The 26th round of the Noble Qur'an exhibition is open for the lovers of this heavenly Book. Every year, this glorious exhibition is held in Tehran for the enthusiasts and activists of the field of Qur'an. This great event is being held from May 19-June 4 at the Great Imam Khomeini Mosalla in Tehran with scientific, children, women and international sections.

Upon arrival at Qur'an exhibition, every visitor is rejoiced as he can see the elaborate artistic works of calligraphers and painters who have displayed their artifacts on writing of the Qur'an. 20 international institutions, 32 popular institutions, 16 academic centers and 15 seminary centers have taken part in this great exhibition. There are representatives from 7 countries and scores of eminent Qur'anic figures from Iraq, Malaysia, Azerbaijan and so on. The noble Qur'an calls itself as the book of guidance and says in ayah 9 of surah Isra', "Indeed this Qur'an guides to what is most upright."

In ayah 30 of surah Ahqaaf, too, God says, "It guides to the truth and to a straight path."

This year's exhibition started its work with the motto of "Qur'an, the Chandelier of Guidance." More than 60 specialist and semi-specialist sessions have been held, documentaries, short films and cartoons have been screened, and the most recent researches and artistic productions on the Qur'an and the Ahl al-Bayt have been displayed and discussed.

The 26^th Noble Qur'an Exhibition was inaugurated with the message of the Great Source of Emulation, Ayatollah Ja'far Sobhani. He wrote in part of the message, "The Noble Qur'an is like the nature. Just as the nature has infinite mysteries; and no matter how much the scientists discuss it and discover its laws, there are still things to discover and perhaps human being has discovered only a small part of it and the great part remains hidden; in the same way, the Noble Qur'an, as the work of God which should be infinite like God Himself, is infinite and that's why the Qur'an is like the nature."

Referring to the countless works created on the basis of the Qur'an, this Source of Emulation mentioned ayah 88 of surah Isra' in which God addresses the Prophet as follows, "Say, 'Should all humans and jinn rally to bring the like of this Qur'an, they will not bring the like of it, even if they assisted one another."

Minister of Islamic Culture and Guidance, Seyyed Abbas Salehi, said in the opening ceremony of the exhibition, "Those who were influential in the Islamic Revolution were the ones who began their Islamic thought with deeply reading the teachings of the Qur'an and these great figures played a significant role in the Revolution."

The most important handwritten copies of the Qur'an and oldest sources of research in the field of Qur'an belong to the first centuries of the Islamic era. This scripts are being kept in museums and libraries. Research on these copies can clarify new dimensions about the reports and narrations of the past researchers on various domains of the history of the Qur'an. During the inauguration ceremony, one of the copies of the Noble Qur'an was unveiled which is attributed to the commander of the faithful, Imam Ali (AS). Tayar Alti Kulach from Turkey, said, "Studying and examining such copies is important for us in showing the authenticity of the Qur'an. We have no doubt that this copy is a handwritten copy. Our examinations proved that this copy has been written in Kufa, Medina and Shaam (Syria). We are sure that it has been written in mid-10 century. The scribes of these copies did not see each other and these copies are different in every case. What is identical in them are the words which are like other copies of the Qur'an and this is an important point."

Abdul Hadi Feqhizadeh, deputy of the Iranian minister of culture, said, "This is one of the greatest exhibitions in the world. It can be said that the main characteristic of this exhibition is that it is not a mere showcase but a festival of Qur'anic activities. The attention that people from different strata pay to the exhibition can be one of the usages of this exhibition. The second usage is the effectiveness in recognition and training of talents to create lofty cultural and artistic works. The third usage is to introduce the school of the Ahl al-Bayt to further in the world.

RM/ME