1. Akhlāq-i Muḥsinī

Description:

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 271Origin: Versified chronogram at end (fol.182b, "اخلاق محسنى") gives dating for completion of composition; this reading, without the preposition "ز", yields the more widely accepted date of 900 H. As appears in colophon on fol.182b, copied by Maḥmūd ibn Najīb. Transcription finished ("tamma al-kitāb bi-ʻawn al-Malik al-Wahhāb taḥrīran fī tārīkh...") 12 Rabīʻ I 922 [ca. 15 April 1516].Binding: Pasteboard covered in red-brown leather; Type II binding (with flap); upper and lower covers bear gold-stamped central mandorla (Déroche class. NSh1) with pendants and simple gold rule-border; smaller mandorla on envelope flap; doublures in light-blue coated paper embossed with vegetal pattern; in good condition.Support: Persian laid paper; laid lines oriented vertically but too faint to count; chain lines not visible; flyleaves are fashioned from a light-blue coated paper, embossed with a vegetal pattern, that is also used for the doublures.Decoration: Illuminated headpiece on fol.2b; marvelously rendered in two rectangular panels; lower panel contains the basmalah, executed in red nastaʻlīq, in a central cartouche flanked by two, smaller palmette-like lozenges; lower panel is framed by an elaborite golden braid; background is predominantly lapis-lazuli, with vegetal/floral patterns executed in gold, red, pink, green, black, and white; upper panel continues the background motif and color palette; three small, predominantly black, palmette-like lozenges serve as the pivot for the repeating vegetal pattern in this panel, but these are subdued figures and are rather absorbed into the lapis-lazuli background and intriquate vine patterns; upper panel is surmounted by five verticle, decorative stalks; written area framed by a rule-border in dark blue, black, and gold; gold frames set off verses and some chapter titles; text is polychrome, with main text in black, Arabic quotations in dark blue, gold, and occasionally red, and chapter titles in dark blue or gold; the words "شعر" and "بيت" as they occur throughout the text introducing verses of poetry are rendered in red and blue, and occasionally, gold; main text of incipit page decorated with gilt cloudbands.Script: Main text in nastaʻlīq; chapter headings in tawqīʻ; Arabic quotations of Qur'anic verses and Hadith in naskh and vocalized; basmalah in cartouche of illuminated headpiece in nastaʻlīq.Layout: Written in 15 lines per page.Collation: ii, 23 IV (184), i; quaternions; cacthwords present; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, referenced in cataloguing; foliation in red ink, Hindu-Arabic numerals, begins with ١ on fol.3a (Western pagination) and concludes with ١۸۰ on fol.182a; fihrist of chapter titles (fol.6a-7a) corresponds with foliation.Dedication: Composed for Shāh Abū al-Muḥsin (شاه ابو المحسن ), one of the sons of the Tīmūrid pādishāh Ḥusayn Bāyqarā, on the occasion of his coming to court (in Herat) from Marv (see fol.4a-4b, Western pagination).Colophon: "Scribal," triangular, in Arabic, reads: "رب اختم بالخير والحسنى تمت [كذا] الكتاب بعون الملك الوهاب تحريرا في تاريخ اثنى عشر شهر ربيع الاول سنه اثنى عشرين و تسعمايه بخط العبد الحبيب [المجيب ؟] محمود بن نجيب"Explicit: "با خامه گفتم ای كه زهر ساختى قدم وز مقدم تو چشم سخن يافت روشنى اخلاق محسنى بتامى نوشته تاريخ هم نويس ز اخلاق محسنى"Incipit: "حضرت يادشاه على الاطلاق غرت كلمته و جلت عظمته منشور دولت سلطان المرسلين"Title from opening on fol.5a.Ms. codex.A work on ethics in 40 chapters, composed by Kāshifī for Shāh Abū al-Muḥsin, a son of Sulṭān Ḥusayn Bāyqarā. Description provided by Derek Mancini-Lander.

