An Arabic manuscriotlibrarv: I J Í. some lmpoftant dtscovefles I fu Hans Daiber. Until recently it was possible to buy Arabic manu- scripts in bookshops in oriental bazaars. However, in the course of the Islamic revival sometimes Moslems have tended to keep their cultural heritage more to themselves than to sell it to ignorant tourists. In both cases scholars of East and West cannot take advantage of new manuscripts findings. Because of this I decided to collect Arabic manuscripts and to make them accessible for researchby means of a catalogue. On numerous travels in Islamic countries since 1968. I have brought together 367 mainly Arabic manuscripts with approximately 700-800 different texts. Among them are also somePersian and Turkish texts.Most of the MSS come from Syria. quite a few from Turkey and the Yemen, and in single cases thev originate from Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan and India. On the basis of their handwriting one can see that the MSS were written in countries stretching from Morocco to India; the greater part of the collection was copied in countrieseast of the MediterraneanSea. Ali in all, 130 texts are dated. Together with the undatedmanuscripts which could be roughly estimated they can be distributed over the centuries as follows r: 12th century: I MS l3th century: 1 MS l4th century: 3 MSS l5th century: 23 MSS l6th century: l5 MSS lTth century: 52 MSS 18th century: 169 MSS l9th century: 87 MSS early 20th century: 24 MSS total counted: 375 MSS As is evident from this list, most of the MSS were copied in the 18th century. Among the identifiable texts,at least95 titles are new or not yet known in any other manuscript; six texts can be classified as auto- graphsfrom the 17th, lSth and lgth centuries. Besides these new titles, the collection has at least 172 texts which are not yet edited and of which often only a few MSS are recorded. Thus, we are close to 300 texts which still await an editor - not including eventual texts among those fragmentary and anonymous MSS which have not yet been identified. Nevertheless, MSS of alreadypublishedtexts should not be undervalued. I shall not enter here into particu- lars_ of texts by 'Abdalgani an-Nábulusi, 'Abdalqádir al-Óilani, al-Baidáwr, al-Birgih, ad-Dauwánï, al- GazllT, a!-Gazzàl1,Ibn Àgurrum, Ibn Siná, 'IzzaddTn al-Maqdisï, al-Qu5ain, as-Suyltr, at-USi al-Fargánr, etc, but allow me to mention a manuscript from the year 1577(MS No. 45, see figure l), which containson ff. 127r-184r at-Tanv,tr fi isqat aí-tadbt, a treatiseon unio mysíic,a by Ibn 'Atá' Alláh aS-Saditi (died 1309in Cairo). Altough the text is a summary it enables us to correct the printed edition of 1973in some places. Of similar importance is 'Abdalwahháb a5-Sa'ránr's bio- graphical lexicon of Islamic mystics(Law,aqih al-anwar ./ï tabaqat al-ahtar) in a copy lrom the year 1799(MS No. 294).Even MSS of such well-known texts as Ab[ Hanrfa's Creed (MSS Nos. 18. 19 and 36) or the Aphorisms by Hippocrates(MS No. lg3) can con- tribute to their reconstruction. Similar expectations can be entertained with MSS containing collections of poetry by early Islamic poets, some of them with commentary (see the index of subjects,s.v. poems); Two MSS, one from the l4th century (MS No. 222, see figure 2), the other from the early lgth century (MS No. 252'z) exemplifythis. They contain verses from lost divans by early poets such as Ka'b Ibn Málik, Ziyát al- A'gam, Abu Nagm al-'Iglï,al-'Abbàs Ibn Mirdás, and others. I shall now give someinformation on texts which are not yet availablein an edition. They belong to nearly all fields of knowledge. We find texts on mysticism, theology, religion, Qur'anic sciences, tradition @adï), eschatology. prayers, sermons, law, ethics, education. philosophy, psychology, logic, medicine,occult scien- ces, geometry, astronomy,metrics, history, poetry, phi_ lology (grammar, semantics), rhetoric and the art of dispute (munàzara). The collectionis a rich source of Islamic law. mainlv of the Hanafitic school, and also the schools of the Saf ites and Málikites. We find many texts on legal theory and practice, among which there are quite a lot on the law of succession (mtra!). Especially worthy of mention is a magmu'a of thirty-eight treatises by the Egyptian jurist Ibn Nufaim al-Misrï al-HanaÍï (MS No. 39, see figure 3). They throw light on the legal practice in Egypt in the l6th century and also on questions of relationswith the Coptic church (the same MS, -ff. 45v-46v). Finally, I would like to mention a Manuscripts of the Middle East 2 (1987) (-r Ter Lugr Press. Donkersreeg 19, 2312 HA Leiden, Netherlands. lg87 ISSN 0920-0401
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Í . some lmpoftant dtscovefles
fu Hans Daiber.
