Collections: Arts of the Islamic World: Manuscript of the Hadiqat al-Su`ada (Garden of the Blessed) of Fuzuli

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Manuscript of the Hadiqat al-Su`ada (Garden of the Blessed) of Fuzuli

This manuscript is a copy of the sixteenth-century Had?qat al-Su??da (Garden of the Blessed), written in Baghdad by the Ottoman mystic Muhammad bin Sulayman, known as Fuzuli (circa 1483–1556). It is a text on the Prophet’s family and belongs to a group of illustrated devotional manuscripts executed in a provincial style in Baghdad under the patronage of the Ottoman sultan Mehmet III (r. 1595–1603). Here, the Prophet is shown veiled and seated on a pulpit, accompanied by his cousin and son-in-law, ?Ali, and his grandchildren, Hasan and Husayn, all distinguished by haloes of fire. According to the Ottoman Turkish text, Muhammad is conversing with the angel Gabriel and the Angel of Death. The representation of Muhammad demonstrates that depictions of the Prophet, while not common, have long existed in the Islamic world.


• Artist: Muhammad bin Sulayman, known as Fuzuli, ca. 1483–1556
• Scribe: Aziz Allah al-Husayni al-Kashani
• Medium: Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper; leather binding
• Place Made: Baghdad, Iraq
• Dates: AH 1011 / 1602-3 CE
• Dynasty: Ottoman
• Period: Ottoman
• Collections: Arts of the Islamic World
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Arts of the Islamic World, 2nd Floor
• Accession Number: 70.143
• Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Wilkinson
• Image: Overall, 70.143_IMLS_SL2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Muhammad bin Sulayman, known as Fuzuli (ca. 1483–1556). Manuscript of the Hadiqat al-Su`ada (Garden of the Blessed) of Fuzuli, AH 1011 / 1602-3 CE. Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper; leather binding Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Wilkinson, 70.143 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 70.143_IMLS_SL2.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: This manuscript is a copy of the sixteenth-century Had qat al-Su`cada (Garden of the Blessed), written in Baghdad by the Ottoman mystic Muhammad bin Sulayman, known as Fuzuli (circa 1483–1556). It is a text on the Prophet’s family and belongs to a group of illustrated devotional manuscripts executed in a provincial style in Baghdad under the patronage of the Ottoman sultan Mehmet III (r. 1595–1603). Here, the Prophet is shown veiled and seated on a pulpit, accompanied by his cousin and son-in-law, `Ali, and his grandchildren, Hasan and Husayn, all distinguished by haloes of fire. According to the Ottoman Turkish text, Muhammad is conversing with the angel Gabriel and the Angel of Death. The representation of Muhammad demonstrates that depictions of the Prophet, while not common, have long existed in the Islamic world. Works on Paper Rotation, Islamic Galleries, June 2009 Ladan Akbarnia