File:An illuminated Qur’an, Persia, Qajar, mid-19th century, with lacquer binding signed by Muhammad Husayn, dated 1862.jpg

English: An illuminated Qur’an, Persia, Qajar, mid-19th century, with lacquer binding signed by Muhammad Husayn, dated 1279 AH/1862 AD

Ink on paper with lacquer binding

Arabic manuscript on polished paper, 231 leaves plus 14 flyleaves, 19 lines to the page, written in neat naskh script in black ink in cloud bands against a gold ground throughout, verses separated by pointed gold florets, surah headings in illuminated foliate panels in gold thuluth against variously coloured grounds, each surah heading accompanied by marginal commentaries within illuminated vertical cartouches in nasta'liq script, catchwords, margins ruled in colours and gold, double page illuminated frontispiece with prayers and index of surahs in colours, gold and silver, following double page with corresponding fine illumination comprising scrolling polychrome flowers against blue and gold grounds, following double page with large leafy scrolls filling the outer margins, lacquer binding with floral motifs, the doublures with prayers

The doublures of the Qur'an's binding are inscribed as follows:

On the front doublure:

Invocations and praises to The Fourteen Innocents; the prayer to be recited before reading the Qur’an.

On the back doublure:

Five couplets from an Arabic qasidah on The Fourteen Innocents; the complete qasidah is on the Gohar Shad Mosque in Mashhad; the prayer to be recited after having read the Qur’an. It is signed in two horizontal cartouches:

‘Muhammad holds in his heart the love for ‘Ali 1279 (1862-63 AD)’.

‘Muhammad Husayn wrote it 1279 (1862-63 AD)’.