Your copy of the Qur’an is probably written by this man

Did you know the Mushaf known as the Madinah Mushaf was all handwritten by one man?

Yes, contrary to popular belief, the Madinah Mushaf, found in millions of Muslim homes around the world, was not typed on a computer, but it was handwritten by one man.

Meet Sheikh Uthman Taha, the renowned calligrapher who has single-handedly written the Mushaf al-Madinah, which is the copy of the Qur’an issued by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Saudi Arabia.

The written copy of the Quran is known as a mushaf, and it took Taha ap­proximately three years to copy one out. He wrote his first copy in 1970 and in total has written out over 10 copies. The most significant one was the one as­signed to him in 1988 by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an in Madinah. This copy is the one printed by the King Fahd Complex and distributed to millions of pilgrims every year. It is the most common copy of the Qur’an available worldwide.

It took Sheikh Uthman nearly three years to copy a Mushaf and an additional year for proofreading and reviewing.

Sheikh Uthman Taha was born in a village near Aleppo in Syria in 1934 to a family of farmers. His father was the village’s imam.

“I developed a passion for calligraphy when, at the age of six, I started to look through my father’s books and see how beautifully their titles were written.” “When I became older, my father sent me to Aleppo to complete my education. There, I met some of Aleppo’s famous calligraphers, watched them work, and learned about the tools they used, the way they held their pens, and how they created beautiful alphabets',” he added.

Sheikh Uthman’s interest in calligraphy led him to study with many masters of Arabic calligraphy, including the late Hamid Al-Amidi, one of Turkey’s most famous modern calligraphers from whom he received a certificate (ijaza) in calligraphy.

In 1988, while still studying at the University of Damascus, he was approached to write the copy of the Qur’an by the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran. This copy is the one printed by the King Fahd Complex and distributed to millions of pilgrims every year. It is the most common copy of the Qur’an available worldwide.

Besides this, Sheikh Uthman has copied out six different textual variants, including Warsh (used in Morocco and Algeria), Hafs (worldwide), Duri (Africa and Sudan), and Qalun (Libya).

“Writing a Mushaf requires readiness and desire, as well as good knowledge in Qur’anic teachings. The person who writes the Mushaf must have memorized the Holy Qur’an and should understand its verses well,” says Sheikh Uthman.

If you have a copy of the Madinah Mushaf it’s very likely it was written by Sheikh Uthman Taha. Can you imagine the rewards he receives every time a letter of the Qur’an is recited by millions around the world?

Writing a mushaf is no easy task. First, it is handwritten, and no fonts are used. Second, it is written on large paper, which is then scanned to create plates for printing. This adds to the difficulty of writing; writing at normal size (in notebooks, writing pads, etc.) is easier than writing at larger sizes. Larger sizes also demand pens of wider widths. Third, if a mistake is made, the whole page has to be redone.

Fourth, the rules for writing a mushaf are slightly different than for writing regular Arabic. Thus, familiarity with such rules is a must. Even after the mushaf is written, it has to be reviewed for mistakes. It is, after all, the book of Allāh the Majestic. It will be used to aid memorization, for reference, and most important of all, for recitation. As recitation is used to fulfill acts of worship, utmost care has to be taken to ensure no mistakes are present in the mushaf.