Object Description
Manuscript
Berlin, Staatsbibliothek. Landberg 790/2; fols 185 to 287
title
Al-Farīd fī taqyīd al-sharīd wa-tarṣīd al-wabīd
Title (Arabic)
الفريد في تقييد الشريد وترصيد الوليد
date
Jumāda I 1191 = June/July 1777
Place/s of Origin
No place mentioned. The historical context and writing style suggest the Maghreb.
Introduction
This is a commentary on a poem on hunting. Falconry is one of the forms of hunting mentioned, but not the only one. According to Jahier and Noureddin, the contents is similar to earlier literature on hunting and hunting poems, but has more to offer. Specifically, al-Fajījī defends himself against people who criticize him for his passion for the hunt and argue that hunting is prohibited according to Islamic law. The overall tone of the poem is thus somewhat defensive – al-Fajījī highlights the benefits of hunting, including the utility of hunting as a preparation for war which allows the hunter to train skills such as endurance and fast decision making. He adds moral, social and even medical benefits. Hunting keeps the hunter young. He also becomes more attractive to women, but because he is pious he does not engage with them in inappropriate ways. The benefits of hunting as a communal activity include joint action, enthusiasm and memories. Jahier and Noureddine highlight the inclusion of vivid scenes, including on the houbara. A range of birds of prey are mentioned, but the gyrfalcon appears to be the poet’s favorite. The editors and translators emphasize that it is the presence of the poet, his agenda and psychological profile which make this poem so significant.
Contents
The text included in fols 185a to 287b contains Al-Farīd (the hunting poem with commentary). There is no table of contents for the text, although the individual lines of the poem provide the structure of the text.
Author
The author of the poem is mentioned on fol. 185a as Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār ibn Aḥmad al-Fajījī (d. c. 520/1514). The author of the commentary is Abū Muḥammad Abū ’l-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār ibn Aḥmad al-Fajījī (fol. 287a).
Patron of text
Unknown, perhaps none
Scribe
Abdallāh ibn ʿAlī ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr al-Zamūrī
Patron of manuscript
Unknown
Description of physical object
293 folios. According to the catalogue, the folios measure 17.4 x 14 cm.
Bibliography
W. Ahlwardt, Verzeichniss der arabischen Handschriften der Königlichen Bibliothek zu Berlin, Vierter Band (VII. und VIII. Buch) (Berlin, 1892), 74.Al-Farīd fī taqyīd al-sharīd wa-tawṣīd al-wabīd, edited by ʿAbd al-Hādī Tāzī (al-Maʿhad al-Jāmiʿī li’l-Baḥth al-ʿIlmī, 1983).Rawdát as-sulwan: le jardin de consolation, translated by Henri Jahier and Abdelkader Noureddine (Alger: Institut d’études orientales, Faculté des lettres, 1958).Carl Brockelmann, Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur II, 170; SII 168.For the Christie’s manuscript see:https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/muhammad-bin-muhammad-bin-abd-al-jabbar-al-fajiji-5671581-details.aspxFor provenance: Christoph Rauch, ‘Ein erfolgreicher Ankauf und ein gescheiterter Anlauf – Zwei Sammlungen des Carlo Landberg,’ in Alte Kataloge in neuem Gewand. Blog des DFG-Projekts Orient-Digital, 28/05/2021, https://od-portal.hypotheses.org/346.
Provenance
This manuscript comes from a collection assembled by the Swedish Orientalist Carlo Landberg (1848-1924). It was one of 1052 manuscripts acquired by the library in 1884 from the book trader Brill. Landberg specialized in Arabic language and literature and obtained his doctorate in 1883 in Leipzig. In 1889, he led the 8th International Oriental Congress in Stockholm. In the Middle East, he spent time in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Yemen. Some of these journeys were undertaken in diplomatic capacity. He cooperated with an Arab trader of manuscript, Amīn ibn Ḥasan al-Ḥulwānī al-Madanī (d. 1898). The core of Landberg’s collection may have been the personal collection of a Middle Easterner.
Location of manuscript
Berlin, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
File names
Original file names are retained
Additional Information
https://ksfactumarte-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/teresa_casado_factumfoundation_org/EXQH6UPu9mdHmDPnVGKNCzoBgEtMTaVU_2DOGn40--OuNw?e=qWyRjF