Until recently it was possible to buy Arabic manu- scripts in
bookshops in oriental bazaars. However, in the course of the
Islamic revival sometimes Moslems have tended to keep their
cultural heritage more to themselves than to sell it to ignorant
tourists. In both cases scholars of East and West cannot take
advantage of new manuscripts findings. Because of this I decided to
collect Arabic manuscripts and to make them accessible for research
by means of a catalogue. On numerous travels in Islamic countries
since 1968. I have brought together 367 mainly Arabic manuscripts
with approximately 700-800 different texts. Among them are also
some Persian and Turkish texts. Most of the MSS come from Syria.
quite a few from Turkey and the Yemen, and in single cases thev
originate from Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan and India.
On the basis of their handwriting one can see that the MSS were
written in countries stretching from Morocco to India; the greater
part of the collection was copied in countries east of the
Mediterranean Sea. Ali in all, 130 texts are dated. Together with
the undated manuscripts which could be roughly estimated they can
be distributed over the centuries as follows r:
12th century: I MS l3th century: 1 MS l4th century: 3 MSS l5th
century: 23 MSS l6th century: l5 MSS lTth century: 52 MSS 18th
century: 169 MSS l9th century: 87 MSS
early 20th century: 24 MSS total counted: 375 MSS
As is evident from this list, most of the MSS were copied in the
18th century. Among the identifiable texts, at least 95 titles are
new or not yet known in any other manuscript; six texts can be
classified as auto- graphs from the 17th, lSth and lgth centuries.
Besides these new titles, the collection has at least 172 texts
which are not yet edited and of which often only a few MSS are
recorded. Thus, we are close to 300 texts which stil l await an
editor - not including eventual texts among those fragmentary and
anonymous MSS which have not yet been identified.
Nevertheless, MSS of already published texts should not be
undervalued. I shall not enter here into particu-
lars_ of texts by 'Abdalgani an-Nábulusi, 'Abdalqádir
al-Óilani, al-Baidáwr, al-Birgih, ad-Dauwánï, al- GazllT,
a!-Gazzàl1,Ibn Àgurrum, Ibn Siná, 'IzzaddTn
al-Maqdisï, al-Qu5ain, as-Suyltr, at-USi al-Fargánr, etc, but allow
me to mention a manuscript from the year 1577 (MS No. 45, see
figure l), which contains on ff. 127r-184r at-Tanv,tr fi isqat
aí-tadbt, a treatise on unio mysíic,a by Ibn 'Atá'
Alláh aS-Saditi (died 1309 in Cairo). Altough the text is a summary
it enables us to correct the printed edition of 1973 in some
places. Of similar importance is 'Abdalwahháb
a5-Sa'ránr's bio- graphical lexicon of Islamic mystics (Law,aqih
al-anwar ./ï tabaqat al-ahtar) in a copy lrom the year 1799 (MS No.
294). Even MSS of such wel l -known texts as Ab[ Hanr fa 's Creed
(MSS Nos. 18 . 19 and 36) o r the Aphorisms by Hippocrates (MS No.
lg3) can con- tribute to their reconstruction. Similar expectations
can be entertained with MSS containing collections of poetry by
early Islamic poets, some of them with commentary (see the index of
subjects, s.v. poems); Two MSS, one from the l4th century (MS No.
222, see figure 2), the other from the early lgth century (MS No.
252'z) exemplify this. They contain verses from lost divans by
early poets such as Ka'b Ibn Málik, Ziyát al- A'gam, Abu Nagm al- '
Ig l ï , al- 'Abbàs Ibn Mirdás, and others.
I shall now give some information on texts which are not yet
available in an edition. They belong to nearly all fields of
knowledge. We find texts on mysticism, theology, religion, Qur'anic
sciences, tradition @adï), eschatology. prayers, sermons, law,
ethics, education. philosophy, psychology, logic, medicine, occult
scien- ces, geometry, astronomy, metrics, history, poetry, phi_
lology (grammar, semantics), rhetoric and the art of dispute
(munàzara).
The collection is a rich source of Islamic law. mainlv of the
Hanafitic school, and also the schools of the Saf ites and
Málikites. We find many texts on legal theory and practice, among
which there are quite a lot on the law of succession (mtra!).
Especially worthy of mention is a magmu'a of thirty-eight treatises
by the Egyptian jurist Ibn Nufaim al-Misrï al-HanaÍï (MS No. 39,
see figure 3). They throw light on the legal practice in Egypt in
the l6th century and also on questions of relations with the Coptic
church (the same MS, -ff. 45v-46v). Finally, I would like to
mention a
Manuscripts of the Middle East 2 (1987) (-r Ter Lugr Press.
Donkersreeg 19, 2312 HA Leiden, Netherlands. lg87 ISSN
0920-0401
AN ARABIC MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY 1 9
rare text: the comprehensive treatise (two copies: MSS Nos. 207 and
220, ff. 36v-79v, see figure 4) on the terminology ofjurisprudence
by Lutf Alláh al-Kaidáni (died 1349). Until now only two MSS of
this text were known.
