Miscellanies [IO Islamic 2807] Anthology of texts from Malabar

Miscellanies.

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 2807 in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Otto Loth, A Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, (volume 1), no. 1044 here with notations and hyperlinks].

1044.

2807. Size 8 in. by 6 in.; foll. 309. From thirteen to nineteen lines in a page.

I. Foll.1-60. Notes on select passages of the Koran, in answer to questions, which are put in Persian.

Imperfect both at the beginning and end. The first words are:

فان قیل قوله تعالی إِنَّ اْلَّذِینَ کَفَرُوا سَوَآءٌ عَلَیْهِمْ ءَأَنْذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنْذِرْهُمْ لَایُؤْمِنُونَ1 اصل کفر در لغت عرب چیست و کفر بچند وجه آید الجواب اصل الکفر فی اللغة الستر و التغطیة الخ

The author is not ascertained.

II. Foll.61-62r. and foll. 63v.-65. Two fragments on moral subjects, the latter being the end of a treatise.

III. Foll.71-80. The beginning of a general introduction to the sciences, entitled فاتحة العلوم. Author unknown.

The preface begins:

الحمدلله الذی بذکره یفتتح کل کتاب

This treatise consists of seven chapters (باب), of which only the first and the beginning of the second are given in this MS. The former is inscribed فی فضیلة العلم, and the latter,فی تصحیح النیّة فی طلب العلم.

IV. Foll.81-104.

قصة شکروتی فرماض رضه الله عنه

A fabulous account of the first settlement of the Muḥammadans in Malabar, under king Shakrûtî of کلنکلور (Cranganore), a contemporary of Muḥammad, who was converted to Islam by the miracle of the division of the moon.

Begins:

روی محمد بن مالک عن ابیه مالک عن جده حبیب بن مالک رضوان الله علیهم اجمعین الخ

V. Foll.111-151. A history of the Muḥammadans of Malabar, entitled تحفة المجاهدین, by Shaikh ZAIN AL-DÎN [al-Malībārī] (tenth century). Complete. See no. 714.

Begins:

الحمدلله الذی اظهر دین الاسلام علی کل الادیان

VI. Foll. 152-173. A poetical account of the struggles of the Zamorin (السامری) of Calicut with the Portuguese under Vasco de Gama, A.H. 903. In about five hundred Rajaz verses. The author, MUḤAMMAD B. ‘ABD AL-‘AZÎZ KÂLÎKÛTÎ Shâfi’î, was contemporary with the events narrated. He entitled his poem

الفتح المبین، للسامری الذی یحبّ المسلمین

It begins:

الحمدلله القویّ القادر*المالک المُغْنِی العلیّ القاهر

Verse 7 sqq.

فانّ هذی قصّة عجیبه

فی شرح حرب شأنها غریبه

واقعة فی خِطّة المَلَیْبار

و مثلها لم یَجْرِ فی تلک الدیار

بین محبّ المسلمین السامری

و بین خصمه الفرنجی الکافر

Indications of the contents are on the margin.

VII. Foll. 173-178. A succession of dates relating to the history of Malabar.

Begins:

باب فی وصول الافرنج الملاعین فی ملیبار اهلکه (!) الله بقهره جمیعا

VIII. Foll. 179-180. The story of Tamîm Dârî, the companion of the Prophet, and his return to his wife after thirty years’ absence; related on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbâs. Cf. Cat, Bodl. i. 185 [=Marsh 518]

Begins:

تمیم الداری رضه العجائب و الغرائب الخ

Imperfect at the end.

IX. Foll.181-209.

خبر تودد العالمة و مناظرتها مع العلماء و الاطباء و المنجمین بین یدی امیر المومنین هارون الرشید

The story of the girl Tawaddud, from the Thousand and One Nights. Cf. Aumer, Hdss. Münch. 403.

X. Foll.211-222. A Mavlid, or legendary account of the birth of Muḥammad.

Begins:

الحمدلله القویّ الغالب.

XI. Foll. 225-262. The Loves of the two Cousins, السول and الشمول, a romance, consisting chiefly of poetry.

Begins:

ذکروا والله اعلم و احکم، واعزّ واکرم، و ارأف و ارحم، فیما مضی و تقدم، من احادیث الامم، انّه بعد رسول الله صلعم اخوان الکبیر اسمه خطاب الخ

XII. Foll. 263-271. A legendary account of the death of Muḥammad; beginning:

فصل فی قصّة وفاة النبی صلعم ذکر اهل السیر لمّا دنی فراق النبی صلعم جاء جبریل عم

XIII. Foll. 272-273. A religious poem, which is commonly called القصیدة المنفرجة. Cf. Ḥ. Kh. iv. 551; Cat. Mus. Brit. 86; Cat. Bodl. ii. 88. The author is Abu’l-Faḍl Yûsuf b. Muḥammad Tauzarî. Usually named IBN AL-NAḤWÎ.

XIV. Foll. 274-278. Another poem of the same kind, beginning:

بدات بباسم (!) الله فی اول السطر

و اسمآءه حصن منیع من الضرّ

XV. Foll. 279-301. An amplification (تخمیس) of the Burdah, by ABU BAKR B. RAMAḌÂN B. MÛK موک, who composed it in A.H. 885. Entitled

الوردة الذکیّة فی تخمیس البردة الزکیّة

Prefixed is a preface, which begins:

الحمدلله العلی العظیم

The poem commences as follows:

رفقا بنفسک یا من بات ذا الم

Dated2 Thursday, 8th Rajab, 937. Transcribed by ‘Abd al-sallâm b. ‘Abd al-‘azîz.

XVI. Foll. 303-309. A Takhmîs of Ka’b b. Zuhair’s Ḳaṣîdah, بانت سعاد, by an unknown author. Begins:

حدیث اسر النوی فی شرحه طول.

Plainly written by various hands, in Malabar.

[Bibl. Leydeniana.]

1 Sû. 2, 5.

2 Viz., the original copy.