Philosophy [IO Islamic 545]

Philosophy.

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 545 in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Otto Loth, A Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, (volume 1), no. 577 here with further notations and hyperlinks].

577.

545. Size 7 in. by 41/4 in.; foll. 82. Fifteen and thirteen time lines in a page.

الجزء الاول من الزبدة شرح الشمة فى علم الميزان

A Commentary (ممزوج) on the preceding treatise, by ‘ALÂ AL-DÎN MANGALÛRÎ. It appears from this MS., that the author wrote this commentary at Asâwul (i.e. Aḥmadâbâd in Gujarât), and dedicated it to Muḥammad Unnar Khân, who was probably a son of Jâm Fatḥ Khân b. Sikandar, ruler of Sindh (A.H. 812-827).1

If so, the treatise in a question would be comparatively ancient.

The preface begins:الحمد لله الذى تقدس من ان يوصف بالجوهر و العرض ... و بعد فقد سالنى من لا يسعنى ان اخالف .... و هو الملك المعظم ذو العلم و الحلم و الجود و الكرم محمد المعروف باُنَّر بن فتحخان بن صدر بن طغاچى2 (3.lof) بن جام لا زال له من التوفيق قوام ... ان اكتب ما يجرى مجرى الشرح للشمة فى الميزان لينتفع به من يهتم بشانها من الخلان الخ.

Plainly written. Dated 2nd Sha’bân, 1081. Marginal notes. There is a double beginning to this MS. (foll.1 and 2). Both title-pages give a table of the abbreviations used in the marginal notes (علامات الحواشى), and the first contains also a prayer, which is to be recited before reading the book. The following statement is to be found at the end:تمت رسالة زبدة شرح شمة تصنيف مولانا علاو الدين3 منكلورى پسر قاضی منکلور بود و تحصیل در پتَن کرده باشد پیش پدر میان معین الدین نهرواری و اندرخان (!) که برای او زبده نوشته پسر جام جونه (؟) بوداست برادر زادۀ4 حضرت شاه بهیکن بن شاه کونین قدس سره سکونت اساول کهنه داشت تصنیف زبده نیز در اساول واقعت شد.

Signature of the owner, ‘Abd al-razzâḳ b. ‘Abd al-karîm, of Cambay,فى البندر المباركة الكنبايت (!) الساكنة , who made this MS. a وقف .—‘’ Presented by J. Cotton Esq., 19th November, 1813.’’

1 See Sir H. Elliot, Hist. Of India, i. 229 and 224, and Briggs’s Ferishtah, iv. 426.

2 There should probably be read سكندر بن طماچی.

3 The following words are added by a different hand, and partly written over the original colophon.

4 The two words are uncertain.