Newsletter No. 7 - Spring 2002 by Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation

Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation

From the Chairman of al-hurqan al-Fn In Issue VII Vil ot Foundation’s Newsletter we are glad to bring the F‫ ؟‬undati‫(؛‬n’s friends up to date on -what we have achieved in the differ ent areas of our work. One of the Foundation's core commitments is to publish new critical editions o f works on science and history that exist in manuscript form. In the last -few months the Foundation has pro duced three such works , Volume I o>ff a major new publishing project is Ayman Fu’âd Fu’^d Sayyids Sayyid's new critical edition o f Maqrlzl's "Al-Mawa‘iz wa al-I'tibar fi Dhikr al-Khitat wa al-Athar" which is planned to fall in five volumes. AlMaqrizl's book is, o f course, one of the most important sources on the histo‫ ؛‬y and geography of contemporary Egypt. The Encyclopaedia of Makkah and Madinah (a branch o f al-Furqan Foundation) has published “W afe’ al-Wafö bi Akhbar Dar al-Muştafa”, by al-Samhudl, edited by Qasim alSamarra’i. “Wafa’ al-Wafa” is considered one of the most comprehensive and important works on the city o f the PropJiet and this edition has been several years in the making.

Newsletter NUMBER SEVEN Spring 2002

CONTENTS

The Foundation has also published Volume IV o f its major critical edition in Arabic and French - prepared by Professor Roshdi Rashed - of the works of Ibn al-Haytham and other mathematicians o f the 10th and 11th centuries. Another core interest o f the Foundation is the cataloguing o f every possible collection o f Islamic

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the Foundation has recently published Volume IX o f the

١١ C atalogue o f the Chairm an’s A ddress ‫ا‬ Arabic, Turkish and ٨ Persian M anuscripts uonrerences y o fth e Ghazi-Husrev Encyclopaedia 6 B e y ' Library in A w aras

;»araievo ana Foundation Structure and Boards.... 2 Volume 1 of the Obitumes.........................................l6 ‫ئ‬ ‫م‬ Profile 3 Library, Jerusalem. This latter " ١١ ,

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particularly important in view of the ١٦ current situation in the Holy Land. ‫ال‬ W e h ^ itw illh e l^ o d o c u i^ e n tth e continuous and rich Arab cultural life of the city. The Foundation continues to run many cataloguing project^ in Bosnia, Bulgaria, Burkino Faso,

Ivory Coast, India, Mai‫؛‬, Niger, Palestine and ‫ئ‬lauritania, ‫ء ؛أ‬ other countries. We regard our cataloguing efforts as especially pert‫؛‬nent in those parts o f the world where collectiohs are vulnerable to many daggers, from inadequate funding for preservation through civil disturbances and sometimes unfortunately - armed conflict. The translation into Arabic and updating of the Foundation’s World S u rve y ٠/ / ‫؛ ا ؟‬،‫ ء' ال م‬M anuscripts undertaken by Professor 'Abd alSattar al-Halwajl is now almost complete and we hope to bring out the final volume, Volume IV, shortly. In its public programme the Foundation continues to host audiences who come to attend its lectures - these are all free and open to the public - as indeed it hos^ various specialised societies which visit to discuss detailed ‫؛؛‬spects o f its work or to admire architectural features of its headquarters at Eagle House. One thing that has given me particular pleasure is the decision o f the Board of the Foundation to confer the al-Furqan Award for Distinguished Work in the Field o f Islamic Manuscripts to the librarians and cataloguers o f the Ghazi HusrevBey Library in Sarajevo for their outstanding work, first in saving the manuscripts in iheir collection during the war in BosniaHerzegovina and then for completing the catalogue of the Library. The Award was presented to the team headed by Dr Mustafa Jahic at a ceremony at Eagle House on 24th January 2002. Another announcement that 1 am happy to make is the impending publication o f a festschrift in honour o f Professor Şalâh alDin al-Munajjid, the distinguished scholar, teacher, author, editor and administrator who has spent a lifetime in the service of Islamic manuscripts and Islamic culture; a service that the Foundation, now entering its eleventh year, ^opes both to emulate and to extend far into the future. Ahmed Zaki Yamani Chair o f the Board

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STRUCTURE FOUNDER The Yamani Cultural Foundation THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman: Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani Members: Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu Dr Zaki Mustapha THE INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL Chairman: Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani Members: Professor Nasseruddin al-Assad (Amman) Professor George Atiyeh (Washington) Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu (Istanbul) Professor Enes Karic (Sarajevo) Professor Şalah al-DIn al-Munajjid (Jiddah) Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr (Washington) Professor Annemarie Sehimmel (Bonn) Professor 'Abd al-Hadi al-Tazi (Rabat) Professor Juan Vernet (Barcelona) Professor w Montgomery Watt (Edinburgh) THE BOARD OF EXPERTS Chairman: Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani Members: Professor Iraj Afshar (Tehran) Professor Ibrahim Chabbouh (Tunis and Amman) Professor Yusuf Ibish (Washington) Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu (Istanbul) Professor Roshdi Rashed (Paris) Dr Muhammad Isa Waley (London) Professor Jan Just Witkam (Leiden) DIRECTOR GENERAL Professor Yusuf Ibish Address for corres{»ndence: The Director General Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation Eagle House High Street Wimbledon London SW19 5EF UK

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Education Ihsan ‘Abbas’s education be^an in the village school. He went on to attend secondary schools in Haifa and Acre, and then the Arab College in Jerusalem, which was run by the great educator, Ahmad Samih al-Khalidl (affectionately known as Abo Walld). After obtaining a diploma in education and the Palestinian intermediary education certificate from the Arab College, he moved to Egypt to attend Cairo University, from which he graduated in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in Arahi^He continued his studies at Cairo University, obtaining a master’s degree in 1952 and a PhD in Arabic literature in 1954. His master’s thesis was entitled “l^ayât al-Adab al-'Arabi ft Saqaliyyah” (The Life of Arabic Literature in Sicily) while his doctoral thesis was “Al-Zuhd wa Atharuh fi al-Adab al-Amawi” (Asceticism and its Impact on Umayyad Literature).

Literary Writings

Profile Professor Ihsan ‘Abbas Along with its principal task of preserving and protecting the Islamic heritage by cataloguing, imaging and preserving manuscripts or publishing critical editions o f important manuscripts, al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation is also committed to honouring distinguished scholars who have made major contributions to the efforts to preserve and revive the heritage contained and embodied in Islamic manuscripts. O f these scholars none is more worthy o f honour than Professor Ihsan 'Abbas, to whom al-Furq‫؛‬in will offer its Award for Distinguished Work in the Field of Islamic Manuscripts in recognition o f his role as one of the leading lights in the modem Arab cultural renaissance.

Birth and Early Years Ihsan Rashid 'Abd al-Qadir 'Abbas was bom on 2nd December 1920 in 'Ayn Ghazal, a village in the district o f Haifa in Palestine. He grew up in a rural environment which is reflected in his abiding longing for his village during his long years away ‫ ؛‬٢٠٨١ Palestine. He continued to visit 'Ayn Ghazal until the 1948 nakbah and creation o f the state of Israel "Every vacation was [an opportunity] to renew my familiarity with the village. 1 would go back to the good relationships of old, enjoy the food prepared by my mother, and revive my village dialect... Each pupil had undertaken to care for a tree which would be placed under his name [on the class roll]. He would tend it and water it when necessary. When 1 later returned to the village, the first thing 1 would do was to go back to my school to check on the well-being ofthe tree 1 had planted. Though it had become [the responsibility] of someone else, 1 missed it no less than 1 missed my home, my family and my friends."*

İhsan 'Abbas has written, edited and translated over 80 books while the number o f his research ^ ^ r s ‫ د س‬articles also exceeds 80. Between 1941 and 1948 he wrote many poems, now collected in an edition entitled A zhâr Bariyyah (Wild Plowers), which was published recently in A m m an

