French Scholar Uncovers New Insights into Quran Manuscripts

French scholar Éléonore Cellard’s research highlights the profound link between the Quran, Arabic language, and culture, Iqna reported. Cellard, an expert in Quranic manuscripts, emphasizes the Quran’s role as a foundation of eloquent Arabic, alongside ancient poetry.

Cellard’s work, begun in 2008 under Professor François Déroche, focuses on establishing the Quranic text through 8th-century manuscripts. She contributed to the Coranica and Paleocoran projects, studying the Codex Amrensis, one of the oldest Quranic manuscripts. Her fieldwork in Arab countries reinforced her belief in the Quran’s deep influence on local cultures.

Cellard stresses the importance of ancient languages like Arabic, Syriac, and Akkadian in understanding the Quran’s earliest written records. She questions the writing practices of the Arabian Peninsula and scriptural influences predating the Quran. Her research challenges the notion that the Quran’s horizontal format was to distinguish it from Christian works, attributing it instead to economic and practical factors in calligraphy and paper production.

Her book, “The First Manuscript of the Quran,” details a study of an ancient manuscript from the Amr ibn al-As Mosque in Cairo. This early 8th-century manuscript, though only 20% preserved, contains Arabic text with illustrations and maintains the canonical order of Surahs and verses.