[IO Islamic 2300] مفتاح فتوح الغيب

Miftâḥ-i-futûḥ-alghaib

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 1795 in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Hermann Ethé, Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, 2 vols. (Oxford: India Office, 1903): volume 1, number 2300 here with notations and hyperlinks].

1795

Miftâḥ-i-futûḥ-alghaib (مفتاح فتوح الغيب).

The Arabic text of the famous work فتوح الغيب (also sometimes called فتوحات الغيب), i.e. the ethical maxims and sayings of the great founder of the Ḳâdirî order, Shaikh Abû Muḥammad Muḥyî-aldîn Sayyid aljîlânî alḥasanî alḥusainî, with the honorary epithets of Ghauth-ala’żam and Ghauth althaḳalain (who was born A.H. 470, or according to the majority of authorities, A.H. 471, the 1st of Ramaḍân=A.D. 1078, March 18, or 1079, March 7, and died A.H. 561, the 9th, 17th, or 18th of Rabî’-alâkhar=A.D. 1166, Feb. 12, 20, or 21), on the mystical doctrine, accompanied with an elaborate Persian commentary, as in the Berlin copy, Sprenger, No. 830 ; see on the author especially Safînat-alauliyâ, No. 36 (col. 278 in this Cat.) ; W. Pertsch, Berlin Cat., p. 276, and further down in No. 1799. These rules of mystical asceticism were collected, put in proper order, and handed down by the author’s second son, Sharaf-aldîn Abû Muḥammad ‘Abd-alraḥmân ‘Îsâ (comp. Safînat-alauliyâ, No. 38), who-according to the statement in the immediately following ترجمۀ فتوح الغیب – finished the original copy of his father’s maxims the 15th of Ṣafar, A.H. 555 (A.D. 1160, Feb. 25), during the lifetime of his father. The Persian commentator, who does not mention his name, composed his work, which he styled مفتاح فتوح الغيب or the key to the فتوح الغيب , A.H. 1023 (A.D. 1614), see the last page, ll. 5 and 6, where as chronogram of completion the words مفتاح فتوح are given.

The Miftâḥ begins with a short Arabic preface, on fol. 1b, in which the collector and redactor of these maxims, viz. Sharaf-aldîn ‘Îsâ, ‘Abd-alḳâdir’s son, is introduced to the reader :

هذا كتاب فتوح الغيب لسيّدنا و مولانا العلاّمة الاوحد الشّيخ الامام العارف الكامل امام ائمّة الطّريق و شيخ شيوخ الاسلام على التّحقيق زينة الوجود و مرآت الشهود الباز الاشهب و الطّراز (؟ و طرّاز or و طراز) المذهب قطب الاقطاب و فرد الاحباب القطب الاكمل الاشرف و الغوث الاعظم الارفع غوث الثّقلين امام الفريقين العالم الرّبّانى القطب الفردانى و الغوث الصّمدانى محيى الدّين ابى محمّد عبدالقادر الحسنى الحسينى الجيلانى قدّس الله سرّه العزيز و نوّر روحّه و اوصل الينا بركاتَه و فتوحَه و رضى الله عنه و ارضاه عنّا و جامعه ولده الشّيخ الامام الاوحد شرف الدّين ابو محمّد و يكنى بابى عبد الرّحمن عيسى شرف الاسلام جلال العلمآء سراج العراق و المصر ذو اللّسانين و البيانين لسان المتكلّمين و ترجمان العارفين رحمة الله عليه و على والده و اولاده و اخوانة و سائر الصّالحين ‘ .

Then follows the real beginning of the فتوح الغيب (fol. 2a, l. 3) in two versions (according to the various MSS. the author of the Persian commentary used), viz.:

قال والدى الشّيخ الامام العلّامة الفرد القطب الغوث ابو محمّد عبدالقادر الجيلانى نفعنا الله به و امدّنا بمدده فى الدّنياء و الآخرة آمين آمين و فى بعض النّسخ قال والدى الامام الاوحد المؤيّد امام الائمّة محيى الدّين سيّد الطّوائف ابو محمّد القادر بن ابى صالح بن عبداللّه الجيلى قدّس الله روحه و نوّر ضريحه ‘.

The second version is that of the copy of the Arabic original in the India Office Library (O. Loth, Arabic Cat., p. 168), see also Cat. Codd. Or. Lugd. Bat. iv. p. 317 ; and § 31, No. 410, in the Refá’iyyah of Leipzig ; comp. Ḥ. Khalfa iv. p. 386. The Persian commentary begins thus (fol. 2a, ll. 8 and 9) :

الحمد لله ربّ العالمين همه ستايشها ثابت است مر خداى را عزّ و جلّ كه پروردگار همه عالمهاست ‘ عالم ملك و ملكوت و جنّ و انس و حيوانات و نباتات و جمادات و افراد انسانى كه هر يكى عالمى است بصورت صغير و بمعنئ كبير الخ.

The فتوح الغيب are divided into seventy-six maḳâlas (a full index of which is given on the first two fly-leaves).

This copy was transcribed by Muḥammad Ḳâsim bin Muḥyî-aldîn bin Zain-aldîn, the 26th of Shawwâl (the year is omitted). College of Fort William, A.D. 1825. Among the other Arabic works of ‘Abd-alḳâdir Jîlânî, there are to be mentioned the كتاب غنية الطّالبين (see O. Loth, Arabic Cat., p. 168b, and Safinat-alauliyâ, loc. cit.) ; a collection of sermons (O. Loth, p. 169a); a collection of short essays on Ṣûfism (ib., p. 170) ; the حِزْب الشّريف و الوِرد المنيف, a breviary or collection of prayers for private use (G. Flügel iii. p. 275) ; a single Arabic prayer (J. Aumer, p. 9, No. 50) ; an Arabic poem (W. Pertsch, Berlin Cat., p. 944, ll. 2-4); an Arabic treatise without a special heading, partly with interlinear Persian paraphrase (Bodleian Cat., col. 755, No. 1239, fol. 389b sq.) ; the treatise called غوثيّه, on the chief topics of Ṣûfism (see further down in No. 1797), etc.

Among his Persian works the most noteworthy are the مكتوبات or twenty-five epistles (Bodleian Cat., No. 1335), a مناجات in Persian verse (W.Pertsch, Berlin Cat., p. 110, No. 8), etc. A genealogical notice of the Shaikh is found, ib., p. 40, No. 10.

Fol. 337b in the present copy is left blank.

No. 2300, ff. 405, ll. 15; the Arabic text in Naskhî ; the Persian commentary in Nasta’lîḳ ; the end of fol. 402b, the whole of ff. 403 and 404 and the greater part of fol. 405a in diagonal lines ; size, 81/8 in. by 5 in.