"1 found 1 had written in an old diary [1958]: ‘1 wish 1 were still composing poetry, for it used to deliver me from myself, dispel the moments of morbidity that crept into my energies, and awoke in my heart a delightful sense of life’.” His research papers and articles have been collected and published as Man A lladhi Saraq al-Nâr (Who Stole the Pire?), which was compiled by Widad al-Q‫؛؛‬di. Among his most important works are: Farın al-Shi'r (The Art of Poetry), ‘A b d alWahab al-B ayyâti wa al-Shi'r al-'Iraqi al-Hadith ('Abd al-W a^b al-B ayy^i and Modem Iraqi Poetry), Abü Hayyân al-Taw hidi, Al-Shi'r ‫ا و‬'A rabi f i al-Mahjar (Arab Poetry Abroad), Târikh al-A dab al-A n dalu si (History o f Andalusian Literature), Badr Shakir al-Sayyâb, Târikh alNaqd al-A dabi 'Ind al-'Arab (The History o f Arab Literary Criticism), Malâmih Yünâniyyah f i alA dab a l- ‘A ra b i (Greek Aspects o f Arab Literature), Itijahat al-Shi'r a l-‘A rabi al-Mu'âşir (Schools of Contemporary Arab Poetry), Târikh Dwalah al-Anbât (History of the Nabatean State), Târikh Bilâd al-Shâm (History of the Levant), Fuşül Hawla Al-H ayât ' wa alThaqafiyyah ‫ آ م‬Filastin (Aspects of Urban and Cultural Life in Palestine) and Ghurbah al-Ra'i (Opinion in Exile), his autobiography. "As to what 1 consider my early steps in criticism, 1 believe they started when my student life ended, ... when 1 sat down for the first time in my life to write. It was my study of Abu Hayy‫ ^؛‬al-Taw^dl ... Naturally, 1 thought immediately of tackling the problem of an intellectual who grew up in poor circumstances and was for years circumscribed by poverty."

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Among the most important editions he has published are: R a sâ ’il Ibn H azm al-A ndalusI, D lw a n

"These were [he olden days, when the impulse for aetivity never tired nor expected a rest."*

al-R aşşâfı al-BalnasI, D lw a n L a b ld ibn R abTah, D lw a n al- ‘A m â a l-T a tlll, Shi'r al-Khaw arij, N afih al-T Ib ‫ آ م‬Ghuşn al-A ndalus al-R atlb, A l-W afJ B i al-W afiyyat, W afiyyat a l-A y â n , D lw a n K a th lr ' U zzah, A l-D hakhlrah f i Mahâsin A h i al-Jazîrah, A n sâb al-Ashrâf, A l-Tadhkirah al-H am düniyyah, M ir ’â t al-Zamân, Tuhfah al-Q âdim , M u'jam alU d a b â ’ li-Y â q ü t a l-H a m a w I and M u 'ja m al1U lam a’ wa al-Shu'arâ’ al-ŞiqaliyyIn. He is cur-

Professor I^sân 'Abbas took over the running of the publishing house of Dar al-Fata al-'Arabl in Beirut before the Lebanese civil war broke out. There, he published over 60 books and booklets for children. He was also Editor-in-Chief of A lA bhâth journal produced by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the American University of Beirut. His articles, research papers and criticism filled literary journals and periodicals, including A l-T h aqafah (Cairo), A l- A d lb (Beirut), A lR isa la b (Beirut), A l-A b b a th (American University of Beirut), A l-M a'rifah (Damascus), S h u ’ün Filastiniyyah (Beirut), A l-A d a b (Beirut), A l-F ikr (Tunisia) and A l-D u stü r (Amman).

rently re-editing “Kitâb al-Aghânı” of Abü alFaraj al-Aşfahânî. "In spite of all the books 1 have edited, I don’t €0nsider myself as a professional in that field. Editing has remained a ‘^obby’ for me: it attracts me but cannot possess me."

Professor ‘Abbâs has translated many books including: Aristotle’s The A rt o f P oetry, M eth ods o f M o d e m L iterary C riticism by Stanley Hyman; S tu d ies in A ra b ic L iteratu re by Gustav von Grunebauni, E rnest H em in g w a y by Carlos Baker, The A ra b A w a k e n in g by George Antonius; S tu d ies ٠/ the C iv iliza tio n ٠/ Isla m by Sir Hamilton Gibb, T. s. E llio t by Mathieson and M o b y D ic k by Herman Melville. Academ ic Work Between 1941 and 1946 Ihsan 'Abbâs taught at Şafad Secondary School. He then moved to Khartoum, where he taught until 1960 at the Gordon Memorial College, later renamed the University College of Khartoum. "1 had two Sudanese friends at the College, Jamal Muhammad Ahmad and Sa'ad al-DTn Fawzi ...w e had another Sudanese colleague living in the boarding section. Sometimes he invited us to share breakfast with him and the four of us would sit around a simple dish of fül beans, satisfied with what we had. 1 liked this sense of contentment. It expressed to me an important fact about Sudanese intellectaals - they did not place themselves above the simple life ofthe simple poor."

After leaving Khartoum Ihs§n 'Abbâs went to teach at the American University of Beirut, where he spent over a quarter of a century in fruitful, tireless work. He was head of the Department of Arabic Language and Director of the Centre for Middle East Studies. He left the American University of Beirut in 1986 for Amman where he became a full-time researcher at the Jordanian University and where he has been teaching postgraduate students since 1998. "The first phase [of my stay] in Beirut was, in some respects, a continuation of the time I had spent in Khartoum, with my relationship to my work uninterrupted. I considered it a job, a comfort and a hobby. I sincerely felt that wherever I worked, I was working for the people of my Arab nation. This feeling was a fact, requiring no pause or reflection. I was faithfol in this [calling] though I belonged to no [political] party, for the Arab nation is greater than all parties put together."* 4

Educational and Cultural A ctivities Professor Ihsan 'Abbâs participated in many scholarly conferences on Arab and Islamic themes and has also taken part in many seminars on modem Arabic poetry and subjects related to cultural heritage. He has been an external examiner for many Arab and non-Arab universities in the fields of Islamic history and Arab literature and has been an advisor to a number of new Arab universities which were devising their highereducation curricula in Arabic literature. He travelled to Britain in 1970 on a lecture tour, having been invited to speak at various universities and in the following year he visited a number of German universities and centres for oriental studies. In 1974 he became a visiting professor at Kuwait University and he was Visiting Professor at Princeton University, USA between 1975 and 1977. He was l^ e r E^raordinary Visiting Professor at the American University in Cairo. Membership o f Cultural Organisations and (Committees Professor 'Abbas was chosen to be a member of the Arabic Academics (Majami‘) of Syria, Iraq and Egypt, as well as of the Royal lordanian Council (Majma') and the Ara،>Spanish Club in Madrid. He was also selected for the editorial board for the translation of the “Târîkh” of alTabari and for the Board of Trustees of the Girls’ University in Amman. He became an honorary member of the German Orientalist Society and an honorary professor at the American University of Beirut. He is a member of the selection committee of the King Faisal International Prize, the selection committee of the Sultan al-'Uways Cultural Prize and is head of the adjudication committee for the Arab novel in Cairo.

