The central inscription on this dish is a slightly altered form of the Shi'i profession of faith and the passages around it are from the Qur'an. This dish is one of a group of about twenty objects decorated with superb thuluth script, the specific function of which is unknown.

The phrase at the center of this was intended to convey the message, "There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God, ‘Ali is the regent of God." Read line by line, however, the words state: "There is no god but ‘Ali/God, Muhammad is the regent of God/The messenger of God." These central inscriptions interweave the two phrases in a manner seen in several other vessels, likely to intensify their esoteric qualities. Around the rim of the dish are the verses, "And we reveal of the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, and it adds only to the perdition of the unjust" (Qur’an 17:82); "Peace, a word from the Lord of mercy" (Qur’an 36:58); "Peace, it is until the break of dawn" (Qur’an 97:5); and "finished" (tammat).[1] Another unpublished dish in a private collection contains virtually the same design and was likely issued from the same rubbing.

The Inscription translates to:

 Center: There is no god but ‘Ali/God, Muhammad is the regent of God/The messenger of God.
 Around rim: verses from the Qur'an:
And we reveal of the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, and it adds only to the perdition of the unjust (Qur’an 17:82); Peace, a word from the Lord of mercy (Qur’an 36:58); Peace, it is until the break of dawn (Qur’an 97:5); and "finished" (tammat).