When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
CURTAIN OF THE HOLY KAABA DOOR (BURQA), WITH THE NAME OF SULTAN MAHMUD KHAN BIN SULTAN ABDUL HAMID KHAN
DATED 1231 AH / 1816 AD
Dimensions: 3 meters × 1.50 meters
The Curtain of the Kaaba Door is of rectangular form, embroidered in silver and silver-gilt thread over a black silk ground. The surface is divided into cartouches of various shapes and sizes containing inscriptions in Naskh and Thuluth script, while the interstices are filled with intricate vegetal designs.
The inscriptions include:
“Allah” and the testimony: “There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”
The inscription of Surah Al-Isra, verse 80:
“In the name of Allah, the Merciful. And say, ‘My Lord, cause me to enter a sound entrance and to exit a sound exit and grant me from Yourself a supporting authority.’”
The inscription of Surah Al-Hijr, verse 46:
“Enter it in peace, safe and secure.”
The inscription of Surah Al-Fath, verse 27:
“In the name of Allah, the Merciful. Certainly has Allah showed His Messenger the vision in truth. You will surely enter Al-Masjid Al-Haram, if Allah wills, in safety, with your heads shaved and hair shortened, not fearing anyone. He knew what you did not know and has granted besides that a near conquest.”
The complete Ayat al-Kursi, Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 255:
“Allah! There is no god but He—the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and on earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation does not tire Him. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.”
The complete Surah Al-Ikhlas:
“In the name of Allah, the Merciful. Say: He is Allah, the One. Allah, the eternally Besought of all. He begetteth not, nor was begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him.”
The inscription:
“There is no god but God, Muhammad is the Messenger of God, sent with guidance and the religion of truth.”
The complete Surah Quraysh:
“In the name of Allah, the Merciful. For the accustomed security of the Quraysh—their accustomed security in the caravan of winter and summer—let them worship the Lord of this House, who has fed them against hunger and made them safe from fear.”
The inscription referring to Allah as the King, together with the words concerning the Messenger of God, our master Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace.
The inscription of Surah Ibrahim, verse 40:
“My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and [many] from my descendants. Our Lord, and accept my supplication.”
The complete Surah Al-Fatihah:
“In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise is only for Allah, the Lord of the worlds. The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help. Guide us to the Straight Path—the path of those upon whom You have bestowed Your grace, not of those who have earned Your anger, nor of those who have gone astray.”
The entire composition is surrounded by circular medallions bearing the ninety-nine names and attributes of Allah.
In the center, an inscription records that Sultan Mahmud Khan, son of Sultan Abdul Hamid Khan, ordered the making of this curtain in the year 1231 AH (1816 AD).