‫ ا ج ج‬H is Students and C olleagues Say About Dr Wid§d QadT said: "His students, and 1 am proud to be one of them, often said among themselves that working in his library and under his supervision was more useful than many lessons a student could listen to in class. Studying in his library was so systematised that his students could say they graduated from the university of his library as much as from this or that university."*

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'A bd al-W ahâb al-B ayyâtl wrote: "Whenever I met him I had a deep sense of the wellbeing of our Arab culture, that it could produce such a tutor and towering mountain... I am indebted to this great scholar whose writings worked magic on me, like a hijâb (talisman), as the Sufis would say. It gave me still in my youth taking my first steps on the long road - great strength to challenge the impossible and persevere in my journey with poetry." The prom inent Palestinian novelist, Em ile H ablbl, said: "1 found myself referring to him in almost all my literary works, and found my memory of him like that living smile that immortalised the Mona Lisa." The Palestinian poet Ibrahim Naşr-Allâh asked in a poem: "How come you cast such a great shadow, transparent one? How come you possess such great light, ‫؛؛‬ou who passes through darkness like rain or a saint?" Professor Y usuf Ibish, who has known Professor Ihsan ‘Abbas for over 25 years wrote to his col‫؛‬eagues at the Am erican University o f B eirut saying: "Whenever I met Dr I^san ‘Abbas I recalled the saying of my Damascene town folk: We never pondered the appearance of our mosque, the structure of our mihrâb and the dome of our place of prayer, without becoming engrossed in contemplation, with our inspection revealing delightful wonders of which we knew not and great marvels we had never before encountered. He is a man made of a free clay, of honourable roots, planted in the soil of goodness; a man of praiseworthy upbringing, nourished on comfort and living in felicity; refined by good manners, made gentle by lengthy reflection, infused with literature, his veins filled with the water of life; his actions are like his manners, his manners like his roots, his habits like his nature, and his end like his beginning."*

Has He Played a R ole in Palestinian ? 0 1 Events

‫همظ‬

Ihsan ‘Abbâs has not participated in the political events o f Palestine, assum ed governm ent office or belonged to revolutionary organisations or political parties. N either has he been responsible for political or economic projects nor played any of the roles assum ed o f and by Palestinian individuals living in Arab countries. He has instead been more inclined to concentrate faithfully, sincerely and lovingly on literary and cultural activities.

Honours Professor I^sân 'Abbâs was awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Arabic Literature in 1980, the Award for Translation from Colombia U niversity New York in 1983, the Sultan al'U w ays Cultural Prize for Literary C riticism in 1993 and the Palestine A ward in 1998. "In the village school, 'Abd al-Ra^Im had decided to encourage hard-working students by giving them prizes. They were simple prizes, not more than a notebook of fine paper with a pretty cover. But they were an incentive. Over four years 1 received several such

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prizes; to the extent that I imagined notebooks to be the greatest thing a man could possess. I used to keep them pristine, writing not a word in them to avoid ruining ،heir beauty." Professor Ihsan 'A bbas was awarded the ^ b a n e s e O rder o f Seiences in 1981 and the Jerusalem O rder in 1988. He was the only Arab sch©lar to be aw arded an honorary doctorate in Hum anities from the U niversity o f Chicago in 1990. The Egyptian M inistry for Culture honoured him in the Cairo O pera House in 199 ‫ و‬. He was also elected the Cultural Personality o f the Y ear at the Amman B ook Fair in 1998. The Am erican University o f Beirut published a book com m em orating his 60th birthday which included research by 56 A rab and non-Arab scholars. In Am m an a book was published under the title ‫ آ ء‬M ihrâb al-Ma'rifah: Dirâsât Muhdâh ilâ Ihsan 'Abbâs (In the M ihrâb o f Knowledge: Studies dedicated to Ihsan 'Abbots). H e has also been honoured in Am m an by the ‘Abd al-H am ld Shömân Foundation which hosted a sym posium entitled “I^sân 'A b ^ s : C ritic, E ditor and H istorian”, attended by researchers, critics and authors. A l-J a d ld and A l-T a rlq m agazines have honoured him by publishing a num ber o f articles and studies about him and his literary works. The B oard o f Trustees o f the U niversity o f Chicago said: "A renowned and singularly insightful s€holar of Arabie and Islamic studies; a distinguished editor of scores of Arabic manuscripts, thereby laying the foundation ofthe modem Arabic library; an investigator of innumerable areas of Arabic literature and Islamic thought - ranging from language to literary criticism, history, biography, geography, political thought, law and religion - and encompassing most of the lands in which Islamic civilization has thrived; a model tran slator into Arabic of numerous works." University of Chicago

The Dream "I saw myself in a dream standing at a gharqad tree where people had hung shreds of clothes, believing a saint to be buried beneath it, on a patch of our land at the foot of al-Ras mountain, where the road leads from the village to Al-Saw^ir. The rain was pouring down and water flooded the road and was rising to the mountain top. As I ascended the water kept rising and my father persistently called me to return. I told him, ‘I’ll climb to the mountain top where the water won’t reach me’. As I looked over my shoulders, the land kept turning greener and greener. I then noticed that the gharqad tree was submerged even though at the same time I saw that the plain was covered in verdure. When my father lost hope of my return, he stopped calling me. It was a dream on the lines of the story of the flood, Noah and his son. It remained vivid in my memory for many years."

* Extract from ?rofessor Ihsan 'Abbas’s autobiography, Ghurbah al-Râl, Dar al-Shuruq, Amman.

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‫ ~بت‬-

Members of the Council of Consultants (London 1999)

Encyclopaedia of Makkah & Madınah The project of the Encyclopaedia of Makkah and Madınah is housed in the Jiddah bı^anch o f alFurqan Islamic Heritage Foundation. Preparations are under way to publish the experimental first issue of the Encyclopaedia. Scholars from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunis and Turkey have been commissioned to write 85 articles on a variety o f subjects and some of these articles are already in print. •

The list of entries is now complete subject to final revision.

•

Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani chaired a meeting of the Council o f Consultants on the 28th November 2001. Among the decisions taken by the meeting were:

The Council approved the memorandum issued by the secretariat of the Encyclopaedia defining the methodology to be followed in preparing the entries. The Council also made some recommendations in this regard. The Council took cognisance of the report on the methodological evaluation o f the entries submitted for the first issue and recommended that these entries go to press. The Council recommended that all commissioned scholars should be furnished with detailed specifications on ‫؛‬he requirements for Encyclopaedia entries. The Council approved executive action to prod ıı^ the first issue.

•

The Ency^opaedia Library has n©w been fully catalogued and is functioning as a reference library supporting the work o f the Encyclopaedia.

•

The Encyclopaedia has published Wafa’ alWafa bi Akhbar Dâr al-Muştafa, by alSamhudl, edited by Qasim al-Samarra’i.

The Council of Consultants: Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani (Chair) Professor Naşir al-Din al-Asad Professor Kazim al-Müsawi al-Bujnürdi Professor 'Abd al-Malik Ibn Duhaysh Professor Yusuf Ibish Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu Professor Robert McHenry Profess©r Tayyar AlatT Qulaj Professor 'Abd al-Wahhab Abu Sulayman Dr Jan Just Witkam

The Academic Board: Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani (Chair) Professor 'Abd Allah Anq§wi Professor Ahmad Khîd al-Badall Professor 'Abd al-LatTf Ibn Duhaysh Professor Ibrahim Chabbouh Professor '^mar Falatah Professor 'Aşim Hamdan Dr 'Adnan al-Hârithı Dr Yusif Ahmad Hawalah Pro^sôr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu Professor M i’raj Mirâ Dr 'Abd Allah Shâwüsh Professor 'Abd al-Wahhâb Abü Sulayman Professor Abbas TâshkandI

AL-FURQAN ISLAM IC HERITAGE FOUNDATION NEW SLETTER VII

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Public Lectures “Ottoman Science Between The Islamic and European Traditions’’ ?rofessor Ekm eleddin Ihsanoğlu Thursday, 24 January 2002

Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani introduces Frofessor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu On the evening of Thursday, 24 January 2002, a large number of scholars and members of the public interested in culture and the sciences gathered to listen to a lecture by Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu, Vice Chairman of al-Furqân Islamic Heritage Foundation, entitled “Ottoman Science between the Islamic and European Traditions”. The lecture was illustrated by slides of maps, drawings and images of scholars, schools and books. It covered three main phases in Ottoman history: the formation of the Ottoman state, fusion between the Ottoman and European scientific traditions and finally a synthesis between the two traditions. Phase/ - Formation: After a brief introduction to the history of the Ottoman state, its emergence and development, Professor Ihsanoğlu explained that the Ottoman state was bom when nomadic tribes, initially confined to a small region, expanded their geographic domain to cover areas of Asia, Africa and Europe. It inherited the Muslim scientific movement as well as the traditions of knowledge among those peoples living within the lands of the new state, including urban centres where scientific traditions were established and flourishing. The Ottomans inherited the cultural heritage of the Seljuks and established schools in Anatolia and European Rumilia. They also benefited ‫؛‬٢٢١٨١ the S C İ ences of astronomy and mathematics of the Timur empire, and fiom the medical and Islamic scholastic traditions of Egypt. The Ottoman sultans were keen to support scientific endeavour and sponsor scientists and scholars. They brought them to the urban heart of the empire in Constantinople following its conquest, when its name was changed to "Istânah". Schools were built including, for the first time, an academic medical school independent of a hospital. Libraries flourished and scholars, for example TaqT al-DIn al-Fal‫؛‬،ki and his

