuscript
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Stephen J. Shoemaker, Creating the Qur'an: A Historical-Critical Study (2022)
University of California Press. Accessed 2026-11-11.