Skip Navigation

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

Arts of the Islamic World

This manuscript is a copy of the sixteenth-century Hadiqat al-Sucada (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, cAli, 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.
MEDIUM Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper; leather binding
  • Place Made: Baghdad, Iraq
  • DATES AH 1011 / 1602-3 C.E.
    DYNASTY Ottoman
    PERIOD Ottoman
    DIMENSIONS 5 1/2 x 9 3/4 in. (14 x 24.8 cm)  (show scale)
    SIGNATURE Colophon (in Arabic) reads: The book was finished with the aid of al-Malik al-Wahhab [one of the beautiful names of God] by the hand of the frail servant, the sinner, the transgressor, the one in need of the mercy of God al-Malik al-Ghani [another one of the beautiful names] 'Aziz-Allah [sic] al-Hus
    INSCRIPTIONS Colophon (in Arabic), with some diacritics missing: في السابع والعشرين من شهر جمادي [ا]لأخر سنة أحدا عشر ألف في دار السلام البغداد
    ACCESSION NUMBER 70.143
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Wilkinson
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION This manuscript is a copy of the sixteenth-century Hadiqat al-Su`ada (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
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION 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 C.E. Opaque watercolor, ink and gold on paper; leather binding, 5 1/2 x 9 3/4 in. (14 x 24.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles K. Wilkinson, 70.143 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 70.143_p014_PS6.jpg)
    IMAGE page, page 14, 70.143_p014_PS6.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2012
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT No known copyright restrictions
    This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement. You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.