2. Anhār al-jinān min manābīʻ āyāt al-Qurʼān

Description:

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center, Isl. Ms. 451Origin: As appears in colophon on p.261, transcription completed Rajab 1171 [March-April 1758].Accompanying materials: a. Acquisitions slip from Yahuda (pp.1-2) -- b. Inventory cataloguing slip in hand of Winifred Smeaton Thomas (pp.3-4).Former shelfmark: From inscription on interior of upper cover and spine label "IL 26" (likely supplied by Yahuda, see acquisitions slip).Binding: Pasteboards covered in block-stamped paper (repeating pattern of squares filled with rows of diamonds in contrasting black on dull yellow and red-orange on white, also lining fore edge flap and covering envelope flap) with red leather over spine, fore edge of upper board, and fore edge flap ; Type II binding (with flap) ; board linings in untinted Europea laid paper (three crescents watermark visible) ; sewn in light pink thread, two stations ; worked chevron endbands in dark blue and yellow, quite good condition ; overall in fairly good condition with only minor abrasion, etc.Support: European laid paper with 10-11 laid lines per cm. (vertical), chain lines spaced 25-27 mm. apart (horizontal), grapes (raison) surmounted by crown watermark (see p.16, 17, etc.), and several words including "LANGUEDOC" (p.36, 37, etc.) ; sturdy though fairly thin and transluscent, burnished, medium cream in color.Decoration: Simple headpiece (ʻunwān) at opening on p.8 consisting of two empty rectangular pieces surmounted by a double semi-circular piece set into a well, all in red rules ; keywords, section and table headings, abbreviation symbols (letters representing the juzʼ, ḥizb, ʻushr and āyah, explained in opening table on p.9), sūrah titles and notabilia (side-heads) rubricated ; written area and table within outlined in a red rule-border.Script: Naskh ; elegant Ottoman hand in a narrow line ; mainly serifless (though occasional serif appears) with slight effect of tilt to the left, some elongation of horizontal strokes, curvilinear descenders (some sweeping), pointing in strokes rather than distinct dots ; Qurʼānic excerpts vocalized.Layout: Written in roughly 25 lines per page with written area divided to tabular format of 25 lines and 6 columns (passage of text, juzʼ, ḥizb, ʻushr, āyah and sūrah title).Collation: i, 3 V(30), V-1 (39), V (49), IV (57), 6 V(117), V+1 (128), i ; chiefly quinions ; catchwords present ; quire numbering in the form of Hindu-Arabic numerals above letter ك in the upper outer corner of the opening recto of each quire from the second ; foliation in black ink, Hindu-Arabic numerals ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals (includes inserts and flyleaves).Colophon: "Scribal," triangular, reads "تم وكمل هذا الكتاب الشريف في رجب الفرد سنة احدى وسبعين ومائة والف من هجرة من له العز والشرف صلى الله عليه وسلم"Explicit: "يهدي به الله من اتبع و - - و مائدة"Incipit: "الحمد لله الذي انزل على عبده الكتاب واتاه الحكمة وفصل الخطاب ... وبعد فيقول العبد الحقير عبد الله الوزير الشهير بچته جى ... لما احتجت الى وجدان ايات القرآن في اكثر الزمان سنح لخاطري الفاتر ان اجمع كتابا مع قلة البضاعة مشتملا على جداول في بيان مواضع الايات بطرح عزيب ووضع عجيب فلما يسر الله الاتمام سميته بانهار الجنان من منابيع آيات القرآن ..."Title from opening matter (preface) on p.8.Ms. codex.Fine copy of a concordance by Çetecî Abdullah Paşa b. İbrahim el-Cermakî (ʻAbd Allāh ibn Ibrāhīm, d.1760) outlining various subjects addressed in the Qurʼān in tabular form ; preceded by preface and table elucidating the meaning of the abbreviation symbols employed (pp.8-9).

3. Anwār al-tanzīl wa-asrār al-taʼwīl

Description:

