Having a priceless cache of some 23 thousand copies of the Holy Quran, Imam Reza shrine central library is one of the richest libraries in Iran and the Islamic world as far as Quranic works are concerned. The copies have been donated to the shrine over centuries, among which the manuscripts attributed to Prophet Muhammad’s Infallible Household have attracted specialists and common people alike.

Currently, the organization holds 10 complete Holy Quran manuscripts that are attributed to the holy Shia Imams. In fact, the precious cache owes its uniqueness to the copies that had been reportedly written by Imam Ali, Imam Hassan and Imam Hussein, the first, second and third Shia Imams respectively.

To verify the authenticity of these attributions, researchers have undertaken to investigate the documents - those within the copies and pamphlets, and those in the endowment deeds such as the donor or scribe’s signature. Of course, the authenticity of the copies cannot be verified a hundred percent, nor can they be denied outright. Therefore, experts tend to look closely at the type of handwriting, the ink, and the sheet on which the scriptures had been written. For instance, writing the Quranic texts on Gazelle hide dates back to early Islamic centuries whereas writing on ordinary paper gained currency by 4th century AH.

Furthermore, modern scientific methods play a major role in investigating the authenticity of Quranic manuscripts. For example, a part of one of the manuscripts in Organization of Libraries, Museums and Documents have been sent to Germany and the US to precisely determine its age. Radiocarbon dating of the hide traced its age to the first century AH. Therefore, scientific and traditional investigations can accurately determine the age of the manuscripts.

Located in Kowsar Courtyard, the central library of Imam Reza shrine is open to visitors from 8 am to 13:30 pm during the holy month of Ramadan.