RSPA 85 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)

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India Office Library

Jones Collection

Royal Society Arabic and Persian

Contents

First part of a Ḥanafī legal text book

Language(s): Arabic

Title: al-Hidāyah
Title: الهداية
Incipit: بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم الحمد لله الذي أعلى معالم العلم و أعلامه وأظهر شعاير الشرع وأحكامه.
Explicit: ... وفي غيرها التسوية بينهم وبين الأغنياء ولأن الحاجة تشل الغني والفقير في الشرب والنزول والغني لا يحتاج إلى صرف هذا الغنة لغناه

This manuscript forms the first volume of the Hidāyah; on the front cover, there is a large "W.J." followed by (in Arabic script) "al-Hidāyah: jild-i avval [william?]".

There is a loose leaf sheat (f7) which is written in a totally different hand and in shikastah script.

On f1r there are five seals, one of which is that of an official of Farrukh Siyar (r.1713-1719). There is also a seal from 1164 (1750) which is that of the Governor of Bengal, Henry Vansittart, from whom we might presume Jones acquired the MS. Another (semi-effaced) square shaped seal on f1r, f1v and f2r is inscribed servant of the court of Muḥammad Muʿaẓẓam  (r. 1708-1712), better known as Bahādur Shāh. There is a further (undated) seal bearing the name Quṭb al-Dīn Ḥusayn Khān.

Colophon: ط ه
Author: al-Marghīnānī, Burhān al-Dīn برهان الدين المرغيناني

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: Woven light brown paper, which is damaged (wear and tear) and has been repaired on almost every folio using a light cream woven paper.
Extent: ff iv+191+iv
Dimensions (leaf): 305 × 200 mm.
Dimensions (written): 200 × 130 mm.
Foliation:

European numerals in pencil.

Condition

The manuscript is damaged through wear and tear and has been repaired in many places, including prominently across the spine. The first half is in a significantly worse condition than the second half. Some worm damage across the MS.

Layout

Uniform layout across the manuscript of one column consiting of 21 lines.

Hand(s)

Neat black naskh with rubrications.

Decoration

Additions:

Copious marginalia in many hands across the manuscript, but primarily clustered in the first half. All of these marginal comments (additions, explanations etc.) are in Arabic.

There are some check marks (✓) on the manuscript, particularly ff96-100.

Binding

Red leather Indian European style binding with circular patterned stamped border.

Accompanying Material

History

Origin:

Provenance and Acquisition

RSPA 1-118 were presented to the Royal Society in January 1792 by Sir William and Lady Jones. According to the Wilkins Catalogue, 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. 62 no.LXXXV

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

Subjects

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