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 7Origin: As appears in colophon on p.1178, copied by Ḥasbī Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad ibn Ḥasan al-Arzanjānī in Erzincan. Transcription finished mid-Rajab 1177 [January 1764].Accompanying materials: Roughly ten inserted slips, most carrying glosses, some tipped in, all paginated (see pp.17-18, pp.49-50, pp.51-52, pp.107-108, pp.523-534, pp.885-886, pp.893-894, pp.895-896, pp.1151-1152, pp.1163-1164).Former shelfmark: British Museum, London "No. 49. Anwar al-tanzil." ; possible former shelfmark on tail of textblock.Binding: Pasteboards covered in deep red-brown leather ; Type II binding (with flap) ; doublures and interior of flap in brown leather ; upper and lower covers bear large, blind-stamped, scalloped mandorla with symmetrical vegetal composition (compare Déroche class. OSd 9) ; upper and lower doublures carry gold-painted outline of scalloped mandorla with pendants ; along with gold-painted roll border consisting of a series of s-shaped stamps ; sewn in dark blue thread, two stations ; fine chevron endbands in yellow and blue ; in fair condition with some abrasion, staining, ill-fitting flap, etc.Support: European laid paper in at least two types ; the first type with roughly 9 laid lines per cm. (horizontal) and chain lines spaced 26-28 mm. apart (vertical), watermarks include grapes with initials and crown and "P P [?]" countermark ; a second type with roughly 13 laid lines per cm. (vertical) and chain lines spaced 22 mm. apart (horizontal), watermarks include lion rampant in scrollwork with crown above ; thin, crisp and fairly transluscent, though sturdy.Decoration: Fine illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān) on fol.1b (p.10) consisting of rectangular piece surmounted by semi-circular piece (dome) ; rectangular piece (surrounded by interlace border in lavender) carries empty gold cartouche flanked by floral vegetal accents in gold on fields of blue; semi-circular piece (set in a well of interlace in blue and black) contains floral motifs in gold and red on fields of blue, bordered in gold, red and blue and surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) in blue with red accents ; written area (and margin) of incipit and facing page outlined in gold frame, thereafter written area bordered in red rule-border ; text rubricated with keywords, overlining, sigla other abbreviations, etc. in red.Script: Naskh ; elegant Turkish / Eastern Anatolian hand ; partially seriffed with right-sloping (nearly horizontal) head-serif appearing often on lām of definite article ; rounded though adhering to baseline (apart from occasional superscripting) ; very slightest effect of tilt to the left.Layout: Written in 27 lines per page ; frame-ruled.Collation: ii, V+1 (11), 4 V(51), V+1 (62), V (72), IV+1 (81), 22 V(301), VI (313), 12 V (433), V+1 (444), 14 V (584), iv ; chiefly quinions ; catchwords present ; foliation in black ink, Hindu-Arabic numerals, begins with first folio of text proper, continues with numerous mistakes (e.g. skips ۸۲, repeats ۲۳۷ then skips a leaf, etc.) ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization (includes flyleaves and inserts, skips two pages between pp.493-494 and between pp.529-530, drops from p.899 to p.890).Cololphon: "Authorial," rectangular, reads: "قال المصنف ... قد اتفق اتمام تعليق سواد هذا الكتاب المنطوي على فرائد قواعد ذوي الاباب ... الموسوم بانوار التنزيل واسرار التأويل وهو سبحانه حقيق بان يحقق الرجا" ; "Scribal," rectangular then triangular, reads: "الحمد لله الذي وقفنا بخدمة كتابه المبين ... قد من الله تبارك وتعالى باتمام هذا الكتاب المستطاب بيد الفقير الى رحمة ربه العليم وشفاعة نبيه الكريم حسبي سليمان بن احمد بن حسن الارزنجاني ... بمدينة ارزنجان حماها الله ... في اواسط رجب المبارك لسنة سبع وسبعين ومائة والف ... اعننا الله فيما يحبه ويرضاه لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله"Explicit: "من الجنة والناس بيان للوسواس او الذي او متعقلق يتوسوس اي يوسوس في صدورهم من جهة الجن والناس وقيل بيان للناس على ان المراد به ما يعم القبيلتين ... فكانما قرأ الكتب التي انزلها الله تعالى"Incipit: "الحمد لله الذي نزل الفرقان على عبده ليكون للعالمين نذيرا ... وبعد فان اعظم العلوم مقدارا وارفعها شرفا ومنارا علم التفسير الذي هو رئيس العلوم الدينية ورأسها ومبنى قواعد الشرع واساسها ..."Title from authorial colophon.Ms. codex.Fine copy of al-Bayḍāwī's celebrated commentary on the Qurʼān. Table of contents, listing of commentaries upon the work, and biographical sketch for the author included at opening.

4. Anwār al-tanzīl wa-asrār al-taʾwīl

Description:

Table of contents on pp. [1-2]; illuminated ʻunwān and chapter heading on pp. [5-6]; illuminated tailpiece; subsequent chapter headings treated more simply; gold rosettes mark sentence breaks on pp. [5-6]; text rubricated, Koranic citations overlined in red; text enclosed within gold borders; marginal supercommentaries written in hand of copyist; edges painted with gilt in foliate patterns."Baiḍāwī's commentary on the Koran, with supercommentaries by Shihāb, Sheikh Zādah, Saʻdī Efendī, ʻAṣām, Ghanī Zādah, Sinān Efendī, and others." Cataloging by William Hoyt Worrell, 1925. This is the author'smostfamous and popular work.

