Biography and History [IO Islamic 629] with supplement روض الرياحين فى حكايات الصالحين

Biography and History. 

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 629 in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Otto Loth, A Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, (volume 1), no. 708 here with further notations and hyperlinks].

708.

629. Size 91/2 in. by 51/4 in.; foll. 455. Nineteen lines in a page.

Two works of ‘Afîf al-dîn ‘Abdallah b. As’ad YÂFI’Î Yamanî (d. A.H. 768), viz.—

I. Foll. 1-328. روض الرياحين فى حكايات الصالحين , also called by the author

نزهة العيون النواظر و تحفة القلوب الحواضر فى حكايات الصالحين و الاولياء الاكابر 

It contains notices of five hundred saints. See Ḥ. Kh. iii. 488, and v. 329;1 Cat Lugd. ii. 299; Stewart’s Catal. 31.

Begins:

الحمدلله المعروف بالمعروف الموصوف بالكمال فى الآزال و الآباد 

The ten authors from whom this work is chiefly compiled, are: Ghazzâlî, Ḳushairî, Suhrawardî, Abu ‘Abdallah Muḥammad b. Ibrâhîm الخبرى , Ibn ‘Aṭâ Allah , Ḳastalânî, Ibn al-Jauzî, Ibn Ḳudâmah Muḳaddasî, Abu’l-Laith Samarḳandî, and Abu’l-‘Abbâs Aḥmad b. ‘Alî, commonly called . ابن الاطربابى (?) . The appendix (خاتمة) consists of two sections: 1. (fol. 292) فى الجواب عن انكار وقع من بعض الفقهاء المصنفين الخ ;2. (fol.303) فى بيان عقيدة المشايخ العارفين الخ ; and it concludes with the ختام (fol. 316) , فى توحيد الرحمن .

Plainly written by Ḥasan b. ‘Abd al-laṭîf. Dated Monday, 20th Muḥarram, 1155. Red lines round the pages.

II. Foll. 329-455. A supplement to the preceding work, containing two hundred stories, which mostly refer to ‘Abd al-ḳâdir Jîlânî. The author terms it:

خلاصة المفاخر فی اختصار مناقب الشيخ عبدالقادر و جماعة ممن عظّمه من الشيوخ الاكابر 

It is mentioned, under a similar title, in Ḥ. Kh. iii. 166 sq.; and it seems to be also contained in Bible. Sprenger. 357.

Begins:

 قال الشيخ الامام القدوة العالم العلامة العارف بالله عفيف الدين عبدالله بن اسعد اليافعى اليمنى الشافعى نزيل الحرمين الشريفين غفرالله له .... اما بعد حمد الله الذى خضع لسلطان عظمته كل شئ الخ

The author dwells subsequently on the approbation with which his earlier work had met from several Shaikhs, and speaks as follows of the present one (fol.330v.):

(r. ثم انى رايت ان اردف الكتاب المذكور بمائتين من الحكايات عربيات ( الغريبات

 المشتملات على الايات العجيبات ... فانتقيت ذلك من نفيس الجواهر المودعة فى مناقب تاج المفاخر ... محيى الدين عبدالقادر الخ

Each story is preceded by the name of the Shaikh on whose authority it is related (عن الشيخ .. ) . The work concludes with a succession of sayings and traits of ‘Abd al-ḳâdir (from fol. 438v. to end).

Plainly written by a different hand from no. I, and at a later date. Red lines round the pages.

Seal of ‘Abd al-wahhâb Khân Nuṣrat Jang, dated A.H. 1174.

[Tippu.]

1 In the latter place the second title is erroneously given to an abstract of the present work.

[ed note: Quick link to works by the author.]