The manuscript collection is of great, and I daresay even
sensational, value for the history of Islamic mysti- cism. Several
texts are new and not mentioned in Brockelmann's GAL, nor in
Sezgin's GAS and Kahhá- la's Mu'{am al-mu'allifrn A manuscript from
the l6th century (MS No. 94) contains, apart from an episode by
Wahb Ibn Munabbih (perhaps from his lost Isra'íltyàt, ff. 4v-5r),
two important, texts by Islamic mystics of the 9th century, to wit
the stories by the famous Ab[ Yazid al-Bistámr (ff. lv-3r) and by
Sarï as-Saqati (7f. 3v-4v, see figure 5)3, the teacher of Óunaid.
Sarï as-Saqatt is strangely enough passed over in silence by
historians of Arabic literature. We are curious about more
information on the authenticity of these texts.
Also extremely interesting are two unique texts by rather late
authors. Firstly. there is an introduction to Islamic mysticism
written Uy San Wali Ibn Muham- mad in the course of 1605 at the age
of eighty (MS No.29, f f .63r-67v, see f igure 6). Neither the
text, Brkr al-.-aqt./ï ma'rifat suluk ihn al-w'aqt x'a-ahr l-y'aqt,
noÍ the author are mentioned by modern historians of Arabic
literature. Secondly, there is an autograph treatise by the mystic
ad-Dàmlnr from the year 1789; in it he comments on the mystical
philosophy of Ibn 'Arabi (MS No. 322).
The famous Spanish mystic Ibn'Arabr (died 1240) is represented in
this collection in several as yet unpu- blished texts. I confine
myself to the mention of an apocryphal work, ar-Risala
al-qudsíya./ï asrur an-nuqro l-hissrya (MS No. 158, see figure 7),
which is found in a manuscript written in the year 1465a. I
necessarily omit numerous other interesting texts, such as the
Risalat haqtqat al-yaqrn wa-zulfat at-tamktn by 'Abdal-
karrm al-GÍli (died 1428; MS No. 143, ff. lv-4v) and shall now
touch upon the field of grammar, rhetoric and semantics. Not yet
published texts are al-Baidàwr's explanation of grammatical terms
(Lubb al-alhab.f ilm al-i'rab), with Imtihan al-ajkiya', the
commentary by al-Birgilï of the 16th century, in an old manuscript
from the year 1701 (MS No. 9). Or the grammar by Óamàladdin
'Abdalláh Ibn Hi5ám al-AnsárT (died 1360), entitled: Sudur ad-dahab
fi ma'rfat kalam al-'Arab, commented upon by al-Birmáwr (died 1427;
MS No. 70, see figure 8). This manuscript is the oldest known copy:
it was written during the lifetime of the commentator, in the year
1419, eight years before al- BirmáwT's death. A valuable manuscript
from the l8th century (MS No. 86) is a grammar by an author who can
be identified as Mutrammad Ibn 'Abdalláh al- Mursr as-Sulamr (died
1257); this grammar, which is commented upon in our manuscript, was
til l now only known in one manuscript (Berlin, catalogue Ahlwardt
No. 6614) .
The fields of rhetoric and semantics are represented in texts by
authors of the l4th and l5th centuries. They contain revisions of
the Mifiah al-'ulum (MSS Nos. 2l and216) by as-Sakkáki (died 1229),
and treatises by al- Frrlzábádi and Tá5kópriizàde on adah al-baht,
inclu- ding the art of disputation (MSS No. 45, ff. l9lr-192r and
No. 136, f f . I l r - l8v).
Remarkable is the richness of texts on Islamic the- ology. We find
numerous texts with short dogmatic summaries of Islamic belief
('aqA'id) with commenta- ries. I shall only mention Ab[ Hanrfa's
Wasíya, with an extensive, not yet published, commentary, Zuhilr
al- 'a!ïya
fi iarh al-wasíya by al-Huslni in a rare manu- scr ipt f rom the
year 1717 (MS No. 18, f f .41v-89r). Or the dogmatical treatise by
the Zaidite imam al-Mansur billáh al-Qásim Ibn Muhammad Ibn'AlT Ibn
Rasulal- láh (died 1620), entitled KilAb al-Iriad ilA sabtl
ar-raíad, in an old manuscript from the Yemen (MS
No. 50, .ff. 62r-99v, see figure 9). Several until now unknown
texts deal with the dogmatical differences between A5'ar i tes and
Máturrdi tes (MSS No. 3l , l 29r -vs . f f .43r -49r and No. 144)
.
Literature on religious traditions entitled Arbq'un hadrlan can be
found in several partially new texts by authors of the l5th til l
the 19th centuries. Interesting is al-Suy[tr's (died 1505)
collection of those verses which refer to religious traditions,
with the title al-Izdihar
fima'aqadahu í-iu'ara' min al-a1ar, a text which is so far only
known in two Berl in MSS (MS No. 355,I 2v-3r, an extract
only).