5. Anwār al-āfāq fī taqrīb Kitāb Tahdhīb al-akhlāq

Description:

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 977Origin: Lacks dated scribal colophon ; likely copied in Egypt in the late 1930s and bound for James Heyworth-Dunne (d.1974).Former shelfmark: Mich. Isl. Ms. temp. no. 126Binding: Boards covered in dark green cloth with dark green leather over spine (quarter binding) ; pastedowns and flyleaves in wove paper printed with a floral vegetal pattern in green ; spine gold-stamped with title and decorative accents over raised bands "شروح تهذيب الاخلاق | J.H.D." ; sewn in heavy white thread, seemingly over two recessed cords, though difficult to examine ; overall in fairly good condition.Support: Wove paper.Script: Ruqʻah ; quick, compact, elegant hand in a thin to medium line (line thickness changes) ; serifless and freely ligatured with effect of inclination to the left and of words descending to baseline, mainly closed counters, pointing somewhat careless and in strokes rather than distinct dots, final yāʼ usually unpointed.Layout: Written mainly in 17-21 lines per page.Collation: i, 2 VIII(32), i ; two octonions (gatherings of eight bifolia) ; pages between sections (corresponding to gatherings) left blank, with one serving as section 'title page' (see p.33) ; pagination in pencil and black ink, Hindu-Arabic numerals, in opening section only through page٢٨ ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization.Explicit: "ثم اعلم ان من وصل الى مرتبة اكتساب الفضائل وجب عليه تأديب غيره وافاضة ما اعطاه الله على ابناء جنسهIncipit: "نحمدك اللهم ولا نحصى ثناء عليك ونستغفرك ونسترضيك ونتوب اليك ... اما بعد فان الله تعالى بعد ان خلق الخلائق وذرأ البرايا اصطفى منها نوع الانسان وجبله من طين مؤلف من مختلف الاركان والمواد ... وكان مما ظفرت به يدي واسعدني به دهري كتاب تهذيب الاخلاق وتطهير الاعراق للحكيم الفاضل ... ابو [كذا] علي احمد بن محمد بن يعقوب بن مسكويه ... فلهذا وذاك وجدتني نشطا الى تهذيبه وتلخيصه ... فما زلت اعاني النفس في ذلك ... فذلكة الكتاب والكتاب يشتمل على مقدمة ومقالات اربع ..."Title from inscription on 'title page' (p.1).Ms. codex.Careful though incomplete copy of an anonymous abridgement of Abū ʻAlī Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad Miskawayh’s (d. 1030) treatise on ethics, Tahdhīb al-akhlāq wa-taṭhīr al-aʻrāq. See Isl. Ms. 934 for another manuscript copy.

6. Aqwāl al-aqdamīn fī al-kawnīyāt

Description:

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 987Origin: Lacks dated colophon ; likely copied in Egypt in the late 1930s and bound for James Heyworth-Dunne (d.1974).Former shelfmark: Mich. Isl. Ms. temp. no. 136Binding: Boards covered in dark green cloth with dark green leather over spine (quarter binding) ; pastedowns and flyleaves in wove paper printed with a floral vegetal pattern in green ; spine gold-stamped with title and decorative accents over raised bands "اقوال الاقدمين في الكونيات حكم سقراط | J.H.D." ; sewn in white thread over two recessed cords ; stuck-on endbands (blue and white stripe) ; overall in fairly good condition though with curvature in boards (negative draw in upper board, positive draw in lower board).Support: Wove paper of two types ; opening type (first gathering, through p.32), machine wove, lined / ruled in blue ; thereafter in a sturdy machine wove type, dark cream to beige in color.Decoration: Text executed entirely in red ink.Script: Ruqʻah ; quick, compact hand in a medium to bold line ; serifless and freely ligatured with effect of inclination to the left and of words descending to baseline, mainly closed counters, pointing somewhat careless and in strokes rather than distinct dots, final yāʼ usually unpointed.Layout: Written in 15 lines per page.Collation: i, 2 VIII (32), V (42), IV (50), i ; catchwords present ; pages left fully or partially blank between sections (each comprising a single gathering), some (corresponding to the opening recto of the gathering ) to serve as 'title pages' (see pp.33, 65, 85) ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization.Explicit: "فانه يفتضح بها على رؤوس الاشهاد يوم الدين"Incipit: "حكم سقباط الباري لم تزل هوية فقط وهو جوهر فقط وهو غير مدرك من جهة كنهه ووصفه الاخص لان الحقائق كلها من جهة جوهره ..."Title from inscription on opening 'title page' (p.1).Ms. codex.Careful copy of a collection of excerpts from ancient philosophy, including that of Socrates (سقراط), Plato (افلاطون), Pythagoras (فيثاغورث), Empedocles (ابندقلس), Plutarch (فلوطرخيس), Porphyry (فرفوريوس), etc., addressing cosmology.

