DOHA • A Qatari national who was handed as a gift a 400-year-old copy of a handwritten Holy Quran by a Yemeni Islamic scholar in Makkah last Ramadan says he is getting offers of up to $4.3m to part with the rare book.
"I might agree to part with it if I get a good offer. The last offer I got was for $4.3m," said Saeed Ali Al Suwaidi.
He said he went to Makkah in Ramadan last year and had a chance meeting with a Yemeni Islamic scholar. "We began talking after a preliminary introduction. He told me that he had a rare copy of a Holy Quran. It was handwritten and a little less than 400 years old. He asked me if I would accept it for safekeeping."
The scholar told Al Suwaidi that it was a great calligraphic work and took Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Qassem Al Aqwa five years to complete it in 1034 Hijri.
The paper used is thick and shiny and has a long life. It has footnotes interpreting some verses. "I agreed to accept the copy for I felt I was being blessed. It was a huge responsibility."
Al Suwaidi said that after he took the copy his life changed and he became a happier man. "I took immense care and preserved the manuscript so sunlight and moist air did not spoil it. It was a proud possession and the most valuable asset of my life."
But soon word spread about it and he began getting offers. Three people, each from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, approached him. One of them offered him $4.3m to part with it but he did not. - (TP, 8 Oct 2007)
"I might agree to part with it if I get a good offer. The last offer I got was for $4.3m," said Saeed Ali Al Suwaidi.
He said he went to Makkah in Ramadan last year and had a chance meeting with a Yemeni Islamic scholar. "We began talking after a preliminary introduction. He told me that he had a rare copy of a Holy Quran. It was handwritten and a little less than 400 years old. He asked me if I would accept it for safekeeping."
The scholar told Al Suwaidi that it was a great calligraphic work and took Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Qassem Al Aqwa five years to complete it in 1034 Hijri.
The paper used is thick and shiny and has a long life. It has footnotes interpreting some verses. "I agreed to accept the copy for I felt I was being blessed. It was a huge responsibility."
Al Suwaidi said that after he took the copy his life changed and he became a happier man. "I took immense care and preserved the manuscript so sunlight and moist air did not spoil it. It was a proud possession and the most valuable asset of my life."
But soon word spread about it and he began getting offers. Three people, each from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, approached him. One of them offered him $4.3m to part with it but he did not. - (TP, 8 Oct 2007)
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