We pass over the eschatological literature and touch upon the field
of devotional religious literature, espe- cially the literature of
the genre maulid an-nabí. IÍ contains laudatory poems on the
occasion of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, with reflexions
on Mulrammad and his exemplary life. Some of these have resulted in
extensive monographs on Muhammad as a standard of piety, called
at-Tartqa l-Muham- madtya (in the present collection there are four
manu- scripts or fragments with this title). New is the Maulid
an-nabt by Ahmad Ibn Abi l-Hasan ar-Rifa'i (died ll82) in a
manuscript from the l8th century (MS No. 303).
Prayers abound in the literature on maulid an-nabí. The present
collection has many MSS with prayers and instructions in praying by
authors from the lOth centu- ry onwards. Remarkable are the prayers
by the famous mysric Ab[ l-Hasan as-Sa{ili (died 1258) which are
partially new, and which are transmitted in an old manuscript from
the 16th century (MS No. 94, "ff 6u- l lv). Rare is also the
collection of prayers, as-Salawat al-Muhammadïya, by Ibn 'Arabi
with an extensive commentary by 'AbdalganT an-NábulusT (died 1731)
in a copy from the year l9l2 (MS No, 335). Finally, there is a
prayer-book by the mystic Mulriaddïn al-Bakrï (died 1749), which
was copied during his lifetime in the year l74l (MS No. 359).
All these texts have the common feature of being religious
instruction books. An essential part of them
20 MANUSCRIPTS OF THE
can be classified as exhortations. Precious MSS contain texts with
the title Wasíya, admonition or testamentary disposition. There is
a manuscript from the year 1462, which contains as yet unknown
admonitions ascribed to Zain al-'Ábidrn, who died between ll0 and
7ll, which are directed to his son Ab[ Óa'far Mulrammad and to
Muhammad Ibn Fátih (MS No, 164, see figure l0). The same manuscript
also contains til l now unknown admonitions by 'Ali Ibn AbI Tálib
in the rransmission of Zain al-'Ábidin (ff. 7b-9b). This old
manuscript demands a detailed study leading to a classification of
the texts and to more certainty regar- ding their authenticityó.
The same concern is deserved by a manuscript from the year 1478
containing admo- nitions by the Prophet to 'Ali and Abu Huraira (MS
No. 198, ff. lv-4r, 22v-24v). The admonitions are followed by
anecdotes ascribed to al-Hasan al-Basn (died 728;f f .26r-27r),
Ka'b al-Ahbár (died 652 or 654;
ff. 21r-28v) and 'Abdalláh Ibn 'Abbás (died c. 681 , ÍJ.
29r-v).
Remarkably executed is an lgaza, written within a golden frame and
provided with the seal and signature of its author, the Anatolian
scholar and poet Muham- mad Munrb 'Aintàbr, who died in 1823. In
this l{azo he gives a biographical retrospect and informs us on h
is teachers (MS No.315, see f igure l l ) .
In the above'mentioned literature ethical reflections on life are
abundantly present. They are based on the
Qur'an and Hadr1. A monumental example of Islamic ethics using
Qur'an and religious tradition is the Kitab at-Tasfya li-l-qulub by
the Yemenite Zaidite íntant al-Mu'aiyad billáh Yahyá lbn Hamza
(died 1346). Although the manuscript (No. 48, see figure 12) is a
young copy from the year 1919, it is a rare text which so far is
only preserved in two other MSS. Finally, may I draw the reader's
attention to an interesting text by Ibn Hafar al-Hailami (died
1565) on the ethically correct behaviour of Qur'an-r"eachers in
their treatment of pupi ls (MS No. 329,Í í . 1-35r. see f igure
l3). I t is a most welicome supplement to our knowledge of adab
al-mu'allimín.
Until now the manuscripts I have mentioned evoke the suggestion
that this collection mainly consists of ethical-religious texts,
with the exceptions of law, phi- lology, rhetoric and art of
disputation. However, as I have already said, you can flnd nearly
everything in this collection. I shall mention a choice of rare and
not yet published texts in several fields of science.
Exegesis and recitation of the Qur'an: The collection has quite a
few interesting texts on this subject. For a full survey I refer to
the index in my catalogue s.v. Koran.I mention here one example,
namely, the exten- sive commentary by Abn l-Lai1 as-Samarqandt
(lOth century) in an old, but incomplete manuscript from the l2th
or 13th century (MS No. 356). This text which is, as so many, stil
l unpublished, is important for the history of Tafstr al-Qur'an in
early Islam. It often refers to the oldest commentaries such as
those bv Muqàti l Ibn Sulaimán and Ibn'Abbás.