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colleagues, came to the fore and produced important works, such as calculations of the sun’s movements and eclipses that are close to those arrived at by modem science. Their work demonstrates the advances made by scientists in the Ottoman empire. Phase II-Fusion: Evidence reveals that the Ottoman empire was the first oriental power to make contact with the modem scientific movement in Europe at the onset of the Renaissance. While scholars dedicated themselves to acquiring knowledge and benefiting from the Muslim scientific heritage in the fields of medicine, surgery and chemistry, they also studied modem European S C İ entific methodologies and scientific advances made in Europe. Students were dispatched to Europe, specialised scientific books were translated into Turkish from Latin, French and English, and modem scientific institutes were set up which included engineering, medical and art colleges. Phase IE - Synthesis: During this phase the achievements of modern European science were fully absorbed by Ottoman S C İ ence which kept abreast of European developments. While scientists in the first phase of the Ottoman empire had relied primarily on Arabic ' and to a lesser extent on Persian manuscripts, since few scientific books were available in Turkish, all books during the phase of synthesis were published in Turkish following the establishment of a printing house in the 18th century. In the 19th century, when modem schools were established, Turkish became the language of science though subsequently French became the language for teaching medicine. This was the first time a European language had been used to teach a scientific subject rather than an Islamic language, which can be taken as a sign of approaching modernisation and development in the Ottoman state. Treatises and writings appeared in French alongside books and scientific papers in Turkish. Science, like all facets of civilisation in the Ottoman state, bore the halh^arks of a harmonious marriage between varying aspects of both Islamic and European cultures. While at its beginning Ottoman scientific endeavour was a continuation of the inherited Islamic scientific traditions, it later developed to attain the height of maturity and efficacy. Since the Ottoman Islamic state was a European power with vast European domains, it was the first to receive the traditions of modem European sciences once they spread beyond their regional boundaries. Then the Ottomans in their turn helped to transmit modem European scientific traditions to other Islamic countries. Frofessor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu concluded his lecture by saying: "The Ottoman state successfully combined its Islamic heritage with a modem European approach, playing a leading role in absorbing modem sciences and spreading them inside and outside its own borders." The lecture was followed by a wide-ranging discusSion.

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tie near Aleppo with a force of ten thousand camels. From this first reference onwards the Arabs were associated with great wealth and fortune. The Hebrews were also mentioned for the first time in history in the same archaeological record, along with Ahab their king. This dem onstrates clearly that Arabs and Hebrews were both present in the region at the same time.

“The First Arabs In The Fertile Crescent” Dr Lamia al-Gailani Werr Wednesday, 27 February 2002

Dr al-Gailani addresses the audience, watched by alFurqan’s Director, Professor Yusuf Ibish Dr Lamia al-Gailani gave a lecture at Eagle House on the evening of Wednesday, 27 February 2002 on ■،The First Arabs in the Fertile Crescent” as part of al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation’s series of public lectures. Dr al-Gailani is an academic specialising in research into the Babylonian civilisation. She has worked in the Iraqi Museum and participated in archaeological excavations in Mesopotamia. She has also published a number of scientific works. The lecture began with a summary of the political situation in the Fertile Grescent in approximately the 8th century BC. ٥٢ al-Gailani introduced th،.“ peoples of the region to her audience: the Arameans in the Levantine desert who had established a number of independent city states in Damascus, Aleppo and Hama but did not have a unified state; in the south. Pharaonic Egypt was weak and threatened by the Libyans who had invaded from the west and set up a state in the Nile delta while the Sudanese had invaded from the south and established their own state in Upper Egypt. The Assyrians were the de facto power in Iraq. But since their country lacked raw materials, especially ornamental materials such as gold and ivory, the Assyrian kings sought to protect and secure trade routes by invading and controlling neighbouring lands and guaranteeing the allegiance of their peoples through treaties, pacts and the imposition of tribute. The Assyrians recorded their events and daily concerns in both written and carved form. They were also famed for the cities they built as centres of their empires such as Ashur, Nimrud and Nineveh, where they constructed opulent palaces filled with furniture and artefacts encrusted with gold and ivory.

The Assyrian kings fought the Arabs in many battles. They also u^ed many other means to subjugate them such as controlling their water supplies, displacing some Arab tribes and changing trade routes in an attempt to undermine their power. These tactics led to the dispersal of the Arabs into present-day Syria and Iraq. After some battles, the Assyrians recorded taking booty and captive Arab queens back to Mesopotamia. They also resorted to the new tactic of returning a captured Arab queen to her throne under a guardian who supervised her and ensured her loyalty, thus controlling the Arabs by dealing with them through her. They developed this tactic further by taking the sons and daughters of Arab kings to Assyrian capitals, where they would be instructed and "Assyrianised" before being returned to their native lands to govern the Arabs. Assyrian records refer to the names of various Arab kings and queens, including King Khaz'al, leader of the Qidar tribes in Dawmah ‫أ‬،‫ا‬-‫ اا؛ س ل؛ل‬in the Wadi Sirhân valley which was an important religious centre. They also mentioned the names of two queens: Shims! and Zubaybah. ٥٢ al-Gailani illustrated her lecture by showing a [١٧١٦٦ber of slides of Assyrian carvings, stele and palaces. Professor Yusuf Ibish, Director of al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation introduced Dr al-Gailani. At the end of her informative lecture there were many questions for Dr al-Gailani from members of the audience.

Pf© ^am m e for future public lectures

Dr Salma Samar Damluji

30th May 2002

- “Photographic Documentation, Archiving Preservation of Islamic Architecture”

Dr 'Abbâs Kelidar

and

26th June 2002

- “Fragile States in the Arab East”

The first reference to the Arabs in history appears in an Assyrian record written during the reign of King Shalmaneser 111 who, when campaigning against the Syrian city states, confronted an alliance between them and King landab, an Arab king who took part in a batAL-FURQAN ISLAM IC HERITAGE FOUNDA TION NEWSLETTER ٧ //

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Conferences A Sym ^sium ©‫ ء ه ه‬Millennial Anniversay ‫ص‬ Tidbit ibn Qurrah, 2 -3 November 2‫ل س‬

The audience during one ofth e Symposium’s panels Al-Furqân Islamic Heritage Foundation held a symposium on the millennial anniversary of Thabit ibn Qurrah on the 2nd and 3rd of November 2001 at its premises in Wimbledon, London. The original proposal to organise such a symposium was made by Professor Roshdi Rashed, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Experts, in a letter to its Director, Professor Yusuf Ibish, on 26 April 2000. Professor Rashed wrote “2001 will be the [millennial anniversary of the death of Th‫؛‬،b‫؛‬t ibn Qurrah of Harran, one of the greatest scholars of the Islamic civilisation, indeed, of human civilisation in general. Th‫~؛‬،bit Ibn Qurrah translated the principal Greek books of science and mathematics into Arabic and improved on earlier translations, wrote over 35 treatises on astronomy, mathematics, medicine and philosophy, translated many of his treatises into Latin and Hebrew, set up a scientific school that played an important rofe in the history of the Islamic civilisation, and founded a dynasty of distinguished scientists, including his two sons and grandson among others. Since there is a risk that this anniversary will pass unmarked and unnoticed, I propose that al-Furqan Foundation hosts a scholarly gathering for two days in 2001 to commemorate it. The gathering should task specialists in the field to list, study, analyse and publish his manuscripts and translate them into some European languages.” The proposal was welcomed and Professor Roshdi Rashed was asked to supervise the preparations for the symposium in co-ordination with the Foundation’s Director.

