According to Islamic belief, the Holy Qur'an was revealed by God to the Prophet Mohammad (570–632) by the Angel Gabriel over a period of 22 years. The Qur'an speaks in powerful, moving language about the reality and attributes of God, the spiritual world, God's purposes with mankind, man's relationship and responsibility to God, the coming of the Day of Judgment, and the life hereafter. It also contains rules for living, stories of earlier prophets and their communities, and vital insights and understandings concerning the meaning of existence and human life. The devotion the book inspires among Muslims is reflected in the many sumptuously produced illuminated Qur'an manuscripts, of which the present work, created in the Iranian city of Shiraz in the mid-19th century, is an example. The manuscript includes many multicolored images that display a broad range of styles of illumination and the use of many different production materials. The beautiful calligraphy is by Abdol-Vahhab Naghmeh. The lacquer painted cover is itself a masterpiece. This exquisite manuscript is kept in the manuscript collections of the National Library and Archives of the Islamic Republic of Iran.