Al-Furqān Library

Introduction

Al-Furqān’s Main Library in London celebrated its 30th birthday this year, having been established in July 1990, and officially inaugurated on 30 November 1991.

Al-Furqān’s London Library is a reference library which contains an in-depth collection of material on the Islamic written heritage. The main aim of the Library is to support academic research in the field of the Islamic written heritage, as well as to provide tools and reference works for academics and students interested, in particular, in the fields of Islamic manuscript studies. To this end, the Library has so far collected over 11,000 titles, in more than 16,000 volumes, on a number of subjects. The Library holds material in all the major Islamic languages, including Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Swahili and Gujarati, as well as many European languages, including Russian.

History

Al-Furqān’s Library in London started from small beginnings. With the establishment of Al-Furqān, initially in Wimbledon - London, the Library was set up in July 1990. Its holdings quickly grew from scratch, under the expert leadership of Dr Aliya Haji; and by the time of its inauguration – in November 1991 – there was a sizeable library, displayed on open shelves on two floors, with a collection of catalogues of manuscripts, reference works on codicology, palaeography, as well as special dictionaries and encyclopaedias, a journals collection, and a main collection featuring primary and secondary sources on the major Islamic classical works.

In the early days, a Card Catalogue was used to record all new acquisitions, but soon, this was replaced by a custom-made Database, which could record data in European as well as Arabic script – a big achievement at the time. Since then, the Library holdings have steadily grown, and are now displayed in rolling stack shelves, as well as in the Reading Room and Library at the Kensington premises, which have been the home of Al-Furqān’s Headquarters since 2009. The rolling stacks provide easy open access to the library material, which can be consulted in the spacious Reading Room.

Library Collections

1. Catalogue Collection

Islamic civilisation has produced a vast number of written works, and this is reflected in the Library’s collection. There are believed to be three million Islamic manuscripts in existence worldwide, which have come down to us throughout the fourteen centuries of Islamic history. It is the Library’s aim to provide access to this rich heritage, by providing a place from which to access all printed catalogues of Islamic manuscripts from libraries around the world.

To this end, the Library’s collections include almost 1,800 Islamic manuscript catalogues in around 2,500 volumes, from over seventy countries.

2. Special Collections

Apart from the Catalogue Collection, the Library holds further special collections, as following: The Reading Room houses a number of the special collections; these include: - a Reference Collection, with encyclopaedias, dictionaries and other reference works, arranged by subject, such as: religion, history, literature, languages and sciences; - a Collection of Qurʾān copies and translations in various languages, as well as facsimile copies of Qurʾān manuscripts; - a Collection on Islamic Art and Architecture; and

The main body of the Library material is displayed in rolling stack shelves, these contain: - the Catalogue Collection; - Reference Works on Codicology and Palaeography of Islamic manuscripts; - an Article Collection, with articles related to manuscript studies and collections of Islamic manuscripts; - the Sezgin Collection, containing the complete collection of the series published by the Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University (Institut für Geschichte der Arabisch - Islamischen Wissenschaften - an der Johann Wolfgang Goethe - Universität), edited by Fuat Sezgin; and - the Maqāṣid Collection, with works in the field of the philosophy of Islamic law.

3. Main Collection Library Services

The Library is open to visitors on application, and by prior arrangement by telephone or email. The Library’s opening hours are 10.00 to 17.00, Monday to Friday, except on UK Bank Holidays and Eid al-Fiŧr and Eid al-Ađ’ħa. Enquiries to the Library can be made via the AlFurqān website at: https://al-furqan.com/reference-library/londonlibrary/ (Go to ‘Library Services’ and select ‘Ask a Librarian’)

The Main Collection is arranged by Library of Congress Subjects, and follows on from the special collections in the rolling stack shelves. The main areas covered are: philosophy, religion, history, geography, law, language and literature and sciences.

Within these categories, the emphasis is on Islamic works, including bibliographies, philosophy, history, biographies, Quranic studies, tafsir, hadith, fiqh and sufism.

4. Journals Collection

The Journals Collection is the last collection displayed in the rolling stack shelves. It is divided into two sections: European language journals, and journals in: Arabic, Persian and Urdu; as well as a number of specialist journals. Furthermore, the Library holds a Microfilm and Microfiche Collection, manuscript digital images, and a Collection of Al-Furqān Publications, which can be consulted in the Library.

Library Catalogue

The Library’s Online Catalogue can be accessed via the Al-Furqān website at: https://digitallibrary.al-furqan.com/world_library