Rashed, ،he symposium supervisor is a professor of the history and philosophy of scienee in France and was previously Director of the Centre for the History of Sciences (1984 - ^001). He began his lecture by the significance of commemorating the anniversary of Thâbit ibn Qurrah and al-Furqan Foundation’s role in doing so. After this introduction he proceeded to present his paper entitled “Thabit ibn Qurrah, mathematician and philosopher” in which he explored the close relation between Ibn Qurrah’s mathematical achievements and his i n n o v a t i v e work on the philosophy of mathematics, especially in the areas of analysis, construction and the concept of the infinite. Professor ‘Abd al-'Aziz al-Durl: B a g h d a d ١٨ t h e T h i r d C e n tu r y A H . Professor ‘Abd al-‘Azız al-Dürı is Professor of Islamic History at the University of Jordan, and was previously President of Baghdad University (1963-1968). His paper dealt with the establishment ofthe city of Baghdad and how it ،leveloped into the cultural and scientific centre it was at the time of Th‫؛؛‬bit ibn Qurrah. Panel n chaired by Professor Annemarie Schimmel Professor

Hugh

Kennedy,

T h e

C a l i p h a t e

a n d

Professor Hugh Kennedy is Professor of Mediaeval History at the University of St Andrews. His paper provided a survey of scientific life at ،he time ofTh‫؛؛‬bit ibn Qurrah when the scientific institution, Bayt al-Hikmah, was prominent. Bayt al-Hikmah, where the early sciences were studied, also incorporated a library. During the reign of the Caliph al-Ma’mün, it gave special attention to the science of astrology and was a base for scientists like al-Khawarizml and Banı Müsâ. According to Professor Kennedy, Thabit ibn Qurrah and his colleagues lived in a scientific community that respected the works of the ancients. They were familiar with the achievements of the Greeks, which helped encourage translations. Their reception of these scienees and ancient knowledge was, however, not uncritical and they were keen to test theories and results by means of scientific experiments. S c h o la r s h ip

th e

E a r ly

A b b a s i d

P e r io d .

A distinguished group of specialised researchers and interested intellectuals participated in the symposium, scientific papers were presented and there were lively debates and discussions.

Professor Dimitri Gutas, T r a n s l a t i o n s f r o m G r e e k ‫هء‬ Professor Dimitri Gutas is Professor of Arabic Language and Literature and Chairman of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civiliz^ions at Yale University, USA. Professor Gutas went beyond the title of his paper to discuss not only the works translated by Thabit ibn Qurrah from Greek into Arabic, but also all Ibn Qurrah's works in Arabic and Syriac about various sciences and arts including translations, compendia, summaries and expositions. These works exceed 150 in number.

Day I: Friday, 2nd November 2001

Panel ‫ آ ه‬chaired by Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu

Panel / ‫س‬

Professor Christian Houzel, T h a b i t i b n Q u r r a h a n d t h e T h e o r y o f P a r a lle l L i n e s . Professor Christian Houzel is based in France where he is a university professor and researcher in the field of mathematical sciences and the history of science. His paper demonstrated Thabit ibn Qurrah’s familiarity with the achievements of Greek sciences regarding the theory of parallel lines. Professor Houzel highlighted Ibn Qurrah’s contribution to the theory and showed his influence on later mathematicians, such as ‘Umar al-Khayyam, Ibn alHaytham and others.

by Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani

Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Chairman of al-Furq‫؛‬m Foundation, inaugurated the symposium by intr(.)ducing Th^it ibn Qurrah and his status as a scientist while stressing the sponsorship of science and respect for scientists which has been characteristic of Islamic civilisation. The Chairman then introduced the researchers on the panel. Professor Roshdi Rashed: T h a b i t i b n Q u r r a h , M a t h e m a t i c i a n a n d P h ilo s o p h e r . Professor Roshdi

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Professor Philippe Abgrall. T h a b i t i b n Q u r r a h o n C o n i c S e c t i o n s . Professor Philippe Abgrall is a professor of mathematics working in France. He introduced his paper on T idbit ibn Q urrah’s work on conic sections and explained Ibn Q urrah’s development of the work of his tutor al-Hasan ibn M‫ ه‬s‫ ة‬in this field. Professor Abgrall explained how these works led to a revival of geometry, especially in the study of geometric conversions. Professor Salim al-H assani, M

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a c h i n e s

a l- J a z a r T

E n g i n e e r i n g

B r i n g i n g

a n d

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T a q I

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‫؛‬٥

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I n

T h r e e - D

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Panel VI chaired by Professor '‫<؛مح‬،‫ ا‬al-'Aziz Durl Professor Eberhard Knobloch,

T h e

T r ig o n o m

e tr y

Professor Eberhard Knobloch is a Professor of the History of Sciences and Technology in Germany. His paper dealt with the translation of the works of Thabit ibn Qurrah into Latin. He attributed Ibn Qurrah’s fame to his book, ٨ T r e a ti s e o n th e S h a p e o f S e c tio n s , which was well regarded by European mathematicians. It was twice translated into Latin and some chapters from the book were printed in the 16th century. T h a b i t

ib n

Q u r r a h

L a t in .

e n s i o n a l

Professor Salim al-Hassanl is Professor of Accelerated Energy Engineering at the University of M anchester Institute of Science and Technology. He presented three recent pieces of research on the science of levers and the devices of al-Jazar! and TaqI al-DIn (machines for raising water and water clocks), exploring the beginnings of these inventions, their development and the principles employed in them. A n i m

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a t i o n s .

Professor Charles Burnett,

T h e

A s t r o l o g i c a l

a n d

Professor Charles Burnett is a professor at the Warburg Institute, University of London. Professor Burnett pointed out that the works of Tidbit ibn Qurrah were known in Europe from the time of Arab Andalusia onwards while some had been translated into [‫ اء؛ام‬in the 12th century. He gave an analysis of some of these translations explaining the differences between them. M

a g i c a l

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Q u r r a h .

Day II: Saturday, 3rd N ovem ber 2001 Final Session, chaired by Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu

Panel IV chaired by Professor Yusuflbish Professor Sinasi Gunduz.

S o c i e t y

a n d

C u l tu r e

H a r r a n

Sinasi Gunduz is Professor and Chairman of the Department of the History o f Religions at Samsun University, Turkey. He spoke about Harran at the time of Th‫؛؛‬b‫؛‬l ibn Qurrah, when it was a cultural centre hosting a Greek community dating back to the time of Alexander the Great which had brought with it and preserved its Hellenic heritage. Luminaries such as al-Fârâbı studied philosophy in the schools of Harran. It was in this environment that Thabit ibn Qurrah grew up and was educated. d u r i n g

th e

T i m

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T h a b i t

ib n

Q u r r a h .

Professor Tony Levy, T h e T r a n s l a t i o n s o f T h a b i t i b n Q u r r a h ;;١ H e b r e w . Professor Tony Levy is Professor of the History of Science and Mediaeval Islamic Philosophy and is based in France. His paper explained the impact of Thabit ibn Qurrah and the Hebrew translations of his works on Jewish communities in Europe during the Middle Ages.

Panel V chaired by Professor Roshdi Rashed Professor Regis Morelon, A s t r o n o m y . Professor Regis Morelon is a specialist in T h ^ it ibn Qurrah and has edited his complete works on astronomy. Through the study of a book by Thabit ibn Qurrah on the sighting of the new moons Professor Morelon demonstrated the influence of Ibn Q urrah’s works on astronomy and the path-changing impact they had on that science by making new, intimate connections between mathematical astronomy and observational astronomy. Professor Badawi Elmabsout,

T h a b i t

ib n

Q u r r a h

o n

S t a t i c s

[ A l- Q

Professor Ibrahim Chabbouh had been keen to attend the symposium but was unfortunately unable to do so because of unforeseen circumstances. He was, however, able to contribute a bibliography of Thabit ibn Qurrah’s works in libraries around the world, which was added to the papers of the symposium. The symposium concluded with a speech from Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu, Vice Chairman of alE u rq ^ Eoundation, thanking the contributors and everyone who had attended and highlighting the importance of the symposium and its achievements. The papers and the works of Thâbit ‫؛‬bn Qurrah associated with them will be published by al-Eur،^n Foundation in due course.

