An amulet on long scroll of vellum or snake skin, rolled around a central axis into a silver hexagonal tube with a cap; niello etched in an arabesque pattern in gold, with three loops where a chain can go through, so that it can be worn as a necklace. The scroll is written in a long central column surrounded by eight different rectangular compartments in different colors. The central column contains Surat al-Qadr (Qurʼan: Chapter 97), followed by Surāt al-Fātiḥat (Qurʼan: Chapter 1), followed by the Creator's verse of Sūrat al-Ḥajj (Qurʼan: Chapter 22:65), followed by a long invocation asking God for help and guidance, followed by a Shiʻī invocation asking for the intecession of Imām ʻAlī, followed by a magic square. The amulet is meant to have magical powers to protect the owner. Name of copyist (and/or creator) and place and date of copying/and or production not mentioned, probably from the 18th or 19th century.
Description:
39.5 x 6 cm., Incipit: Starts with Sūrat al-Qadr (Qurʼan: Chapter 97): "Innā anzalnāhu fī Laylat al-Qadr ...", Romanization supplied by cataloger., The central part of the amulet is written in ruqʻah/naskh script and the compartments in thulth script, in black, blue, red and gold., and Title supplied by cataloger.
Subject (Topic):
Amulets (Islam)--Early works to 1800., Arabic manuscripts., Islamic magic--Early works to 1800., Prayer--Islam--Early works to 1800., Qurʼan.--Sūrat al-Fātiḥah--Early works to 1800., Qurʼan.--Sūrat al-Ḥajj--Early works to 1800., and Qurʼan.--Sūrat al-qadr--Early works to 1800.