Ancient Manuscript Review 94 : Antique Chinese Quran Ming/Qing Dynasty ( 18th Century)

 

 

 

This is my first aquisition of Chinese Quran. Supposedly this Quran consists of 30 separate volumes ( for 30 juz), unfortunately at the time of purchase, only this volume was available. According to the seller, he purchased this sole manuscript from a Jewish in London quite some time ago.

 

I reckon I was lucky because this manuscript is the first juz of the Quran. The opening Surah Al Fatihah has the first 2 pages beautifully decorated. I could spot some resemblances of the frame design to the Chinese Quran illustrated in books, "Quran Manuscripts"  pg 82 by Colin F. Baker & " AL Quran The Sacred Art of Revelation"  pg 244 by IAMM.

 

The last 2 pages are also beautifully decorated with chinese flower motives.

On the last page there is a scribble on prayer and some other notes which I couldn't decipher. However I have used AI to get the translation as below

Deciphering & Translation of the Text

1. Opening Arabic Invocations (Top 2 Lines)

The first two lines are written in standard Arabic:

• Line 1 (Basmala):

  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

  "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."

• Line 2 (Hamdala & Salawat):

  الحمد لله الذي أذهب عنّا الحزن والغم... والصلوة والسلام على محمد وآله أجمعين

  "Praise be to Allah, who has removed from us sorrow and grief... and peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and all his family."

2. Chinese Translation in Xiao'erjing Script (Lines 3–9)

Below is the phonetical reading in Chinese Pinyin and its translation into English:

• Line 3:

  • Xiao'erjing: 塔 門 門 塔 ㄉ ㄕ ㄌ ㄅ ㄐ ㄑ ㄧ ㄅ ㄠ ㄇ ㄛ ㄙ ㄉ

  • Pinyin: Tāmen men tā de shíliú bijiào...

  • Translation: "For those students who desire to learn, it is essential that..."

• Line 4:

  • Pinyin: Bǎ yī bèi bāo bù ōu...

  • Translation: "That many people over there consider it necessary to..."

• Line 5:

  • Pinyin: Dá suàn jǐ ge...

  • Translation: "To intend/plan and hold fast to..."

• Line 6:

  • Pinyin: Shělǐ'ātè fǎ... (شريعة / Shari'ah)

  • Translation: "The Islamic religious law (Sharia) for the scribe day and night, completing the recitation of the Quran (Khatam Quran)..."

• Line 7:

  • Pinyin: Nì biǎo shì...

  • Translation: "The ruler's intention to distribute/allocate..."

• Line 8:

  • Pinyin: Yīdài dài...

  • Translation: "To continuously bestow mercy and blessings..."

This script is Xiao'erjing (小兒經 / 消經)—the writing system used by Hui Muslims (Sino-Muslims) in China to write the Sino-Tibetan Chinese language using the Arabic alphabet.

Language & Script Identification

• Script: Xiao'erjing (Xiao'erjin / Xiaojing) [Arabic script with additional vocalization/diacritics adapted for Mandarin Chinese phonetics].

• Language: Mandarin Chinese (Northeastern/Central dialect spoken by Hui Muslims).

 

The unique thing about Chinese Quran is the callligraphy which is called Sini script. It is similar to Muhaqqaq. See my Levantine Quran which uses Muhaqaq script.  In addition to that compare with my other entry on India Bihari Quran which has slight resemblances.

 

Click below for comparisons:

Levantine Quran

Indian Bihari Quran

 

This is a very rare acquisition because we dont see many Chinese Quran in the market or in international hands.

Manuscript Specs

Item : Antique Chinese Quran
Manuscript Content : 1st juzu of Quran
Dim : 27.5 cm x 21 cm x 2.5 cm
Date : 18-19th century
Copyist : anonymous
Origin : China
Calligraphy : Sini
Design : Written in Sini scripts in black
Purchased Price :US