7. Arbaʻīn-i Jāmī

Description:

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 431Origin: As appears in colophon on p.16, executed by Sulṭān ʻAlī [possibly Sulṭān ʻAlī Mashhadī?] ; date of transcription not specified ; decoration, hand, etc. suggest early 16th century.Former shelfmark: "450 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" inscribed in pencil on verso of both front flyleaves.Binding: Pasteboards covered in dark purple leather ; Type III binding (without flap) ; pastedowns and flyleaves in light-blue textured paper ; upper and lower covers bear gold-painted central floral motif with tooled borders in gold (two different shades) ; sewn in heavy yellow thread, four stations ; overall in fair condition with some abrasion, lifting and losses of leather and paper, etc.Support: Written area mounted in lovely silhouette paper (floral designs in pink) in leaves of non-European (likely Persian) laid paper with 8 laid lines per cm. (horizontal, fairly distinct) and no chain lines visible, thin and transluscent though sturdy, well-burnished ; some staining and tide lines.Decoration: Elegant illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān) at opening on p.2 consisting of rectangular piece with empty gold cartouche and surrounding floral vegetal accents in gold, red, lavender, orange, pink, light blue, white, etc. on a field of lapis lazuli bordered in bands of lapis, gold and orange-red, surmounted by a scalloped triangular piece or hasp set in a narrow rectangular piece continuing the floral vegetal design and itself surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) in lapis lazuli ; written area throughout surrounded by frame in bands of green and gold with outermost blue rule ; panels within written area (and entire written area of incipit page) gold-flecked ; ḥadīth text in light-blue and white ink.Script: Nastaʻlīq ; elegant hand ; serifless with characteristic descent of words to baseline and superscripting of final words and letters ; elongation of horizontal strokes.Layout: Written in roughly 9 lines per page, three of ḥadīth text and six of the Persian verse paraphrase with the hemistiches of four lines of verse divided and arranged on the diagonal ; written area divided to set off the ḥadīth text and elucidation ; frame-ruled.Collation: ii, IV (8), ii ; single quaternion ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization.Colophon: "Scribal," reads "احقر العباد سلطان على"Explicit: "ومن كلامه صلى الله عليه و آله لا يشبع المؤمن من دون جاره هر که در خطه مسلمانی باشد از نقد دین گر انمایه ... تمت ترجمه هذه الاربعين بتوفيق من هو ناصر ومعين سنه ست و ثمانين و ثمانمائة متع الله بها كل فريق فيه و الحمد لله على الاتمام و الصلوه و السلام على محمد و آله البررة الكرام اربعینهاى سالکان جامی هست بهر وصول صدر قبول منست از فضل حق عجیب و غریب که بدین اربعین رسی بوصول"Incipit: "صحیح ترین حدیثى که راویان مجالس دین ... این چهل کلمه است ازان کلمات که سهولت فهم و حفظ را بنظم فارسی ترجمه گر ده مي آید امید ... لا يؤمن احدكم حتى يحب لاخيه ما يحب لنفسه هر کسی را لقب مکن مؤمن گرچه از سعی جان وتن کاهد ..."Title supplied by cataloguer.Ms. codex.Exquisite copy of Jāmī's verse paraphrase of forty ḥadīth, possibly executed by renowned Timurid calligrapher Sulṭān ʻAlī Mashhadī (d.1520).

8. Arbaʻīn-i Jāmī

Description:

