‘Uṯmān’s Coran in Al-Andalus and the Maghreb. Anthology of Muslim’s chronicles. Analysis and comparative reading

Abstract

The limited old sources regarding the presence of ‘Uṯmān’s Muṣḥaf in Al-Andalus and the Maghreb, the debates around its authenticity and to reveal the real paper that had this manuscript in each side of the Mediterranean sea took me to start the investigation of this thesis on the most famous Coran’s manuscript, that book which inherited in Al-Andalus and the Maghreb the Emirs, the Caliphs and the sovereigns boasting it of as a sacred relic, both in religious acts and military campaigns looking for its blessing and protection, and that had in the period of six centuries so much social, religious and geopolitical influence as very few relics had during human history. After consulting a very wide bibliography and studies related with this point, I observed a clear gap of synthesis of the medieval chronicle and real omission in the analysis of the transmission chains for what I pretend with this Thesis, through a deep investigation of sources, both empirical and exhaustive to prove, with a comparative reading of medieval chroniclers’ s texts that mentioned ‘Uṯmān’s Muṣḥaf, elevating this relic to the rank of myth authentically lived and adopted as object of veneration and religious belief within people and dynasties of Al-Andalus and the Maghreb maintained during centuries and on sovereigns hands its character sacred and protector, although its use had been exploited as a talisman and a symbol of legitimization and social cohesion.