MIDDLE EAST 2 (1987)
Philosophy and logic: I will not treat here such works as the
popular textbook by Nagmaddin al- Kátibï (died 1276 or 1294),
ar-Risala as-Samsïya Jl l-qavta'id al-mantiqíya, and its partially
unpublished commentaries. I will just mention some texts (until now
unknown) by the physician and philosopher 'Izzad-
din Ibn Gamá'a (died l416) on philosophical terms (MS
No. 276, ff. lv-5r), an unknown treatise on the ranks of beings,
Risala fi taftqtq al-mabahil al-wugudrya v,a-l- maqasíd al-usuhya
(MS No. 276,ff.5r-v), by the well- known scholar as-Saiyid as-Sarrf
al-Gurfánï (died 1413), and an unknown Risala.fi maratib al-wugud
on the same theme (MS No. 32,Jf.l}v-l lr) by the famous mystic and
philosopher ÓaláladdTn ad-Dauwáni (died
1 5 0 1 ) . Medicine: I have already mentioned Hippocrates'
Aphorisms in an Arabic translation, which is stil l waiting for a
critical edition. Another important text is a treatise on the
treatment of diseases during the pilgrimage by the well-known
translator Qustá Ibn Luqá al-Ba'labakkr from the 9 or lOth century
(MS No. 46, ff. l69v-175v). Also worth mentioning is a unique
Yemenite manuscript from the 17th century, containing a text by Ibn
Abï Bakr al-Azraq (15/l6th
century), entitled Tashíl al-manafi' fï t-tihb wa-l-hikma, a
compendium on diseases and their remedies (MS No. 47,. f f . l r
-98v). Final ly. I would l ike to point out some fragmentary texts
on prophetic medicine, at-tibb an- nabatrí (MS No. 104). and a
fragment of a text on the use of the parts of animals or. possibly,
the sympatheti- cal ef fects ( !awáss) of parts of animals (MS No.
154, see f igure l4)?.
Geometry and astronomy: This collection has some as yet unpublished
texts, sometimes with commentary, by authors of the l5th, l6th and
lSth centuries. I refer in this connection to MSS No. 27 (a magmu'a
contain- ing among others three treatises by Sibt al-MáridTní, who
died in 1506), No. 33 (a commentary on a work about sky-quadrants
by Yahyá Ibn Muhammad ar- Ru'ainï al-Uattáb, who died in 1587) and
No. 327 (Bast ar-raha li-tanav'ul al-misaha by Hasan Ibn
'Umar
a5-Satti. who lived from 1790 to 1858). One manu- script contains a
treatise by
'Abdalhahm al-Qaisan (17th century) on the astrolabe, Bahdat
al-alhab Jï
' i lm
al-asturlab (MS No. 20). History: Although there are not many texts
in this
field in the present collection, they belong to the most valuable.
The oldest manuscript of the collection (MS No. 127, see figure
l5), copied in Damascus in the course of 1156, contains a
genealogical treatise (Nasab
Át ltt TAlib) by the 9th-century historian al-'Aqiqi (died 890).
This manuscript is the only copy which so far is known to have
survived. Sezgin (GAS I, 273) refers to the title as being lost.
Another interesting text (MS No. 8l) is the world history from Adam
onwards, Iiraq at-tawarth, by Qará Ya'q[b (died 1429). It has not
the extensiveness of the works by scholars such as at-Tabarr and
Ibn al-Atrr, but the author gives inte- resting information on
religious history, and the
AN ARABIC MANUSCRIPT L]BRARY 21
manuscript enables us to correct some observations by
Brockelmann.
This must be the end of my brief survey. Unfortun- ately, it was
not possible to mention all of the impor- tant MSS. My selection
here was rather subjective, but it is evident that the collection
is a gold-mine of interesting materials, which can inspire further
research by the numerous thoughts and reflections it provokes.
There are also quite a number of curiosa and texts which are
important for the history of Islamic culture. I would like to add
here an anonymous description of an earthquake in Damascus by an
eyewitness in
October 1759 (MS No. 123,/ 6r- l5r) , or a short 19th- century
treatise (MS No. 196, f. 8r) on the prohibition of smoking,
possibly written by the Damascene scholar as-Sam'unr (died
1868).
A lot of work stil l remains to be done. and the collection offers
one a rare opportunity to discover new things. Several texts were
transmitted anony- mously and have not yet been identified. But it
should already have become clear from the information I have given
here that the collection is a rich source of information on many
subjects and that it enables us to supplement reference works of
Arabic literature like the surveys by Brockelmann. Sezgin and
KahháIa8.
NOTES
* Free University, Amsterdam. Paper given at the 196th NÍeeting of
the American Oriental Society. New Haven. Conn. (March 9-12.
1986).
