Or 16846 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)

An untitled poem enumerating and praising each of Aṣḥāb-i Badr, the Muslim warriors who fought in the Battle of Badr. The author gives his name as Naṣr Allāh. This manuscript is of special interest as having been copied, illuminated and bound in Afghanistan in the early 14th/20th century.

Begins: Basmala... Ḥamd-i bīḥadd shud sazā-yi Ḥaẓrat-i Parvardgār/kaz Rasūlān Aḥmad-i Mukhtār-rā kard ikhtiyār, Khāliq-i mulk va malak falak falak jinn va bashar/‘ulvī u suflī u najm u khāk u bād u āb u nār

Ends: Bār Ilāha sāmi‘an va qāriyan va kātiban/jumla-gī-rā bakhsh u bar rūshān gunāh-i-shān mayār, Mā agarchi ummatīm az muznibīn u ākhirīn/dast-i mā va dāman-i aṣḥāb-i ū Rūz-i Shumār

Colophon, f. 12v. Produced for ʿĀlījāh Mīrzā Brigadier Muḥammad Ḥusayn Khān. Dated 1319/1901-2.

Good nasta‘līq. 10 lines. Text frames: blue; blue, black, gold. Interlinear gilding throughout. Illuminated headpiece of good quality, 1v. 12 folios, plus 14 blank. 200 x 122 mm.; text area 136 x 80 mm. Original good Afghan red leather covers with blind impressed ornamentation at front and back.

Purchased from Bonhams (24 November 2011, part of Lot 186).