Dr. Sheikh Mohamed Shaakir of the Bayan Institute (Roxbury, Massachusetts) recites verses from Surat al-An’am from the Qurʾan. Surat al-An’am is the sixth chapter of the Qur’an and translates roughly to “The Cattle.”

Listen to the recitation of verses from Surat al-An’am here, or visit the Arts of Islamic Cultures gallery to see them in calligraphic form (object record).

Verses 114 and 115 of Surat al-An’am are written on this Qurʾan page in gold. They can be translated as: “The word of your Lord is complete in its truth and justice. No one can change His words: He is the All Hearing, the All Knowing. If you obeyed most of those on earth, they would lead you away from the path of God.”

Translation is adapted from Dr. Mustafa Khattab’s translation.

Image

Unknown artist, page from an illuminated Qurʾan manuscript, Abbasid period, 9th–10th century. Ink, color, and gold on parchment. Denman Waldo Ross Collection.