Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate World

RSPA 105 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)

India Office Library

Jones Collection

Royal Society Arabic and Persian

Contents

1 copy of Sharḥ al-Muʿallaqāt

Language(s): Arabic

Incipit: قال امرؤ القيس بن حجر بن عمرو الكندي. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. قفا نبك من ذكرى حبيب ومنزل *** بسقط اللوى بين الدخول فحومل.
Explicit: فذلك المكان لما بهر هم فالفصاحة تعجز عن الإنس والجان. والله سجانه وتعالى أعلم.
Colophon: كان فراغ تحرير هذه القصائد السبع بعون الله سجانه عز شأنه على يد الخادم الضعيف حاج الحرمين الشريفين مكة وطابة زادهما لله شرافا ومهابة الحاج عبد الله المكي غفر الله له ولوالديه وذلك بأمر حضرت مولانا المخدوم الذي هو بالمحاسن والمكارم موسوم فخر القضاة والحكام محرر القضايا والأحكام فريد العص علامة الإعلام وحيد الدهر لا يقبل فضله الانقسام ملاذ الأفاضل الكرام نعمة الله على الخاص والعام قاضي الشرايع الدينية سراج الدولة العيسوية جامع أسباب المعارف والفضل والحاوي في اقتفاء السلف الصالح على نمط العدل مخدومنا وسيدنا الجستس سر وليم يونس منعنا الله تعالى بطول بقاه ووفقه لما يحبه ويرضاه وبلغه فالخير أحسنه واولاه آمين. وذلك يوم الجمعة لخمس والعشرين مضين من شهر ربيع الأول أحد شهور سنة ألف ومايتين من الهجرة النبوية المحمدية والحمد لله رب العالمين.

Unlike the two other copies in this collection of different commentaries on the Muʿallaqāt, there are no notes or annotations by Jones to the manuscript.

This manuscript was, like MSS RSPA 82, 83, 92, 93, 101, 106, 108, 110 and 111, copied out by al- Ḥajj ʿAbd Allāh al-Makkī, who was employed by Jones, as is clear in the colophon. The manuscript is dated 25th Rabīʿ al-Awwal 1200AH (26th January 1786).

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Thin cream woven paper bound with European paper bearing Britannia and GR watermarks.
Extent: Ff. 270
Dimensions (leaf): 245 × 185 mm.
Dimensions (written): 150 × 105 mm.
Foliation:

European numerals in pencil.

Condition

The manuscript is severely worm-damaged with many holes including holes on the text itself. Across the first half of the codex, the folios are also creased.

Layout

Four lines per column per page, uniform throughout.

Hand(s)

Neat black naskh with rubrications, being the same hand as MS RSPA 82, 83, 92, 93 and 101

Decoration

Additions:

Catchwords are present on every page.

Binding

Red leather European-style Indian binding with circular stamped frieze patterning and gilded border.

Accompanying Material

History

Origin: 25_Rabīʿ al-Awwal_1200 AH; 26 January 1786 CE ; India

Provenance and Acquisition

RSPA 1-118 were presented to the Royal Society in January 1792 by Sir William and Lady Jones. According to Wilkins, this manuscript was presented by Lady Jones.

The Royal Society's collection of 280 Persian and Arabic, and 86 Sanskrit manuscripts were transferred to the India Office Library in 1876.

1876

India Office Library

Record Sources

Manuscript description based on E. Denison Ross and E. G. Browne, Catalogue of two collections of Persian and Arabic manuscripts preserved in the India Office Library (London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1902), p. 69 no. CV

Availability

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card for admissions procedures contact British Library, Registering for a Reader Pass. Contact apac-enquiries@bl.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript. For information on catalogues and ordering manuscripts see Finding and ordering Persian manuscripts in the British Library.

Funding of Cataloguing

BL


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