Persian MS 676 (The John Rylands Library, The University of Manchester)

Persian Manuscripts

Summary of Contents: The manuscript contains Ḥirz al-amān (ff. 1r - 102r), by ʻAlī ibn Ḥusayn al-Vaiz al-Kāshifī 1463-1532 or 1533; a work, extracted from other works, on charms and amulets, on the talismanic virtues and esoteric meaning of various sacred names, verses and some mysterious letters of the alphabet in the Qur‘ān: رساله لیست کثیر الفواید مشتمل بر خواص وآثار حروف مقطعۀ قرآنی و اسماء حسنی رباتی و سور و آیات قرآنی که از نفایس علوم خفیه است ; divided into five maqālah مقاله each subdivided into five bāb باب and each bāb divided into 12 faṣl فصل . Appended is a tract (ff. 102r - 124r) upon the influences of Quranic letters and verses, mysterious practices, etc., incorporated with talismanic tables.

Author: Ṣafī, ʻAlī ibn Ḥusayn Kāshifī 1463-1532 or 1533 ‏صفى، على بن حسين كاشفى

Title: Ḥirz al-amān

Title: Ḥirz al-amān min fitan al-zamān

Title: حرز الامان

Title: حرز الامان من فتن الزمان

Language(s): Persian

Title: مقاله اول در بیان صفات و خواص حروف و ذکر و شرایط و آداب عامه و خاصه که رعایت آن در اعمال این کتاب لازم است

23r

Title: مقاله ثانیه در خواص حروف ثمانیه و عشرون

44v

Title: مقاله ثالثیه در خواص اسمای حسنی الهی

72r

Title: مقاله اربعه در خواص آیات قرآنی

88v

Title: مقاله خامسه در خواص سور قرآنی

2. 102r-124

Title: a tract upon the influences of Quranic letters and verses, mysterious practices, etc.,

Incipit: فصل در ایجاد محبت تمام در نفوس کافه انام ار خواص و عوام

Physical Description

Form: codex

Extent: 124 folios, 4 fly leaves

Dimensions (leaf): 149 × 295 mm.

Dimensions (written):

Layout

23 lines to the page, Table of contents.

Hand(s)

black ink, rubrics in red, rather negligently copied in plain Indian style nasta‘līq mixed with shikastah

Additions:

124v Ownership marks ناسخ هر مهر شد چون 1230 شد مزین بر کتاب, خاتم امجد علی شاه زمان عالیجناب
fly leaf Title and author's name بیاض المسمی بحرزالامان مشتمل بر خواص آیات قرآنی و تعویذات من تألیف علی ابن الحسین الواعظ الکاشفی
inside cover Bookplates Bibilotheca Lindesiana
inside cover Bookplates Hamilton MSS No. 593

Catchwords on every top page.

Binding

Bound at the top end

Condition

Wormholes

Seal(s):

Elaborately designed seal printed in red on f. 124v belonging to the library of Amjad Ali Shah, King of Awadh (d. AH 1263/AD 1847) 124v.

History

Origin: copied in the 18th Century CE

Provenance and Acquisition

From the collection of Colonel George William Hamilton (1807-1868) who served in India from 1823 to 1867 latterly as Commissioner in Delhi. He acquired over a thousand Indian and Persian manuscripts of which 352 were selected after his death for the British Museum. The remainder were purchased in 1868 by Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford.

Formerly belonging to the library of Amjad Ali Shah, King of Awadh (d. AH 1263/AD 1847), whose elaborately designed seal is printed, in red, on f. 124v

Purchased by Enriqueta Rylands, on behalf of the John Rylands Library, in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford.

Record Sources

Bibliographical description based on an index created by Reza Navabpour circa 1993. Identification of provenance based on manuscript catalogue by Michael Kerney, circa 1890s.

Availability

The manuscript is available for consultation by any accredited reader, see Becoming a Reader for details. Please contact uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript.

Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate World