RSPA 84 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)
India Office Library
Jones Collection
Royal Society Arabic and Persian
Part of a Hanafi legal text
Contents
1 copy of Mukhtaṣar al-Qudūrī by al-Qudūrī, Abū l-Ḥasan Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad
Language(s): ff1-74 and ff76-203 in Arabic; f75 in Persian.
Part (dealing with contracts) of a Ḥanafī legal text
On folio 1v, William Jones has written the following title page (unsigned): "The first part contains the Spiritual law & the last chap. of the 2nd p. is a treatise on Inheritance: both are here omitted. Alkudúrì. An excellent Arabian Law Book on which the Hidayah is a comment. An Abridgement of Law - as a parallel to Menu - Institutes of Mohammedan Law: by Abú'lhasan Ahmed of Baghdād surnamed Alkudúrí: Abu'lhasan Ahmed Ibn Mohammed Ibn Jā`far Albaghdādi".
Where he writes "An Abridgment of Law," he had written (but crossed out) above it "abridged, but of high priority". Where he crossed this out, he also wrote "no".
On the endpaper, "Mr Wilkins's Catal. No. 137b." is written, appending this manuscript in his catalogue to MS RSPA 83, which is of the same text.
f75 is a separate folio which is foreign to the text, it being two poems (one ghazal and one dūbayt) on inheritance by Ḥāfiẓ. Jones has annotated the folio, "N. 2 Illegitimacy: پسر کنیزک" and he has placed a cross next to the fourth and sixth lines of the first poem.
Physical Description
European numerals in pencil.
Condition
Plentiful worm damage to folios throughout the manuscript, including to the binding.
ff202-3 has the most extensive worm damage.
f200v is stained extensively with red ink, which appears to be correcting a different marking with some disruption to legibility.
f75 (the separate folio) has been burned along the left-hand side and separated from its original manuscript.
There is a large reddish stain on f98r.
Layout
1 column of 5 lines per page, uniformly laid out across the manuscript (excepting f75).
Hand(s)
Fine, small black naskh with rubrications. Vocalised throughout. F75 is written in nastaʿlīq.
Decoration
Jones has annotated this manuscript, translating the titles of certain books and adding their sequential number in Roman numerals, e.g. "Kitāb al-buyūʿ" (f2v) is translated as "Book I: On Barter and Sale". Occasionally, he also indicates the relevant section in al-Marghīnānī's Hidāyah as well.
Towards the end of the manuscript, there are an increasing number of Arabic annotations (in a different script), usually explaining in the margins elements of the text.
Catchwords are uniformly present on every page.
Binding
Red leather European style Indian binding wirh gilt border.
Accompanying Material
History
Provenance and Acquisition
RSPA 1-118 were presented to the Royal Society in January 1792 by Sir William and Lady Jones. This manuscript (MS RSPA 84) was presented by Lady Jones, according to Wilkins' Catalogue.
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
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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