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 430Origin: Lacks dated scribal colophon ; decoration, paper, etc. suggest 16th century.Former shelfmark: "524 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" inscribed in pencil on interior of upper cover ; "231" inscribed in pencil on 'title page’ (p.1).Binding: Pasteboards faced in marbled paper (in red and green) with red leather over spine, fore edge of upper board, and fore edge flap ; Type II binding (with flap) ; board linings in untinted European laid paper ; sewn in dark pink thread, four stations ; overall in fair condition with some abrasion, lifting and losses of leather and paper, etc.Support: non-European laid paper with roughly 8 laid lines per cm. (vertical, indistinct) and no chain lines plainly visible, cloudy formation, quite thin though sturdy, burnished ; staining and tide lines ; back flyleaf in European laid paper with "GFA" under eagle watermark.Decoration: Elegant illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān) at opening on p.2 consisting of rectangular piece with gold cartouche carrying the basmalah flanked by floral vegetal accents in gold, yellow, red and white on a field of blue (approaching lapis lazuli), surmounted by larger rectangular piece with empty gold cartouche and surrounding floral vegetal accents in gold, red, and light blue on a field of blue bordered in bands of red and heavy gold interlace, itself surmounted by a scalloped triangular piece or hasp continuing the floral vegetal design ; larger rectangular piece and triangular piece are set in an elaborate well of gold, red, green, and blue bands and surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) in blue ; written area throughout gold-flecked and surrounded by a gold frame with outer gold and blue rules.Script: Nastaʻlīq ; elegant hand ; serifless with characteristic descent of words to baseline and superscripting of final words and letters ; elongation of horizontal strokes ; contrast in thickness of horizontal and vertical strokes.Layout: Written in roughly 9 lines per page, three of ḥadīth text and six of the Persian verse paraphrase with the hemistiches of four lines of verse divided and arranged on the diagonal ; written area divided to set off the ḥadīth text and elucidation ; frame-ruled.Collation: IV-1 (7), I (9), i ; quaternion (anomalous, "missing leaf" possibly pasted to leaf carrying incipit page) followed by single bifolium ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization.Explicit: "لا يشبع المؤمن من دون جاره صدق هر که در خطه مسلمانی باشد از نقد دین گر انمایه... اربعینهاى سالکان جامی هست بهر وصول صدر قبول منست از فضل حق عجیب و غریب که بدین اربعین رسی بوصول"Incipit: "صحیح ترین حدیثی که راویان مجالس دین ... این چهل کلمه است ازان کلمات که سهولت فهم و حفظ را بنظم فارسی ترجمه گر ده می آید امید ... لا ؤمن احدكم حتى يحب لاخيه ما يحب لنفسه هر کسی را لقب مکن مؤمن گرچه از سعی جان وتن کاهد ..."Title supplied by cataloguer.Ms. codex.Fine copy of Jāmī's verse paraphrase of forty ḥadīth.

9. Arbaʻīn-i Jāmī

Description:

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 432Origin: As appears in colophon, copied by Muḥammad Zakarīyā Samarqandī with transcription completed in the year 1256 [1840 or 41].Former shelfmark: "548 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" inscribed in pencil on recto of front flyleaf ; "233" inscribed in pencil on 'title page'.Binding: Heavy pasteboards covered in painted lacquerwork, spine in black leather ; Type III binding (without flap) ; doublures in fine painted lacquerwork of composition evoking book cover design with central mandorla and pendants (filled with flowers and leaves in shades of pink and green on a black ground) set in a red ground with swirling floral vegetal pattern in gold and surrounded by border in black with white dots and flanking gold fillets (composition of upper doublure mirrors that of lower doublure) ; upper and lower covers bear paintings of nearly identical floral composition in mirror image to one another on an orange or bronze background, namely a central cluster of peonies, poppies, etc. with roses, poppies, buds, and other floral forms all in shades of pink and white with leaves in various shades of green, and surrounded by decorative bands with floral motifs in various sizes on bands of red and black ; sewn in pink thread, four stations ; overall in fair condition with some abrasion and losses to lacquerwork and pasteboard, text block almost fully detached from cover, etc. ; cover large for textblock and perhaps not original.Support: Quite heavy wove paper ; surfaced dyed pale blue and pale green.Decoration: Illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān) at opening consisting of rectangular piece with empty cartouche and flanking vegetal accents (all in gold) set between heavy gold bands and surmounted by a scalloped semi-circular piece (dome) filled with swirling floral vegetal decoration and surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) all in gold ; written area (and panels within) surrounded by gold rule-border ; ḥadīth text, preface and closing matter chrysographed.Script: Nastaʻlīq ; elegant hand ; serifless with characteristic descent of words to baseline and superscripting of final words and letters ; elongation of horizontal strokes.Layout: Written mainly in 9 lines per page, three of ḥadīth text and six of the Persian verse paraphrase with the hemistiches of four lines of verse divided and arranged on the diagonal ; written area divided to set off the ḥadīth text and elucidation ; text of preface in 8 lines per page ; frame-ruled.Collation: V+I (12) ; quinion with added single bifolium ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during cataloguing.Colophon: "Scribal," triangular, reads "على يد ضعيف الفقير الحقير كتبه العبد المذنب محمد زكرياى سمرقندى غفر الله تعالى ذنوبه ١٢٥۶"Explicit: "لا يشبع المؤمن من دون جاره صدق النبي هر که در خطه مسلمانی باشد از نقد دین گر انمایه ... تمت الاربعين حديث مع ترجمه اربعینهاى سالکان جامی هست بهر وصول صدر قبول بنود از فضل حق عجیب و غریب که بدین اربعین رسی بوصول ... ما تازه گناهیم و عطای تو قدیم است"Incipit: "صحیح ترین حدیثی که راویان مجالس دین ... اما بعد این چهل حدیث کلمه است ازان کلمات که سهولت فهم و حفظ را بنظم فارسی ترجمه گر ده مي آید امید ... لا يؤمن احدكم حتى يحب لاخيه ما يحب لنفسه هر کسی را لقب مکن مؤمن گرچه از سعی جان وتن کاهد ..."Title supplied by cataloguer.Ms. codex.Elegant copy of Jāmī's verse paraphrase of forty ḥadīth.

