Or 16612 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)

The surviving portion of an early Persian commentary on the Qur’ān. The author's identity is unknown.

The manuscript in its present state contains almost exactly four and a half Juz’, i.e. just over one-seventh of the whole: from bi-taḥiyya in 4:86, the penultimate aya of Ḥizb 9 (the first half of Juz’ 5) to va ‘ind Allāh makruhum in 14:46, almost at the end of Juz’ 13. The last 8 folios properly belong between 144 and 145. They contain the passage missing from from the latter part of the commentary on lā takhānū Llāh va l-Rasūl in 8:26 to fa-nbiz ilayhim ‘alà savā’ in 8:58, near the end of Juz’ 9.

Begins: ba-taḥiyyatin Va chūn taḥiyyat dāda shavīd ba-salām Fa-ḥayyū pas taḥiyyat gū’īd taḥiyyat gūyanda-rā bi-aḥsana minhā nīkūtar az ān taḥiyyat. Mas̲alan agar ū gūyad ki al-salām ‘alaykum shumā dar javāb-i ū bagū’īd ki ‘alayka l-salām va raḥmat Allāh

Ends: Qad makarū makrahum Va ba-durustī ki kūshish kardand dar ḥīla ānchi nihāyat-i makr-i īshān būd dar ibṭāl-i ḥaqq va is̲bāt-i bāṭil va ‘ind Allāh va nazdīk-i Khudāyast makruhum

Iran or Central Asia. Probably 9th/15th century.

Neat small nasta‘līq. 19 lines. Beige paper of medium thickness. Some folios damaged and repaired. Water staining and rubbing in many places, rarely affecting the legibility of the text. 308 folios. 236 x 161 mm; text area 170 x 104 mm. Maroon morocco limp covers, very worn; the lining consists of an octavo sheet, the first, of a lithographed book entitled Kitāb Sharḥ al-amsila.

Purchased from Mr A. Al Shakri, 30 January 2009.