’.S '

Professor Badawi Elmabsout is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Paris University. His paper dealt with Ibn Qurrah’s book, “Al-Qarastûn” on the science of engineering which was translated into Latin. While many scholars have elucidated and commented on the Latin translation, and a German translation has been produced, its original Arabic text is yet to be edited. Professor Elmabsout based his presentation on the only two extant manuscripts of the book, one of which is in Beirut and the other in London. B o o k

In this session. Professor Roshdi Rashed presented a summary of the different sessions. He welcomed the wealth of valuable contributions from participants which had characterised the symposium and the ‫؛'ا‬،‫ا‬-‫ا‬ that each paper presented had been followed by a detailed discussion.

a r a s tü n ] .

Professor Rashed responds to one of the lecturers

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Awards S ch o lls honoured for cataloguing the Ghazi Husrev-Bey Library in Sarajevo, Bosnia

Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani presents an award for Distinguished Work in the Field of Islamic Manuscripts to Dr Mustafa Jahic, Director of the Ghazi Husrev-Bey Library in Sarajevo

On 24th January 2 ( 2 ‫ل)ل‬, al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation was host at a ceremony in Eagle House, its London headquarters, to honour the scholars who catalogued the Ghazi Husrev-Bey Library in Sarajevo. An award for Distinguished Work in the Field of Islamic Manuscripts was presented to them in appreciation of their valuable efforts to protect Islamic manuscripts and their work in cataloguing the Library’s collection of Arabic, Turkish, Bosnian 1،‫ ااه‬Persian manuscripts. The scholars honoured were Dr Mustafa Jahic (Director of the Library), Zejnil Fajic, Dr Fehim Nametak, Haso Pop‫؛‬،r‫؛‬، and the late Kasim Dobraca, compiler of the first two volumes of the Library's catalogue. Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani spoke about Islamic manuscripts in Bosnia and praised the work of Dr Mustafa Jahic and his team of scholars. Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu then talked about the Islamic heritage in the Balkans, the cultural significance of the Ghazi HusrevBey Library and the efforts being made there to protect manuscripts through cataloguing and imaging projects.

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out of the old Library building, then across lines of fire and past enemy trenches. They had to move across many times under threat from enemy fire. They were also afraid of the continuing threat to the manuscripts if the enemy found out where they were. They therefore transported the manuscripts from one place to another almost every six months, despite the long distances involved and the lack of means of transportation. Sarajevo remained under siege for a long time yet around 10,000 manuscripts were successfully rescued. Once the war ended, al-Furq^ Foundation was able to step in and help the Library, now in danger of total destruction. Al-Furqan took on the financing of the Library's manuscript cataloguing project as well as helping to set it up with shelving and essential preservation equipment. Al-Furqan and the Ghazi HusrevBey Library have co-operated to image the Library’s collection of manuscripts on CD Rom and to publish its catalogue. The co-operation between al-Furqan Foundation and the Ghazi Husrev-Bey Library is one that gives us hope for the future of the preservation of the manuscript heritage of Islam. The Ghazi Husrev-Bey Library in Sarajevo has an extensive collection of manuscripts, books and documents. In addition to the 10,000 manuscripts in its safekeeping it also has about 20,000 books and acts as the custodian of the archives of approximately 5,000 historical documents ofthe ©ttoman rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1,400 waqf deeds and 86 records from the Shari'a Court in Sarajevo. Most publications and manuscripts in the Library are in Arabic. Turkish manuscripts are limited to the Ottoman period and are mainly on history and literatür(‫ ؛‬while the Persian manuscripts deal principally with early literature. There are, however, also publications in various other Islamic languages. The Library has a collection of Bosnian magazines and newspapers published in the 18th century and boasts an extensive archive of Bosnian newspapers and magazines written in the Arabic alphabet. There are, in addition, manuscripts in English and French and miscellaneous collections of old photographs, coins, postage stamps, old postcards and oil paintings. Finally, there is a large section of the Library with many old maps which is dedicated to political and demographic geography.

Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani proceeded to present the award to Dr Mustafa Jahic, Director of the Library, and to his colleagues who attended the celebration. The Ghazi Husrev-Bey Library in Sarajevo is considered the largest, oldest and most valuable historical library in the Balkans. It was founded in 1537AD and flourished through centuries of expansion during its history. It also suffered major disasters which almost destroyed it, the last and most damaging being the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serb guns were pointed at the Library, symbol of the Muslims' cultural awareness and a cornerstone of their identity. The National Library in Sarajevo and the library of the Orientalist Institute were burned down in 1992; the National Library lost more than 1,000,000 books and the Orientalist Institute more than 5,000 manuscripts. As to the Ghazi Husrev-Bey Library in Sarajevo, its losses in the war amounted to 3,000 manuscripts. The bulk of its collection was saved by the Library management and staff who, in April 1992, moved the manuscripts

T h e C h airm an o f al-F u rq an Fou n d atio n and the v ‫؛‬€e C hairm an w ith the cataloguing team from the G hazi Hu.srevB ey L ibrary in Sarajevo. From right to left: H aso Popara, D r Fehim Nam etak, Professor Ekm eleddin Ihsanoğlu, Sheikh A hm ed z‫؛‬،ki Yam ani, ٥٢ M ustafa Jahic and Zejnil Fajic.

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Publications “Al-Mawa'iz wa al-I’tibar fi Dhikr al-Khitat wa al-’Athar” by al-Maqrlzi edited by Ayman Fu’ad Sayyid Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation has recently published the first volume of a new edition of “AlM aw ^‫؛‬، wa al-I’tibar fT Dhikr al-Khi‫؛‬a‫ ؛‬wa alA th ^ ” by MaqrTzT. This work has been edited by Dr Ayman Fu’ad Sayyid and falls in 9 6 ‫ ق‬pages. Also known as "Al-Khitat 1İTaqT al-DTn Afimad bin ‘AIT al-MaqrTzT”, it was written by the chief historian of Islamic Egypt (d.845AH/1442AD), and is a major reference on Egypt's history and geography and that of the capital of Egypt under Islamic rule. It is the only reference based on original sources which offers a complete history of Egypt from the Flood until the Arab Islamic conquests; and a history of Islamic Egypt and the foundation and development of its capitals from the Islamic conquests to the middle of the 15th century. The work is an indispensable reference for scholars of Egyptian political, economic, social and architectural history. It presents a complete and detailed description of palaces, mosques, madrasas, baths, khans, wikalahs and markets found in the Egyptian capital throughout nine centuries. It mentions road networks and city plans during that period, with an emphasis on MaqrTzT's personal observations as well as sources which have not survived to the present day. He has thus preserved for us valuable quotations from ancient ١٨٢، to which we would not otherwise have had access. Although MaqrTzT's work had attracted the attention of scholars of Egyptian history in the early ‫ ا‬،‫ س‬century, only one previous edition of it has been published - by the Boulaq Press in Egypt in 1853. This edition, due to a lack of awareness of the principles on which the book was based, suffered from misprints, omissions and other errors. It remained, however, the only edition for more than a century and a half, and was relied upon for studies of the capitals of Islamic Egypt, their layout and monuments. As a result numerous factual misinterpretations have been made by scientists and scholars and the was devalued as a research tool. It became increasingly necessary to have a reliable, accurate edition. In order to produce such an edition Dr Sayyid acquired two sets of the author's rough eopy and several copies directly transcribed from the original manuscript

