“Al-Sawad al-A'zam”

This manuscript represents a copy of al-Sawad al-Aʿzam, a theological work by the Samarqand scholar Khoja Imam Abulqasim al-Samarqandi, an important figure in the development of Islamic thought in Mawarannahr.
The treatise addresses questions of Islamic creed and the consolidation of Sunni theological doctrine. Its title, which may be translated as “The Great Majority,” refers to the concept of adherence to the mainstream tradition of the Muslim community.
Such works played a significant role in shaping religious education in Central Asian states, particularly during the Samanid period, when Samarkand and Bukhara became major intellectual centers of the Islamic world.
This manuscript represents a later copy, as indicated by the use of the nastaʿliq script, which became widespread in later centuries. The careful page layout and the use of rubrication in red ink reflect the refined manuscript culture of the region.
This work illustrates the formation of theological traditions in Central Asia that influenced Islamic intellectual history more broadly.