Author
Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn al-Mahdī al-Ghazzāl al-Fāsī al-Andalusī al-Mālaqī
Publication Date
1767-1777 (CE, Gregorian)
Type
Book
Language
Arabic
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
Yes
Pages Count
1
Physical Dimensions
217 x 161mm
Library
Qatar Digital Library
Library Asset ID
Add MS 9596
Record ID
vdc_100110631601.0x000001
Library Location
British Library: Oriental Manuscripts
Date
1767-1777 (CE, Gregorian)
Notes
First-person travel narrative by Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn al-Mahdī al-Ghazzāl al-Fāsī al-Andalusī al-Mālaqī 1777), ambassador and secretary under the ʿAlawī Sultan Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh (Muḥammad III; Muhammad ibn Abdullah, reg. 1757-90). While the present volume is undated, the benedictory phrase employed towards the author in the opening (see f. 2v, line 6) suggests that he may still have been alive at the time of copying.
Al-Ghazzāl describes his diplomatic mission to the court of Charles III of Spain (reg. 1759-88) in 1179-80/1766-67. He was charged with negotiating the release of Maghribī enslaved peoples in Spain, the retrieval of Arabic manuscripts from Spanish collections, and the promotion of warmer relations between the two kingdoms. In the course of the visit, the ambassador and his entourage visited 64 locations (enumerated in a table of contents on ff. 1v-2r) including Seville, Cordoba, Madrid, El Escorial, and Granada. The narrative contains a wealth of geographical, historical and political detail and sociological observation, some relating to the author's impressions of Spain's Islamic past.
Begins (f. 2v, lines 2-9):
Results of Ijtihad in Mahdana and Jihad Talif
Minister of State Mohammed Ismailia Al-Muaida Ba
Allah and the Writer of the orders of pleasure by Allah Sayyid Ahmad
Bin Mahdi al-Ghazali al-Fasi al-Dar al-Andalusi al-Nissab
Al-Hamiri and Al-Najjar finished Allah with al-Hassani and made him one of the people of the position
Praise be to Allah, Who enjoined jihad and Sunnah
We praise the believers for their souls and their wealth in Paradise
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala Praise be to the fighter in Allah.
Ends (f. 120v, lines 13-16):
... وقد
They promised Allah for that and for the humiliation of their Messengers, they turned to His Majesty the Helpers
May Allah intercede for them and protect them from the darkness
It can be adapted to its time and any book time
Erişim Koşulları
Unrestricted
Bulma Yardımcıları
Cureton, William and Charles Rieu,
Catalogus codicum manuscriptorum orientalium qui in Museo Britannico asservantur. Pars secunda, codices arabicos amplectens
(London: The British Museum, 1846-71), Item 387, p. 186