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written in MaqrlzT's own hand. In addition, in this new edition ٥٢ Sayyid has corroborated data ‫آ'ب‬0 ]‫ آا‬various sources and relied on the latest studies ofthe history and monuments 0‫ ؛‬Cairo, also locating historical sites and tracing their development on accurate and reliable maps. ٥٢ Ayman Fu’ad Sayyid has included a facsimile copy of the original manuscript in the author's handwriting. He subsequently located copies transcribed from this original and has been able to offer us a new edition of this valuable work based on the latest principles of research into historical and geographical documents. By studying the author's various sources he has been able to correct misconceptions arising ‫ ؛‬٨١٨٦ the dissem‫؛‬nation of the Boulaq edition. He has researched and traced back the sources MaqrTzT relied on in writing this major work, which took the author over twenty years. ٥٢ Sayyid has been able to clarify many terms and fill in numerous lacunae and so draw out the full meaning ٠‫ ؛‬the MaqrTzT text he has studied. As the Boulaq edition has remained the sole source on “al-M awa'iz...” for decades. Dr Sayyid has retained its pagination in the margins as an aid to researchers who are obliged to use other earlier works which refer back to the Boulaq edition. The first volume of this al-Furqan series includes the first two volumes of MaqrTzT’s original seven volumes. These are: "Jurnal Akhbâr ٨٢٤١ Misr wa Ahwal NTliha wa Kharâbihâ wa Jib‫؛؛‬hha" from page ‫ ا‬I to page 346, and “Dhikru Mada’in Aed Misr” from page 347 to page 676. The volume closes with "TarTkh al-Khafiqah" from page 677 to page 772. In his introduction to this edition. Dr Ayman Fu’ad discusses the necessity for a new edition of “alMawa'iz...”. The introduction also contains a study of MaqrlzT and in which he deals with the importance of the work, earlier studies with the same historical themes and later historical works influenced by it. He offers a new biography of Maqr!zl in whieh he covers his life and works, and at the end of which ٥٢ Sayyid is able to loeate MaqrizT’s home in Bourgoin Street in Cairo, as well as his grave. He dedicates a further section to the hardships MaqrTzT experienced in composing “al-M aw â'i?...” and to the relationships MaqrTzT had with his contemporaries such as Ibn Duqmi‫؛‬q and al-Awha،fi. Dr Sayyid has also successfully calculated the number of years it took MaqrTzT to complete this work. Finally, the editor examines earlier editions and translations of the work, as well as studies based on it. This new al-FurqiTn edition also includes a unique eontribution of Dr Sayyid to the study ‫آ ه‬ MaqrTzT’s work: a section dedicated to researching MaqrTzT's sources. The introduction ends with a final seetion on the different manuscripts of “al-Mawa'iz ...” to be found in different libraries in which Dr Sayyid explains his reasons for selecting the manuseripts he has used in this study.

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"W afa’ al-W afa bi Akhbar Dar al-Muştafa" by ‘A ll ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Sam hühl edited and annotated by Qasim al-Sâmarrâ’i The Encyclopaedia of Makkah and MadTnah, which operates out o f the Jiddah offices o f a lF u rq an Islamic Heritage Foundation, has recently published a new book entitled "Wafa’ alWaf5 bi Akhbar Dar al-Muştafö" by 'All ibn 'Abd Allâh alSamhühT. Annotated and ed ited by Professor Qâsim als ^ a r ^ ’i, the book appears in five volumes, each volume containing approximately 600 pages.

’‫ح‬

‫ز ا؛ ت م‬

‫ئ‬

‫اب ج ر م ه م ه‬ ‫ت م‬

‫انجءاقك‬

This work is a significant source on the history of MadTnah and is therefore a valuable addition to the Encyclopaedia series of al-Furqân Foundation publications. Other Encyclopaedia publications include: AI-TarTkh wa a l-M u ’a rikhün bi M akkah m in al-Qam al-Thalith al-H ijri ilâ al-Qam alThâlith 'Ashar by Dr Muhammad HabTb al-HTlah (1994), A l - B î ’ah al-Tabî'îah by Ruqayya ‫ ؛‬lussain Sa'd NajTm (1999) and N il al-Manâ B adhll alQara li Takmilah Ittihâf al-Wara by Jar All^th ibn al-'Izz ibn al-Najm ibn Fahad, annotated and edited by Dr Muhammad al-Habîb al-HTlah (1999). This new edition o f "Wafa’ al-Wafö bi Akhbar Dar al-Muş‫؛‬afö" is one of the most important, comprehensive and extensive historical studies ever written about MadTnah. Two other editions have been printed before, first in 1326AH and then in 1373AH, but these earlier editions suffer ftom numerous misprints, omissions, additions and other errors which make them unsuitable for reading or research. The late Shaykh Hamad al-Jasir commented on these earlier editions o f "Wafa’ alWafa" saying that they should not be relied on. Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation therefore saw the need for a new edition based on scientific and well-documented research. It entrusted the preparation o f the new edition to Professor Qasim al-Sâmarrâ’i and ensured that he had access to copies o f reliable sources, references and manuscripts such as the works of R‫؛‬tghib Basha and SalTm Agha as well as works in libraries in Makkah, Germany and Great Britain. Professor al-Samarrai widened his reference base further by acquiring many additional copies fiom various sources.

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The author o f the book was a veritable encyclopeadia on the history o f Madlnah. 'All ibn ■Abd Allah al-Samhühî (d. 911AH /1505AD) was raised in a family of scholars, ,ulam a’ and judges. He had a detailed knowledge o f Madlnah and the history o f the Prophet's Mosque. His approach to the history of Madlnah was described by the late Shaikh Hamad al-J§sir as "accurate and comprehensive to an infinite degree. SamhühT hardly ever failed to mention any piece o f knowledge, major or minor, in any way related to MadTnah. He sought details and historical knowledge o f Madlnah from so many sources and with such labour that no other historian was ever able to match this accomplishment, either before or after al-Samhühl - May God have mercy on his soul..." ft is necessary to acknowledge that several o f alSamhühî’s quotes and references were indirect or second hand. Yet he was a remarkable critic and highly discerning about any information he obtained. Even if his source was a major respected scholar or 'âlim, he would carefully examine the information before including, adapting or correcting it on the basis of quotes from other historians or his own personal observations. Professor ^ s i m a l-S ^ a rr^ i edited the wording o f the text and cross-checked names, quotations and all versions of hadîth included in the book. He was also meticulous in comparing different copies of the work. This task did, however, pose a major problem "because a l-S a m h h was constantly changing his text. His work would be transcribed ٠٢ copied then he would make an addition or an omission and the work would be copied again... his editing created discrepancies in the text of different copies...", ?or this reason, Professor al-Sâmarrâ’i did not rely on one single copy alone. He took text from all copies and made mention in the margins of passages which were missing from some of them. The five-volume series includes an introduction to "Wafa’ al-Wafö" in Volume 1 and a biography of the author in Volume 11. Professor al-Sâmarrâ’i has also included valuable comprehensive indices and glossaries of names, places, Qur’§nic verses, hadîth, verses of poetry, tribes, countries, and book titles, amongst others. "Wafa’ al-Wafö bi Akhbar Dar al-Muştafa" will undoubtedly prove to be an essential source for any scholar of the history of MadTnah and a valuable addition to any Arab library and in particular an embellishment to the publications list o f alFurqân’s Encyclopaedia of Makkah and Mad!nah.

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al-Furqan news.

“Les math^m atiques infinit^simales du IXe au X le si^cle, Ibn al-H aytham : M 6thodes g6ometriques, transform ations ponctuelles et philosophic des math6matiques V olum e IV by R oshdi Rashed Al-Furqan Foundation has recently published volume !٧ of "Les math^ a t i q u e s infinifesimales du IXe au Xle sfecle" by Professor Rashed. This volume deals with Ibn alHaytham and the principies ‫ آ ه‬geometry, geom etric conversion and the theory and philosophy of mathematics. The volume comprises 1,064 pages and is the latest in a series of texts and studies on the Islamic civil‫؛‬sation’s SI

L o ş m a t l i ،‫؛‬i n a t k |u c s

‫أ‬

tlu IX ' a u X I، s t e d e IBN ‫ ا ا‬.

‫ ا ا ا ا ا ا ا‬,‫ا حا‬

In this volume Professor Rashed remains faithful to the research techniques he has followed in the previous three volumes in the series. There is no doubt as to the significance of this book. In its author's words, it aims to be a major step forward in the revival of a heritage which has played a significant role in the development of civilisation. Many learned men have laboured for this aim through centuries with great dedication. It is hoped that these publications will prove a useful tool to awaken the heirs to the Arab and Islamic heritage ٢٢٥٨١ a centuries-long sleep and urge them to participate in the rebuilding of civilisation today and for the future.