All references to the MSS are by their number in m1' catalogue,
entit led A Collection qf Aruhit Manust'ripts, Inclu- ding some
Turkislt and Persían Manuscripls. Amsterdam (revised edition,
privately published) 1986. 181 pp. For more details on this
catalogue, see the reviews by Adam Gacek (in: BRSMES Bulletin l3
(1987), 225) and Jan Just Witkam (in: MME I (1986), 121-2). The
manuscripts are now in the Institute of Oriental Culture of the
University of Tokyo.
Years are given in the Christian era, unless otherwise
indicated.
1 Sometimes several texts with different dates are com- bined in
one magmli'a; therefore the total number of datable texts is
375.
2 As Manfred Ullmann (Tiibingen) has informed me, the text is
identical with Óamáladdrn Ibn HiSám (died 761i 1360), KitAb Qatr
an-nadd w'a-ball as-sada, with anonymous
iawahid-commentary. On text and commentaries cf.
Brockelmann. GAL II, 23 S II, l6 f. 3 The text of Bistámï has been
published by Abdarrah-
mán Badawl under the title Qissat Abt Yazíd Ql-Bistamt mq'a r-rqhib
(in: Badawr, Satahat as-suft,-a I, Cairo 1949 (Kuwait
1976), pp. 173-6). Three more manuscripts (with the tit le Masa'i l
ar-ruhban) are mentioned by Sezgin, GAS I, 646.
The story by Sarr as-Saqatt, who tells of his meeting
with a mystically ecstatic woman. is also transmitted by al-
HurayfiS (died 801/1398). ar-Raud al-fA'iq fi l-matt'a'íz
wa-r-
raqa' iq (Cairo 1308/1890, pp.200-3) , and by a l - Ib5rhï (d
ied
850i 1496), al-Mustatraf f i kull fann mustazraf (Blláq 1279l 1862,
pp. l81-3 : French t ranslat ion by G. Rath, I . Par is- Toulon
1899, pp.469-473). As I shall show elsewhere, al- Hurayfió has
preserved the original long version, of which our manuscript is an
abridgement. This abridgement reap- pears, slightly modified, in
Ibíthi.
a Unlike the colophon, the tit le-page of the manuscript mentions
Ibn Arabí as author and gives as the title al-Kanz al-MuÍalsam. The
relation to two other manuscripts with the same tit le and author
(see O. Yahya, Histoíre I, No. 330) is
not yet clear. s The same text. without author and with the tit le
Risala
.fi l-masa'i l an-ni:a'tt 'a hain al-Maturrdt x'a-l-Ai'arl, is also
preserved in Antalya. Turkey. see the Linion Catalogue of Monuscr
ipIs i r t Turke. t ' IV. Is tanbul 1981. p.77.
ó This study should include Zain al:Abid1n, Risalat al- huquq (ed.
'A l i a l -Musawr. Bei rut 1985), which was not available to
me.
7 As M. Ullmann (Tiibingen) informs me, the contents are arranged
in the style of
'Isá ibn Ali 13rd/9th century),
Kitab ManaJi'a'da' al-hayawdn, on which cf. Ullmann, Die Illqtur-
und Geheimwissenschaften im Islam (Leiden 1972), p.2l f., and the
Spanish translation by C. Ruiz Bravo- Villasante (Líbro de las
utilidctdes de los animales, Madrid 1980). According to Ullmann.
the language of our manus- cript is late and therefore may be a
late compilation.
8 In the meantime. several more texts could be identif ied: MS No.
17. /1'. l5v-48v. Risàlar Ahamm al-umur, is
written by Ibráhim ibn Muhammad ibn Ibráhim al-Halabï (died
956/1549), see the Union Catalogue of Manuscripts in Turkey ' IV,
Is tanbul 1984, pp.38 and 130.
On MS No. 187, M. Ullmann has informed me that the text deals with
the juridical question of whether it is allowed to eat an animal of
which the epiglottis (galsama) has glided into the body and has not
remained in the head. Several divergent opinions are
enumerated.
The poems by al-Yusi in MS No. 203 (ff.9v-l0r) are not in Raso'il
Abt Alt al-Hasan ibn Mas'id at-Yíisï. Gam' wa- tahqïq v'a-dirasa
[by] Fátima Halil al-Qabali (2 vols.), Casa- b lanca 1981 .
22 MANUSCRIPTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST 2 ( I987)
{ l t ,
,í*'"y *iílpi C ifi.$? axqJr *'rtl 'arl|;'!*b f'
& y.r;o;q* 14* * | -*;t, 4W"4
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-i )
.u-* "'*i;5^ë Ër r# !utgrllr*n& { 1."- !,}r ,1'
*J,J-J"*
\ Fig. l. MS No. 45, f. 127r. Beginning of Ibn'Atá' Alláh
aS-Sagitt's compendium
mysticism, entitled Tall-tïs at-tan*-rr fi isqat at-tadbtr. MS
copied in 98411577.
AnN ARABIC MANUSCRIPT L IBRARY .!..i
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ërrn!àb, | .
t
Ftg. 2. MS No. 222. f. lv. Fragment of a poetical anthology.
Beginning of the marlïya by Hassàn Ibn !àbit on Hamza Ibn
'Abdalmuttalib.
Cf. the edition of the Drwan by W.N.'Arafát, No. 162. Several
variant readings which are not given in the edition may be
observed. MS possibly copied in the 8th/14th century.
a ^ L 1 MANUSCRIPTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST 2 ( I987)
rI/"
\q
*t -r f{)er sflít{*i}r' Lrr"#L*dory *{'* qur,Ul*,t p*iq. À a
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i*:,
Fig. 3. MS No. 39,f.42v. Beginning of Risalafi r-ruiwa
li-l-qadíwa-gairih, a treatise on the bribery of the judiciary, by
Ibn Nugaim al-Misrr (d.97011563), from a collection of 38 treatises
by this Egyptian jurist. MS
copied in the l2th/l8th centurY.
"Jb, ' * * í
a.a 4
Ë i .,...*.,. ia.i:í;t:.ï*;:: ;.Ë -= !r
S!;{,.=,.i..j1r:;.fr+i-i*
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oÉ. J",\",\ + ê$\ ;+\" ;i:ft à l"E*,q\"j$\-l \'$\$*b .j9\À\ 7*
"*S*\+it oj_JtL ^J. q\iJ dÈ ir=...À\ $l\*Utt $'. -:'-^ *!b
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':
hr- Fig. 4. MS No. 220,ff- 36v-31a. Beginning of Risala./i
anwa'al-mairu'at, a treatise on the terminology of jurisprudence
by
Lutf Allàh al-Nasafi l-Kaidànr (l ived c. 75011349). MS copied in
1086/1675
TJ
ái ifr Jlzrrrt r i-p,,'JJ.#q i+d;|rt :J4f '
F{# tj;:t-' 1:i- kr Ëï.ïi:*t'*ï ;.l$'-ii -;.tt
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fu
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r i " y*re .--
Fig 5 MS No no't ':,Ë:ïïï11ï3tïHï'li.'tïl#T.1iï @ 2s3t867)' the
teacher
27
- ï ! | '
ild, , 4i t*if* :$ t,pl Jf g;1 t .íit
j\t; I ...lr* : -i\,t L-, t;\il U-.t+;r*t)À; l,' 3e,.- * i 1 J.9
{elr 1i15 *r-1",'\** r.: -#ï ï,irÊ ;;tÀÉï UÀ 1eá,rjr:".t,
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+ *tiU*U y*\*l':i,-r.r i ef +\*; _:rbrltr;_*.* k*>l. i$ *...e
**lrUl "-irÍ{i}ldr>
Fig. 6. MS No. 29, f. 63r. Beginning of an Introduction to
mysticism, entit led Bikr al-waqt fi ma'rifat suli lk ibn
al-waqt'n,a-abí l-waqt, by Sah Wafi Ibn Muhammad (d. 1013/1605).
Author's
preface. MS copied in the l l-12th117-l9th century.
AN ARABIC MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY
iJ 1, t f '
tl*ty"1yi: fr'rlsrbr{$fa,ft t,t,ttritr(;íiír!:[i,rt j
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i t
Ftg. 7 . MS No. 158,1 8v. End of the treatise on the symbolic
meaning of the diacrit ical point, entitled ar-Risqla l-qudstya fi
asrar an-nuqía l-hisst1,a, apocryphally ascribed to Muhyiaddïn
Ibn'Arabr, but perhaps writren by al-Hamadáni (d. 786/1383), cf.
O.
Yahya, Hísto i re, No. 610. MS copied in 869/1465.
,.:]- : i:l
,r,, I,:tr ' {
il Fig 8. MS No 70,l lv-2Í. Beginnins of the commentary, entitled
Jaf, ar -sud& bïÍafi zatrà'id aííu4:/, by al-Birmàwi (d.
83t1t427, on the Su4tu ah4ahab f maidat katam al:Aftb, ^ wotk on
At^bic grammar by Óamáladdin 'Abdalláh Ibn Hisám al-Ansàri (d.
