Questions swirl around ancient Koran, which may predate Muhammad

Fragments of an ancient Koran, which scholars say may predate the accepted founding date of Islam by the Prophet Muhammad, are sparking intense debate with at least one expert saying that the manuscript’s writing belongs to a slightly later era.

 

The parchment leaves, which are held by the University of Birmingham in the U.K., underwent radiocarbon dating in a University of Oxford lab in late 2014. The research delivered a startling result when the leaves were dated to a period between 568 A.D. and 645 A.D.

 

Muhammad is generally believed to have lived between 570 A.D. and 632 A.D. The man known to Muslims as The Prophet is thought to have founded Islam sometime after 610 A.D., with the first Muslim community established at Medina, in present-day Saudi Arabia, in 622 A.D.

 

Radiocarbon dating works by measuring the ratio of two types of carbon atom in organic material.

 

However, Mustafa Shah, senior lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), told FoxNews.com that the writing used in the ancient Koran is at odds with the radiocarbon dating. “[With] the style of the writing – it would be like saying you saw an iPhone in the 1990s,” he said.

 

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