Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate World

Persian MS 750 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)

Persian Manuscripts

Contents

Summary of Contents: A nearly complete copy of the Fatāvī-yi Birahnah (Unveiled Decrees), a compendium of judicial decrees issued by theologians of the Ḥanafī school, in two volumes bound together. The author, Naṣīr al-Dīn bin Imām Lāhūrī (fl. 16th c), composed the work in twenty-six chapters (bāb), of which the first three comprise the first volume (folios 4a to 149b), and the remainder the second 150b to 250b. The final chapter presents a long biographical account of the school's founder Abū Ḥanīfah (d. ca. 767), which during the course of composing it, the author relates that he saw the subject in a dream on the night of 13 Rabī‘ II 997 AH (28 Feb. 1589), followed by brief entries on another 169 Ḥanafī theologians. Two different unidentified, likely Mughal-era scribes, completed the first volume in 1162 AH (1748–1749 CE) and the second in 1129 AH (1716–1717 CE).
Incipit: (basmala) برگ ۱پ (folio 1b): حمد مر خدای جهانرا که یکتا است باوصاف کمال و مبرا است از سمات نقص و زوال و صلوات بر رسول او محمد مصطفی صلی الله تعالی علیه و سلم که مبین حلال است و حرام و بر ال و اصحاب او که حامیان دین اند و اعیان اسلام اما بعد این کتابی است… الخ
Explicit: برگ ۱۴۹پ (Folio 149b):
Colophon: برگ ۱۴۹پ (Folio 149b): در دل تمت بعونه ولطفه وتوفیقه وصدقه سنه الف ومائیه تسع و عشرین تسع واربعین.
Explicit: برگ ۲۵۰ر (Folio 250a):
Colophon: برگ ۲۵۰ر (Folio 250a): در دل تمت بعونه ولطفه وتوفیقه وصدقه سنه الف ومائیه تسع و عشرین تسع واربعین.
Colophon: First colophon dated 1162 AH (1748–1749 CE) and the second 1129 AH (1716–1717 CE), the latter crossed out by another hand, and corrected twenty years later, 1149 AH (1736–1737 CE), written underneath.
Language(s): Persian

Note that in his handlist, Michael Kerney misreads Abū Ḥanīfah's name as ‘Abū Khaifah’. For a detailed overview of the work, its authorship, and contents, work see Ivanow catalogue (ASB 1037).

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: The first volume written on two types of medium-weight, straight-grained, evenly formed, externally sized and polished henna-tinted paper, probably handmade in the Indian subcontinent, the first with ~10 laid lines per cm. and the second slightly heavier stock, with ~8 laid lines per cm., and neither with discernible chain lines. The second volume written in on comparatively heavy, naturally straw-coloured, flocked, evenly formed, with ~8 laid lines per cm. and no discernible chain lines. externally sized and polished henna-tinted paper, also probably handmade in the Indian subcontinent.
Extent: 250 folios, 4 flyleaves (ff. ii + 250 + ii).
Dimensions (leaf): 281 × 160 mm.
Dimensions (written): 205 × 95 mm.
Foliation: Original Hindu-Arabic numerals on the upper-left corners of the a sides.
Foliation: Modern pencilled Arabic numerals on the upper-left corners of the initial four then thereafter every tenth folio, referenced in this record. The inconsistent numbers may reflect either miscounting and/or missing folios.

Collation

Undetermined. Catchwords throughout most of the lower-left corners of the b sides.

Condition

Handle text with caution. Water and insect damage and historical repairs throughout.

Layout

Written in 1 column with 25 lines per page. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.

Hand(s)

Written in clear black nasta‘līq with red subheaders.

Additions:
Table of Contents: listed in Persian in another later hand on folios 1a to 2b.
Marginalia: notes in the margins, together with internal glosses and emendations by different hands thoughout. Inscriptions: The second right flyleaf a side (f. iia) bears the Persian title in black nasta‘līq. Bookplates: Left pastedown: ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with pencilled shelfmark ‘2/D’, and ‘Hamilton MSS No. 667’, with the name and number crossed out and Persian and 750 written aside.

Binding

295 × 178 × mm.

Binding in fair but stable ondition, with the upper headcap broken and the lower abraded, and white salts (spew) on the interior doublures, likely due to prolonged exposure to moisture.

History

Origin: Probably completed in the ; colophones on 149b dated 1162 AH (1748–1749 CE) and 250a dated 1129 AH (1716–1717 CE) the latter crossed out and corrected twenty years later to 1149 AH (1736–1737 CE).

Provenance and Acquisition

Subsequently acquired by 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, from which the British Museum selected 352, now held in the British Library.

Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880) purchased the remainder of Hamilton's collection in 1868.

Purchased by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford (1847–1913).

Bequeathed by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1908 to the John Rylands Library, Manchester.

Record Sources

Bibliographical description based on an index created by Reza Navabpour circa 1993, derived from a manuscript catalogue by Michael Kerney, circa 1890s, concisely published as Bibliotheca Lindesiana, Hand-list of Oriental Manuscripts: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, 1898.

Subsequently augmented and enhanced by Jake Benson in 2023 with reference to the manuscript in hand.

Availability

To book an in-person or online appointment to consult the manuscript, visit Using the Special Collections Reading Rooms. For any other enquiries please email uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk.

Bibliography

    C. A. Storey, Persian Literature: A Bio-bibliographical Survey, Vol. 4 (2021), no. No. 51.

Funding of Cataloguing

Iran Heritage Foundation

The John Rylands Research Institute


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