?61/1360). The MS was copied Írom the autograptr ln 821/1+te by a
pupit of *re
comm€ntator,
Yd" a J d
JJ,rkr,.J'4!4, **(ili;uqu,
r.el 5 ti Atl I J^àJ f;Ulr tl * srg${S,Àr
eJ U J t .rUuY{} q, ï é *}ÉUÉr#,ótt g-l liJU s I iSlY3 ll*"o,u r
cl# ;# r, L4jto-1 b * a,$Á$t r li*"*Jk1y*"ft
tf!,:14 J s,'Jib-Ë\ír uitlr$ l rr r [LLlu I
ei g [i;,,-f r r*.rl *0,' 3-ru.r]rt, ll;}, ó Ul* É ÀJ-r.ryr&.,
r6a $ rygrllt t*"gb 4 i r' Ïiï * J h',n*'c*$.4+,tb-t -*i,q1b di
)
€..rt* *ai, *i!.ia iË*j1 li, 1gg"1l q**,!,-u.
ffia ;" Á, Àu r* htJlu *f"tl qg;' uti i; (ír* *.#rih gl* &,$ r
(r.r;p$; r.*
* . n ííÁ,*
Fig'9'MsNo.5o,./r62v-63r'Beginningofath9ologicaltreatis€,€ntitl9daI-Iriàdiliisablaïniadf|a||qa.natat:ibad.indafaqda|.iÉtihad,bythe
bilhh al-Qásim Ibn Mubammad (d. 1029/1620). Yemenite MS of the I
lth/l?th century. Notice the carefully executed rrrndl-marks.
o5r [ $rr-* 1goraJr1;;.9J I dil,*-,,..; -til 41rlrr t l'gptl.Jla
r*!*r*l-,saxr$' O;i.LV,.rr,. i* n ËJ t $&r*{ .ïtpbir * rhFJJ
I*rrl t r 1$il s áiq ko',F+rt gà.,jà r * l$n AU r *Ltii..+ rrliS1
lr *J*m& rlt+E|o,;tr d'ul t r1[h*Sfi;*r s **,, r
L*, U dJ.c áltj"tl r.,ffl;.lr,h *,,*l*f,t ' Lltk{J I,3 ciJ.ill
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y^''.*til'
,p+,,$tb45,gJri.ii$;rr;ilF'* 5t
t-,J."l'
Fig. 10. MS No. 164,1 2v-3r. Beginning of the RisAlot al:Àbid
an-nà$ih li.l-faqÍ Muhan tad lbn Fdtih,by Z^in al-'Àbidin Ibn
al-Husain lbn 'Àli Ibn Abi Tàlib (died b€tw€en 921110
aJl.d.99l7l7). Copied fÍom the aulograph (?) by MuhaÍnmad Abn
l-Mawáhib in 8ó711462.
-) 1, MANUSCRIPTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST 2 í I987)
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i!;-*Q.,iJ.. t i r i6;trs\ t 1 ' .
ï^ r t^ t . f . . - \1 . " .ó \ l r . r l : . . "'Jili \-?)-9'
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$*;rqbq*\i'..$ '"À$tbíJp\rr,"1t)Ë"t"H
i)e,^'ko'3 a.-t- ' t ' t ' ; t '?
Fig. 11. MS No. 315. Last page of an lgaza signed and sealed by
at-saíyíct Mulrammad Munrb' al-qadt bí-'askar Anadolu, to WahaddTn
Ibn al-sailud Muhammad, known as ealandar-
zàda. End l2th/ lgth or beginning l3rh/ l9rh cenrury.
i r I Í t a t t l
t
n
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t jj je:t
#à'tiL,SF t r tl' t;;*t '.-Jïfuf;l I :?tylJ*- rr4# x^fbi {,'r&
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# :ry:3ï*,,rpirr6td.t-isll 4j!lt"Àr,
'ówi ,;}Z
Ï. f
Fig' 12. MS No. 48,f.253b. Last page of the Kitab at-Ta;fiya
tí-t-qutub min daran al-auzar wa-d- dunub, a work on ethics,
composed in73611336 by the Zaiaits imam a!-Mu'aiyad billàh yahyá
Ibn
Hamza (d.74911348). yemenite MS, dated 133711919.
ó a; lis. t*t t*Í.g**t{ Jt #'&r
ffiffiffigffi ffi
-I+''$á ri ltIL -*1{t J a : J. ta1 4
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Fig 13 Ms No 329,l lv-2r' Beginning of a work on pedagogy, entitl€d
Kitàb rahft at-naqat f adab wa-ahkam JahtàÈu itaihà nu'addibn
t-at!át, by Ibn Halar al-Hailamt(d. 973/1565). MS copied in
1083/t672.
è
7
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Fig. 14. M S N o. | 54, Í. ly-zr . Beginning of a fragmen t on M
unAíi' at-hui,awAr. oÍ possibly on lhe sympathetical clfelts
(rax'ai.t of the parls of animals. MS from the 8-9th/14-lstl.
c€ntury.
.#*-ffq$lj-d"bÉIs"sr*
o\
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t1-J-drd,-dld' J;p
n.*Êht"*["q;isl Fig. 15. MS No. l27, lJ ' . lv -2r . Beginning o la
genealogical work on thc descenda
ul-nru'ntinín Ahí l-Ha.sun 'Ah
'*ig cr $;',[.* {,jts-í-Ë1r:*-.*x*ràffu
i "1#t*Ihnl\i.'d\51;ttuÀ-sr;rs,t uq,,..s)
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