Author
ʻUmarī, Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad.
Publication Date
[1797-1825?]
Subject
Manuscripts, Arabic, Manuscripts, Arabic /
Michigan, Manuscripts, Arabic / Michigan /
Ann Arbor., Hadith, Hadith /
Criticism, interpretation, etc., Hadith / Criticism, interpretation, etc. /
Early works to 1800.
Type
Book
Language
Arabic
Digital
No
Manuscript
Unknown
Pages Count
60
Physical Dimensions
60 leaves : paper ; 287 x 197 (213 x 129) mm
Library
HathiTrust Digital Library
Record ID
006806816
Library Location
University of Michigan
Notes
About: Fine early (possibly autograph) copy of a collection of sayings of the Prophet compiled from compiled from various collections of ḥadīth by Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-ʻUmarī al-Mawṣilī (d. 1801). Replacement leaves at opening and close. | Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center, Isl. Ms. 487
Origin: Statement on 'title page' (p.7) indicates that composition of the work was begun Muḥarram 1208 [August-September 1793] (though the copyist apparently made a mistake in the phrasing of the date with “two hundred” faintly visible following “after” and “alif” written over it). Despite the mistake in this statement, the reading 1208 is confirmed by the opening matter (preface) on p.9 in which the author indicates “...when we entered the year one thousand two hundred and eight of the Prophet’s Hijra... I intended to write a book on the laws of religion and its rulings...” according to GAL likely completed in 1212 [1797]. Lacks dated colophon ; however, number of corrections and marginal notes, paper, etc. indicate that the main text may be in the hand of the author, or perhaps collated by him, suggesting a dating in the last decade of the 18th century or prior to his death in 1801 (roughly 1797-1801). Paper of replacement leaves suggests fairly a contemporary dating or slightly further into the 19th century. Ownership statement on opening replacement leaf provides a terminus ante quem of 1825.
Accompanying materials: a. Acquisitions slip from Yahuda (pp.1-2) -- b. Inventory catalog slip in hand of Winifred Smeaton Thomas (pp.3-4).
Former shelfmark: From inner front cover and spine label, "IL 80" (likely supplied by Yahuda, see acquisitions slip).
Binding: Pasteboards now covered in aquamarine paper with black cloth over spine and traces of dark red-brown leather at edges/turn-ins (possibly fully covering boards under paper); Type III binding (without flap); upper and lower covers bear traces of tooled rule-borders; board linings in yellow laid paper; sewn in light pink thread, two stations; Overall in fair condition with some abrasion, staining, minor delamination of boards, etc.
Support: European laid paper of at least two types; Mainly with 10 laid lines per cm. (horizontal), chain lines spaced 24 mm. apart (vertical), horse with main and tail flying watermark (see p.115, etc. and compare Cheval no.1, p.20 and 335 in Velkov, Les Filigranes in les documents Ottomans), and "A G C" countermark (see p.114); Replacement leaves with 10-11 laid lines per cm. (horizontal), chain lines spaced 24 mm. apart (vertical), lion passant guardant (see final two leaves and compare watermark dated 1807, no.924 in Nikolaev, Watermarks of the Ottoman Empire) and arms with “O A C” under scrollwork (see p.6, etc. and compare nos.766 dated 1795 and 814, 821, 839 dated 1799 in Nikolaev).
Decoration: Keywords and some marginal glosses and corrections rubricated; overlining in red; Text of written area surrounded by red-rule border.
Script: Naskh; main hand a large, elegant Iraqi [?] hand (certainly with Persianate features); Virtually serifless (although very slight head-serifs occasionally appear) and fairly vertical with only a slight tilt to the left, curvilinear descenders, pointing in distinct dots, point of nūn often set down within bowl, partially vocalized; Replacement leaves at opening and close supplied in another elegant naskh with Persianate features, virtually serifless with effect of tilt to the left, some elongated horizontal strokes, pointing in conjoined dots.
Layout: Written in 15 lines per page; frame-ruled.
Collation: V-3+3 (10), 4 V(50), V-2+2 (60) ; chiefly quinions ; middle of the quire marks in the form of oblique strokes in the upper outer corner of the right-hand leaf; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization (includes inserts).
Explicit: “And We did not make the qiblah that you used to face except that We might know who follows the Messenger from whoever turns against Aqbiyyah whose unseen reports are complete and whose narrated reports are true.”
Incipit: “Praise be to God who sent down the Book to His servant and did not make it crooked enough to warn of severe [severe] punishment from Him... Now then the poor servant says to God, the Rich, Muhammad Al-Amri bin Ahmad Al-Ammi bin Ali Al-Amri Al-Mawsili, born and established, who lives at Bab Al-Jadid, when we entered the year one thousand two hundred and eight after the Prophet’s migration... I intended to write a book on the laws of religion and its rulings... So I compiled this book and named it The essence of the organizer from the words of the Holy Prophet...
Title from inscription on recto of opening replacement leaf (p.5), 'title page' (p.7), and opening matter (preface) on p.9.
Ms. codex.
Partially effaced ownership statement in name of al-Sayyid ... al-ʻAlamī (“This book entered the possession of the poor man, Mr. Al-Alami, edited 10 Dh in the year 1240”) dated 10 Dhū al-Ḥijjah [?] 1240 [ca. 26 July 1825] and rectangular seal impression on opening replacement leaf (p.5); ownership statement (following an authorial listing the various sources from which ḥadīth were taken for compilation in the present work) on 'replacement leaves' at opening on p.6 in name of al-Ḥājj ʻAbd ... al-Baghdādī [?] reads “This book entered the possession of Abdul-Fakir to God the Rich... Hajj Abdul-Baghdadi [sic] ...” ; numerous marginal corrections and glosses.
