Pakistani Physician Breaks World Record for Smallest Qur'an
By Hasim Syed - Pakistan Times Special Contributor

JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia): Guinness Book of World Records have officially accepted the new record set by a Pakistani physician Dr Muhammad Karim Beebani and have entered his name as the new record holder of the smallest Holy Koran.

Dr Muhammad Karim Beebani became the one of the eight Pakistani citizens whose names are currently registered present on the official website of Guinness World Records. The other sevens are legendary Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan, the fastest bowler Shoaib Akhtar, the highest one day wicket taker Wasim Akram, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Hasan Raza for being the youngest test player and Dr Abdul Rahman for removing the largest appendix from a patient.

The published copy of the Holy Koran in possession of Dr Muhammad Karim Beebani measures just 1.70 cm in length, 1.28 cm in width and 0.72 cm in depth. The previous record measurements were almost the double.

The Koran copy was published in 1292 Hijra (1875 AD) and is written in an obsolete Maghrabi script, which ran out of favor in the Arab world and is at present almost never used except in Morocco and Tunis. Each page has 18 lines on it.

The Koran was written by Ali Osman and was published in Cairo, Egypt. It has a green leathery cover and is complete in text. It has 571 pages. It can easily be read with the help of magnifying glass although one can make out words with the naked eye as well.

Dr Muhammad Karim Beebani told 'Pakistan Times' that a week ago Guinness Records informed that the initial researchers did not find any flaw in the submitted evidences demanded by the Guinness Book of World Records and the matter was referred to the keeper of the records Mr. Stewart A Newport who is the final authority on any record. On 22nd October the Guinness Book of World Records declared formally announced Dr Muhammad Karim Beebani to be the new record holder.

Dr Muhammad Saeed Fazal Karim Beebani was born in 1962 in Rawalpindi. He passed his matriculation from Lawrence College Murree and did his higher secondary school examination from the famous institution of Pakistan Cadet College Hasan Abdal. He won two gold medals in Holy Koran recitation and Urdu poetry. He is also the author of first ever Ghair Munqoot poetry book named 'Mumdooh-e-Kirdigar'. He is also an author of an exclusive book on Holy Ka'ba named 'Bait-ul-Ateeq'.

He has held four exhibitions of his oil paintings and has a large collection of stamps, coins and other Islamic memorabilia. Apart from the record breaking Koran he also has many rare hand-written and miniature Koran editions.

For more information and follow up on this issue website of Dr Beebani can be visited at the following address. http://groups.msn.com/beebani●