Philosophy [IO Islamic 3003]

Philosophy.

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 3003 in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Otto Loth, A Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, (volume 1), no. 581 here with further notations and hyperlinks].

581.

3003. Size 91/2 in. by 5 in.; foll. 197. Twenty-one and nineteen lines in a page.

A collection of Philosophical treatises, mostly by BÂḲIR DÂMÂD. The leaves have been misplaced in binding. It consists of the following pieces:

I.Foll. 172v.-179, 2-35, 38-41, 36, 37, 42-74.

The beginning of a treatise on the connexion between the Infinite and the finite, or God and the world, by BÂḲIR DÂMÂD. The title, which does not occur here, appears to be الصراط المستقيم (see II.).

Begins: البقاء دون افق عزك و جلالك اللهم و الثناء وراء سرادق قدسك و كمالك الخ.

The author speaks of the origin and subject of this work as follows (fol. 173v.):قد طال اقتراحكم معاشر المتعلمين فى استكشاف معضلة ارتباط الحادث بالقديم .. على طريقتى الفلسفة اليونانية و الحكمة اليمانية,

Meaning by the latter tho Muḥammadan philosophy. He dedicates his work to a king, whom he does not name, very probably tho then ruling Shâh of Persia. It is arranged in مساقات, like the preceding work. However , only the first portion of the introductory مساق (!) is given here. It is styled (fol. 177v.)1الشرعة الاولى فى اوعية الوجود و احوال الموجودة (الموجودات.r) بحسّيتها و ما يلتصق بذلك.

It is subdivided into sections (فصل), with numerous vague and insignificant headings, such as تحكيم ,افصاح,etc.

The whole work is written in an obscure style.

This MS. contains the colophon of the author’s copy, from which it appears to have been transcribed:فلقد نجز القول فى الترعة الاولى .. و كتب مصنفه احوج الخلق الخ .

Incorrect. Plainly written in Nasta’lîḳ.

II.Fol. 75-82. The beginning of the second ترعة

Of the first مساق of the same work, inscribed الترعة

الثانية من المساق الاول من كتاب الصراط المستقيم.

It treats of beginning after non-existence (الحدوث الزمانى), and especially of motion and time.

Written in a close and indistinct Nasta’lîḳ, approaching to Shikastah. Terminates abruptly before the end of the first فصل.

III.Fol. 1, 111-165. A theosophic work, by the same author, styled in the colophon كتاب التقويم.

It begins without a preface : المرصد الاول و فيه تقويم ان فى الوجود من هو القيوم الواجب بالذات و انه فاعل

عوالم الجواز و صانع نظام التصدير و مبدأ سلسلة الوجود و تقویم تقديسه و تمجيده فصل كالمدخل فيه تصحيحات كالمبادى الخ. 1

It is said in an additional note of the author that this part (فصل) is to the following what the Isagoge is to the other parts of Logic. It contains detached paragraphs with the heading of تصحيح , the first of which begins:تصحيح العلم الاعلى اى العلم الآلهى و هو حكمة ما فوق الطبيعة و علم الانوار العقلية و المفارقات القدسية الخ. .

This part concludes (fol. 119) تمت التصحيحات بفضل الله العظيم.

The second part (فصل ثان) contains chiefly تقويمات, and treats of the origin of all existence in God.2 The third part (fol. 124v.) contains تقويمات تقديسية ; the fourth (fol. 135) is inscribed فيه استيفاء ما بقى من التقويمات التقديسية ; and the fifth (fol. 148v.),فى تصحيحات تجريدية و تقويمات تمجيدية.

The MS. concludes:قد تمت الرسالة المسماة بالتقويم من مصنفات خيرة اللاحقين بالمهرة السابقين افضل علماء المتاخرين و اجلّ حكماء المتفلسفين المسمى بمحمد باقر الملقب بمير الداماد الحسينى الخ. It cannot be decided whether this conclusion or the above beginning is inaccurate, and whether, accordingly, this MS. contains the complete work, or not.

Written in a loose Nasta’lîḳ hand, approaching to Shikastah. The copyist gives his name as شيخ الاسلام بن محمد فخر الدين. He transcribed this MS. in a few days, from an incorrect copy, ‘’whose very sight would have frightened and sickened others’’- لو طلعت عليها لولّيت عنها فرارا و لملئت منها سقماً. Date, probably A.H. 1127.3 A defect after fol. 131.

