black for the consonantal text, red for the vowels, yellow for the letter hamza, green for the hamzat al-waṣl

Ingredients

natural ingredients, chemical additives, ink potions

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Inks are traditionally derived from natural ingredients by local scribes (p. 301). A specialized use for ink is in 'rubutun sha', which are ink potions written on wooden slates (slates) as healing formulas that are then washed off and drunk by the user (p. 296, p. 309). The text mentions a possibility that chemical additives were used in 20th-century manuscripts like those of Rabiu Ɗantinƙi to increase brightness (p. 301).

Evidence

"Colours are used consistently with the established tradition: black for the consonantal text and the contours of the circular ḥizb markers observable on the right side of Fig. 1; red for the vowels, for the tri-circular contour of the verse marker, and for all non-Qur’anic textual elements (like titles of Suras and marginal notes); yellow for the letter hamza and for the filling of the verse markers; green for the hamzat al-waṣl."

Remarks

The author notes a rare 'luminosity' in Ɗantinƙi's inks compared to the 'earthy dimness' of other 20th-century Nigerian manuscripts (p. 301). The four traditional colors (black, red, yellow, and green) were used functionally to aid memorization (p. 303). In later 20th-century editions, specifically those by Salisu Kore, green ink was used more extensively in decorations, possibly as a marketing mnemonic related to the calligrapher's surname, 'Kore', which means green in Hausa (p. 308).