10. Ashkāl al-taʾsīs

Description:

Watermarks: Face-in-the-Moon in double-bordered shield; Carbera De Mori Vittorio in script. For the former see Edward Heawood, Watermarks, Mainly of the 17th and 19th Centuries (Hilversum, 1950), p. 35 and no. 860.Contains geometrical diagrams.Text rubricated; marginal corrections and numbering of each kurrāsah in hand of copyist.Date in colophon: 5 Jumādá al-ūlá sanat 1312 hijrīyah [4 November 1894].For the sharḥ of Qāḍī Zādah on this work see Mich. Isl. Mss. 726 and 727.Text (not this copy) published."This work ... summarizes with their abridged demonstrations thirty-five fundamental propositions of Euclid's geometry." Hâmit Dilgan, "al-Samarqandī," in Dictionary of Scientific Biography, v. 12, p. 91a.

11. Asrār al-nisāʼ

Description:

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 1058Origin: As appears in colophon on p.38, transcription completed in the last days of Muḥarram 898 [ca. November 1492].Binding: Limp brown leather covers with dark brown leather over spine (type of quarter binding) ; Type III binding (without flap), tight back though not fully flush with text block (ill-fitting or deliberate squares) ; now linings (potentially once flyleaves) in what appears to be European laid paper ; now sewn in white thread, not original ; overall in good condition with minor abrasion, etc.Support: non-European (possibly Persianate) laid paper with roughly 8 laid lines per cm. (horizontal, fairly straight) and chain lines only rarely visible in pairs (see p.32) ; only somewhat cloudy furnish with inclusions and bits of fiber visible, heavy and sturdy, quite well-burnished to glossy.Decoration: Keywords and headings rubricated.Script: Naskh-nastaʻlīq (talik) ; chiefly a clear Turkish / Turkic hand ; serifless with effect of words inclining slightly to the right, elongation of horizontal strokes, foot of lām, kāf, etc. quite curvilinear, kāf mashqūqah preferred with shaqq (curving upward) on even final kāf, final tāʼ marbūṭah often given as tāʼ maftūḥah, point of final or free-standing nūn set either down at center or floating above tall bowl, very casually pointed with pointing for two dots typically via conjoined dots, etc.Layout: Written in 19 lines per page (single column) ; frame-ruled (impression of ruling board quite evident).Collation: III-2+3 (7), IV (15), IV-1+4 (26) ; 19 original leaves (paginated 1-38) with 7 added leaves, 3 at the opening of the codex, 4 at the close ; original composition of opening gathering uncertain due to repairs ; mainly quaternions originally ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, center of lower margin of each text page ; added leaves at opening and close of codex not paginated.Colophon: "Scribal," triangular, reads "تم الكتاب بعون الملك الوهاب فى اواخر شهر محرم سنه ٨٩٨ اللهم اغفر لكاتبه ولقاريه ولمن نظر فيه آمين رب العالمين تم"Explicit: "يكون محتويا الى النساء ويكون محفوظا عن اذى الجن والارواح وغيرها والله اعلم بالصواب واليه المرجع والمآب"Incipit: "لما راينا ان الجزء الاول المختص باسرار الرجال انتهى الى آخره على ما تقدم ذكرها وفصولها لزمنان [كذا] نذكر ايضا فى اسرار النساء التي تدعو الى موافقهن وتوجب الميل اليهن..."Title from opening matter on p.1.Manuscript codex.Fine copy of a treatise of materia medica attributed to Galen, including a number of recipes for drugs intended to treat various sexual conditions.