IV.Foll. 166-169. A fragment of the preceding work, on red paper. It contains the end of the second and the beginning of the fourth part. Written in Shikastah, mostly across the pages. The headings are omitted. Imperfect at the beginning, and ending abruptly.

Fol. 170. An extract from the same work (من التقويم), written in a similar style, but more hurriedly.

Fol. 171. An extract from MUḤIBB ALLAH Bahârî’s رسالة القطرة الالهية, ill written in a small hand.

V.Foll. 108, 180-181. A short treatise on motion, by the same author.

Begins:اعلم ان الحركة تطلق على معنيين احدهما الحركة بمعنى القطع الخ.

Conclusion:تمت الرسالة الباقرية فى تحقيق الحركة من مصنفات مير باقر جائسى (!)

VI.Foll. 181v.-185, 193, 194, 186, 187. A treatise on time, evidently by the same author.

Begins:الحمدلله .. اعلم ان فى الزمان مذاهب فمن الناس من نفى وجوده مطلقًا عينا و ذهنا الخ.

Imperfect at the end. Terminates in the fourth discussion (بحث).

VII.Foll. 188-192, and, probably, 196 and 195r. Glosses by BÂḲIR DÂMÂD , on a passage of an unknown philosophical work, concerning the simple bodies.

Begins:سبحانك يا من احكمنا بدلائل حكمه ... اما بعد فيقول العبد الفقير .. محمد باقر المدعوّ بمير الحائسى (!) ان هذه كلمات الفتها سرعة و عجلة الخ.

The first gloss begins: (قوله)1 المقدمة الاولى ان الاتصال الثابت للاجسام المفردة ببطلان تالفها من الاجزاء التى لا يتجزى ذاتى لها اقول الجسم المفرد الخ.

He quotes المحاكمات (of Taḥtânî), and Mîrzâ Jân’s glosses on them, 2 but the work commented on here is not Ibn Sinâ’s الاشارات.

Imperfect after fol. 192. Foll. 196 and 195r., which are stray leaves, probably belong to the same work. The first words of both are effaced. The latter has a conclusion, which would agree with the above beginning. It runs as follows:تم فى مجلس واحد قليل من اول الظهر الى اخرها (!) و هذه هى الرسالة.3

VIII. Foll. 195v. and 197. A fragment of Muḥammad b. As’ad Ṣiddîḳî’s (DAWWÂNÎ, d. A.H. 907 or 908) Commentary (ممزوج) on Naṣîr al-dîn Ṭûsî’s treatise on the immaterial and self-existing intellect, inscribed:الرسالة التى اخترعها .. الخواجة نصير الملة والدين محمد بن الحسن الطوسى رحمة الله عليه فى اثبات الجوهر المفارق المسمى بالعقل الكل (الكلى.r) . Cf. Ḥ.Kh. iii. 387, and Cat. Mus. Brit. 453, xx. And xxi.

The beginning of fol. 197 is effaced.

IX. Foll. 83-107, 109, 110. A treatise on the simple substance الجوهر الفرد , by MUḤIBB ALLAH b. ‘Abd al-shakûr Muḥibbâbâdî Bahârî (d. A.H. 1119). Imperfect at the end.

Begins:سبحان الذى مدّ الظلّ .... اما بعد فيقول المتحير فى معرفة نفسه فكيف فى معرفة البارى محب الله بن عبدالشكور المحب آبادى البهارى ان مسئلة الجزء الذى لا يتجزى الخ.

The author, who belongs to the purely philosophic school, refutes the scholastic doctrine on indivisible atoms.

This treatise ends abruptly with fol. 110r.

Written in Nasta’lîḳ, approaching to Shikastah.

1 In a gloss, taken from the Ṣaḥâḥ,ترعة,pl.ترع , is said to mean a ‘’door’’ (باب) – and ترّاع ‘’door-keeper’’(بواب),-- or ‘’meadow’’ (روضة),or ‘’step, grade’’(درجة).

1 The words next following are indistinct.

2 The words of the inscription are partly corrupted.

3 This date is partly destroyed.

1 A blank.

2 See nos. 482 and 483.

3 The following words are effaced.