Islamic Manuscripts at Michigan
المشاركة في الفهرسة: المخطوطات الاسلامية في جامعة ميشيغان

Kitāb Majmaʻ al-baḥrayn,[late 14th or 15th century].كتاب مجمع البحرين,[اواخر القرن 14 أو القرن 15م].

Shelfmark:

Isl. Ms. 81

Title:

Kitāb Majmaʻ al-baḥrayn,[late 14th or 15th century].كتاب مجمع البحرين,[اواخر القرن 14 أو القرن 15م].

Author:

Ibn al-Sāʻātī, Aḥmad ibn ʻAlī,1254-1294 or 5.ابن الساعاتي، احمد بن علي.

Place/Date of Production:

[13-- or 14--].

Size:

142 leaves :paper ;280 x 175 (170 x 111) mm. bound to 280 x 180-185 mm.

Summary:

Fine copy of Muẓaffar al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʻAlī Ibn al-Sāʻātī's compendium on Ḥanafī law, based on the Mukhtaṣar of al-Qudūrī (d. 428/1037) and the Manẓūmah of al-Nasafī (d. 537/1142).

Other Title(s):

Majmaʻ al-baḥrayn wa-multaqá al-nayyiraynمجمع البحرين وملتقى النيرينEdge title:Majmaʻ al-baḥraynمجمع البحرين

Subject(s):

Islamic law--Early works to 1800.
Hanafites--Early works to 1800.
Manuscripts, Arabic--Michigan--Ann Arbor.
Ibn al-Sāʻātī, Aḥmad ibn ʻAlī,--1254-1294 or 5.--Majmaʻ al-baḥrayn.

Language:

Arabic.

Notes:

Ms. codex.
Title from inscription on 'title page' fol.1a (p.1).

Incipit:

"الحمد لله جاعل العلماء انجما للاهتداء زاهرة واعلاما للاقتداء طاهرة ... اما بعد فهذا كتاب يصغر للحفاظ حجمه ... وهذا مجمع البحرين وهما النيران المشرقان وهذا ملتقى النيرين وهما احدهما يهدي الى فقه المذهب الذي هو من اشرف المطالب والاخر يعرف الخلاف بين المذاهب ..."

Explicit:

"ثم قسم الباقي على سهام من بقي منهم والله اعلم بالصواب"

Colophon:

Can you help transcribe the colophon? Please comment!

Dedication:

Can you help transcribe the dedication? Please comment!

Contents:

Unidentified-Can you help supply this information? Please comment!

Physical Details:

Collation:

III (6), V (16), 15 IV(136), III (142) ; chiefly quaternions ; catchwords present for every folio of first two quires, thereafter appear only on final folio of each quire ; foliation in black ink, Hindu-Arabic numerals, recto of each leaf (begins with ٢ on fol.2/p.3, mistakenly repeats ۹۷, and ends at ۱۳٥ rather than continuing to the end) ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization (mistakenly skips two pages between pp.171-172, includes insert).

Layout:

Written in 13 lines per page ; frame-ruled.

Script:

Naskh ; supplied in two main hands, with marginalia and final matter in several additional hands ; opens in an elegant Persian (?) hand, more of a naskh-nastaʻlīq, essentially serifless, effect of words descending to baseline, letterforms reminiscent of nastaʻlīq ; at fol.17a (p.35) hand changes to neat Turkish or Persian hand (?), essentially serifless, mainly closed counters, some assimilation of letters such as rāʼ with final hāʼ, very slight effect of slant to the left ; line thickness and ink varies in certain sections ; headings provided in larger script approaching tawqīʻ.

Decoration:

Text partially rubricated with section headings, sigla, overlining, etc. in red.

Support:

non-European (Arab) laid paper with 7-8 laid horizontal lines per cm., some sagging and curving ; vertical chain lines appear grouped in threes with 9-11 mm. between the chains and roughly 48 mm. between the groups ; quite thick and lightly burnished ; some ink burn.

Binding:

Pasteboards covered in marbled paper (in several shades of blue, pink, yellow, white, etc., now faded or even lost from upper and lower covers, best visible on envelope flap) with dark red brown leather over spine, fore-edge flap, and edges/turn-ins ; Type II binding (with flap) ; board linings in yellow-tinted laid paper ; sewn in cream thread, two stations ; worked endbands in light blue and yellow ; in poor condition with much abrasion, staining, lifting and cracking of leather, moisture damage, pest damage, warping of flap, etc.

Accompanying Materials:

Slip of heavy European laid paper with excerpts in black ink inserted after p.16 (paginated p.17-18).

Former Shelfmarks:

British Museum, London "No. 86. Commentary on Majma al-bahrain."

Origin:

Lacks dated colophon but paper and hands would suggest late 14th or 15th century.

Ownership and History:

Bookplate of British Museum, London on inner front cover, British Museum, London "No. 86. Commentary on Majma al-bahrain." circular seal impression with figure of goat/gazelle in purple ink as well as inscription "282" [?] in Western numerals on fol.1a (p.1) ; faint, only partially visible inscription in same purple pencil (as numerals) at head of fol.1a (p.1) ; numerous interlinear and marginal corrections and glosses (though lacking in latter quires) ; table of contents on fol.1a (p.1) ; followed by various excerpts in the final folia ; ownership statement partially visible on upper cover.

Contributor(s) / Included work(s):

04--Ibn al-Sāʻātī, Aḥmad ibn ʻAlī,--1254-1294 or 5.--Majmaʻ al-baḥrayn.
04--ابن الساعاتي، احمد بن علي.--1254-1294 or 5.--مجمع البحرين.

Scribe(s):

Unidentified-Can you help supply this information? Please comment!

Former Owner(s):

Unidentified-Can you help supply this information? Please comment!

In Collection:

Tiflis Collection.

References:

Brockelmann, C. GAL,I, 383 (49/1)