A Qur'an bifolium in Kufic script on vellum from the Mushaf Al-Hadinah, The 'Nurse's Qur'an', copied by 'Ali Al-Warraq, Qairawan, North Africa, 410 AH/1020 AD

The Mushaf al-Hadinah ('Nurse’s Qur’an') is a remarkable historical document testifying to the generous patronage of influential women within the Zirid courts. Commissioned by Fatima, a former nurse of the Zirid Prince al-Mu'izz Ibn Badis, it is among the most celebrated and striking examples of the Islamic arts of the book, and arguably the most important North African manuscript commissioned by a female patron.

The Zirid dynasty of Ifrikiya was the first great Berber dynasty of North Africa; established initially as a principality by the Egyptian Fatimids in an attempt to provide a military cushion against the hostile tribes of the region, the Zirids eventually took the reins of government entirely into their own hands. According to the Arab historian Ibn Khaldun, the reign of al-Mu'izz Ibn Badis (1016-62 AD) was the most luxurious and ostentatious of all the Zirids. It was he who renounced his vasalship to the Fatimids and proclaimed allegiance to the Abbasid Caliphs. It is hardly surprising that a culture of such wealth and confidence produced a manuscript of this size and quality.

The impressive artistic legacy of the Zirids is displayed by the Mushaf al-Hadinah through its idiosyncratic script, displaying an extreme contrast between the triangular medial letters terminating finely drawn tails. The bifolium presented here conveys the vast size of the commission. Its grand scale is maximised by the assured placement of five lines to each page. It is possible to trace the rhythm of the calligrapher in the way the ink stretches and pools in the pathways of the letters demonstrating the confidence of the scribe. The colophon to this manuscript is held in the Musée National d’Art Islamique de Raqqada in Tunisia and states that 'Ali ibn Ahmad al-Warraq was responsible for its entire production, from writing, vowelling, marking and gilding to binding. Although copied by a male scribe, the colophon documents that this outstanding project was completed under the supervision of Durra, the female secretary (al-katiba) (Blair 2006, p.155).

Some of the earliest records of Qur’ans copied or commissioned by women come from al-maghrib. The earliest was copied in 295 AH/907 AD by Fadl, described as a mawlah of Abu Ayyub Ahmed ibn Muhammad. She endowed the manuscript to the library of the ‘Uqba ibn Nafi Mosque in Qairawan. A bifolium from the manuscript showcasing her adherence to the principles of Kufic calligraphy and its endowment page was recently exhibited at the Islamic Arts Biennale, Jeddah, in 2025, with the National Laboratory for the Conservation and Restoration of parchment and manuscripts, Raqqada, Qairawan, Tunisia.

The present manuscript is annotated with an inscription stating that Fatima, the nurse of the Zirid prince al-Mu'izz Ibn Badis endowed it to the Great Mosque of Qairawan in Ramadan 410 AH/1020 AD. The endowment of impressive Qur’an codices was a statement of devotion and affiliation, one which came at great expense to the patron. Displayed within the mosque, it allowed our patron to make herself visible though this generous act of pious patronage. The artistic excellence of the resulting commission has ensured her legacy has lasted a millennium.

Bifolia from this manuscript are in the National Institute of Archaeology and Art, Tunis (see Lings & Safadi 1976, pp.30-1, no.25); the Ibrahim Ibn al-Aghlab Museum, Kairouan (see Lings 1976, p.18, pl.10); the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha; the David Collection, Copenhagen, (inv. no.25/2003); the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, (acc. no.2007.191); the Khalili Collection (inv. no.KFQ 94), while another was sold in these rooms, 9 April 2008, lot 7. Single leaves from the manuscript were sold in these rooms 14 April 2010, lots 2 and 4, and 24 April 2024, lot 3.