12. Asrār al-āyāt wa-anwār al-bayyināt ... etc

Description:

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 922Origin: Lacks dated colophon ; likely copied in Egypt in the late 1930s and bound for James Heyworth-Dunne (d.1974). Copy perhaps partly made from a printed edition.Former shelfmark: Mich. Isl. Ms. temp. no. 71Binding: Boards covered in dark green cloth with dark green leather over spine (quarter binding) ; pastedowns and flyleaves in wove paper printed with a floral vegetal pattern in green ; spine gold-stamped with title and decorative accents over raised bands "اسرار الآيات | الشيرازي | J.H.D." ; sewing difficult to examine ; stuck-on endbands (blue and white stripe) ; overall in fairly good condition.Support: Wove paper of two distinct types, one lined and one unlined.Decoration: Many opening headings and passages executed in contrasting purple ink ; others simply larger and bolded.Script: Naskh and ruqʻah ; two or three modern hands in a medium to bold line ; naskh partially but irregularly seriffed with slight effect of inclination to the left, curvilinear descenders, open and closed counters, words adhering to baseline, some elongation of horizontal strokes, occasionally more carefully executed ; ruqʻah, compact hand with slight effect of inclination to the right, serifless and freely ligatured with pointing somewhat careless and in strokes rather than distinct dots.Layout: Written in 21-25 lines per page.Collation: Pages between some sections left blank (see pp.37-40, 71-71) ; pagination in pencil, Hindu-Arabic numerals (first sixteen pages only) ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during cataloguing.Colophon: [Asrār al-āyāt] "Scribal," reads "تمت هذه النسخة الشريفة المسماه باسرار الآيات وانوار البينات للمحقق القويم صدر الدين الشيرازي الشهير وسوف نتبعها ان شاء الله تع بمتن العرشية ومتن المشاعر"Incipit: [preface] "نحمدك اللهم يا من تحيرت [؟] في بيداء كبريائه الالباب وغرقت في بحار معرفته عقول الاولياء ... وبعد فان هذا الكتاب المستطاب الذي هو قرة عيون اولى الالباب الموسوم باسرار الآيات وانوار البينات من مصنفات الحكيم الكامل ... صدر الحق والملة والدين محمد بن ابراهيم الشهير بصدر المتالهين الشيرازي ..." [Asrār al-āyāt] "هذا كتاب اسرار الآيات وانوار البينات لامام المتألهين محمد المعروف بصدر المتألهين الشيرازي طاب ثراه بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ... نحمدك اللهم يا من بيده ملكوت الارض والسماء واليه تتشوق الكائنات ... اما بعد فيقول انزل خلق الله واحوجهم الى كرامة رب العالمين محمد المدعو بصدر الدين هذا بيان للناس وهدى ورحمة للمتقين ..." [Kitāb al-Mashāʻir] "نحمد الله ونستعين بقوته التي اقام بها ملكوت الارض والسماء وبكلمته التي انشأ بها نشأتي الآخرة والاولى على تهذيب القوى القابلة للاستكمال ... وبعد فان اقل الخلائق قدرا وجرما واكثرهم خطأ وجرما محمد الشتهر بصدر الدين الشيرازي يقول ايها الاخوان السالكون الى الله بنور العرفان ..." [al-ʻArshīyah] "الحمد لله الذي جعلنا ممن شرح صدره بالاسلام فهو على نور من ربه ... اما بعد فيقول العبد الذليل المحتاج الى عفو الرب الجليل ... هذه رسالة اذكر فيها طائفة من المسائل الربوبية ..."Title from preface on p.1 and heading preceding opening on p.2.Ms. codex.3. p.326-p.425 : Matn al-ʻArshīyah / Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm Ṣadr al-Dīn al-Shīrāzī.2. p.268-p.326 : Kitāb al-Mashāʻir / Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm Ṣadr al-Dīn al-Shīrāzī.1. p.2-p.267 : Asrār al-āyāt wa-anwār al-bayyināt / Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm Ṣadr al-Dīn al-Shīrāzī.Careful copy of the treatise on Qurʼān interpretation by the renowned Ṣafavid philosopher Mullā Ṣadrā Shīrāzī (d.1640), followed by his Kitāb al-Mashāʻir, on ontology, and al-Ḥikmah al-ʻarshīyah, the popular work on knowledge of God and eschatology.