‫■' ن ح ي تأ م ح ه‬

“Catalogue o f the Arabic, Turkish, ?ersian and Bosnian M anuscripts in th e G h a z i Husrev-Bey lib ra ry m Sarajevo, Volume IX ” ?fepared by H‫؛؛‬so ?opara

■r---‫تء‬.-‫ء‬:^‫ثثاعء‬-

n ew e le m e n ts in tro d u ced to The book the study**of geom^ r v hv' M i i c i i r p mathematicians explaining how much they achievediand the obstacles which made them unable to progress further. It deals with the Muslim m athem aticians' contributions to research on geometry and shows that the role of the Islamic civilisation was not limited to copying and translating from earlier works. Rather it contributed significantly to the gro w th and develonment of science by the introduction of basic_£İ£ments» vital to its progress. T his work I S clear evidence that statements made by writers like Michel Chasles when referring to the history of Arab geometry to the effect that it was inferior and stagnant are simply invalid and untrue. It is proof of how little has been known about the history of geometry in the Islamic period. In undertaking his study Professor Rashed has followed a new approach to historical research based on the premise that the historv of mathematics will never achieve the desired objectivity and ' to geom etry:

mathematicians such as Thabit ibn Ourrah. N^sir ai-

Uın^jH-Xusı_agj^otlTerşj>. T h e volume vo] The is divided into the follmvin;* s^v^n■ ^ 1. ion ai-navtham on the characteristics of circles and geometric conversion, 2. Ibn al-Haytham on analysis and compositİQrL-aad~the principles of geometry. 3. Ibn al-Haytham on information and the theory and philosophy of mathematics-■ 4. Ibn al-Haytham on space and its mathematical

con ce^ ^ ^ ‫ق‬. ‘Abd al-JalTI al-SujzT and Thabil ibn O urrah. introduction to Ibn al-H avtham 's matnematical theory âncl philosophy. •~~~~ b. Review by 'A bd al-L atif al-Baghdadl of Ibn alA lso included are~eleventreatises. six of which are hv IbiTal-Haytham» researched and analysed by Professor First scholar to have dated and documented the mathematical theories of Ibn al-Haytham. 14

al-Furqan news.

This, the ninth volume, is the latest in the series ofth e catalogue of manuscripts in the Ghazi Husrev-Bey Library in Sarajevo. Like the previous volumes, it is the fruit of the collaboration between alFurq‫؛؛‬n Islamic Heritage Foundation and the Riasat of ‫فهرس امحطوطات‬ the Islamic Community in the ‫الممحم لاكرمل ل ' ك ن ب دمرسوي؛‬ Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. ‫م ي الغازي حرويلت ز سرامحم‬ The publication catalogues 551 bound manuscripts containing 784 treatises, 539 of which are in Arabic, 233 in Turkish. 4 in Persian and 8 in Alhamidt (Bosnian in Arabic script). This volume describes many works on the various arts - as well as works on fiqh and UŞÜİ al-fiqh collected together in compendia.

‫ التاسم‬،‫اخز‬

‫ ساإ سز‬.‫ ا رإ‬٠٠‫رناسءالخط‬

‫م خ م ض ن ش ءنا د‬

‫االمءمح‬üi«ı ■II‫غم‬

‫ م م‬u - JM‫لف—راس‬

‫ءماسغم‬

‫سد‬

‫ مرايم‬- ‫لدن‬

Most works on fiqh in the Library belong to the HanafT school. This is natural enough since most of these works were written in the Balkans when it was part o f the Gttoman Lmpire - which embraced the HanafT school. The Ghazi Husrev-Bey Library contains many copies o f manuscripts which were read in the educational system. Among them are 51 copies of "Mukhtaşar al-Qadduri”, 37 of “Multaq‫ ؛؛‬alAbhar", and others. Among the Arabic manuscripts is a copy of “Kitab alMukhtör li al-Fatwa” and its commentary which is called "Bi al-Ikhtiyâr li Ta'lTl al-Mukhtar" of ‘Abd Allah Ibn Mahmüd al-Baladj! (d. in Baghdad 683AH/1284AD) transcribed by Burhan al-SamarqandT in 691AH/1292AD, only eig^t years following the author's death. It is thus one 0،' the oldest copies of the manuscript in the world, if not the oldest. Bosnian authors are represented in three copies of "Simat alWusül ‫ن‬1‫' ة‬Ilm al-’Uşül", a copy of "Mukhtaşşar al-Kâfı min al-Mantiq" and a copy of "Rawdat al-Jannat fT ’Üşül alI'tiqadat". All these are in Arabic and were made by Hasan ibn Turkhan ibn Ya'qub al-Kâfı al-Aqhuşâri al-BüsnawT (d. 1025AH/1615AD). The catalogue fells in 664 pages - including indices, glossaries, and illustrations of some manuscripts.

AL-FURQAN ISLAM IC HERITAGE FOUNDATION NEW SLETTER VII

al-Furqan news.

"Catalogue ‫ م إ‬M anuscripts in Ai-Khaiidiya com pSed by N a ^ n i ai-Ju'abah and edited by W alid al-Khâlidı Jerusalem holds a special place in the hearts of Arabs and Muslims as the first ‫لمحسم'رو‬, the third holy city and the site of a wealth of Islamic heritage. It was revered throughout the history of Islam as a place of pilgrimage, a recipient of waqf trusts and the construction ground of monuments of worship and learning. Baytal-M aqdis houses large numbers of academic institutions and has been host to thousands of students from different parts of the world. Scholars from all over the Islamic world have gathered around the Aqsa Mosque through the ages, building together an exceptional collection of manuscripts which were used for education, research and reading in the shadow of the mosque. Unfortunately, most of these collections were lost as a result of mismanagement and the political climate in Palestine at the end of the Ottoman rule. Jerusalem today holds three major colleetions of manuscripts: the collection of the Library of the Aqsa Mosque, the Badiriyyah collection (Library of Shaykh Muhammad Hubaysh) and the eolleetion of the Khalidiya Library. It is to be noted that manuscripts remaining in Jerusalem belong to private or family collections while all publie colleetions from learning institutions have vanished to become family wa‫ ؟‬/trusts. The history of the Khalidiya Library falls into three distinct periods. The first begins with its establishment and comes to a close with the end of Ottoman rule in Palestine. The second runs from the British oceupation in 1917 through the mandate to end with the 1948 disaster and the third follows on until the Israeli occupation of Jerusalem in 1967 when the Library building was expropriated and its wagf-entrusted eastern upper storey overlooking the courtyard was occupied by Israeli soldiers. A bill was posted on the Library door declaring it expropriated as property of "absent owners". But Haydar al-Kh‫؛‬،li،l> was able to use family documents to disprove the claim that the Library was the property of "absent owners" and to reverse the expropriation. Thus, the Library was rescued from certain doom. The Khalidiya Library manuscript collection is one of the largest in the world. The Library is a w aqf trust, meaning that its benefits revert to the people according to the rule in the Islamie world. This Library stands as an example of the deeply rooted Islamic heritage in Jerusalem. It is a reflection of the city’s wealth of Islamic heritage and the vigorous breadth of its academic movement. When the Library is attacked and threatened with destruction and burning, it means that the struggle with Israel is not purely political but is a

al-Furqan news.

real threat to Islamic civilisation as a whole, aimed at its written word and all the principles and beliefs it contains. This catalogue was intended to be published on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Khalidiya Library in Jerusalem which was officially inaugurated in 1900 in its present building but unforeseen circumstances stood in the way of a timely issue. It is now published at a time when this holy city is going through the ™،)St dire circumstances and dangerous conditions. These are times when we must reaffirm the spiritual unity between the Islamic world and Jerusalem, chosen by God for the miracle of ascension "al-Isrâ’ wa al-Mi'raj" and blessed by the presence of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. The Prophet Muhammad, according to al-Bukharl, Muslim and Abü Dawüd, honoured it by saying: "No travelling to any mosque is incumbent (on you) except into three mosques: the mosque of Makkah, the mosque of Jerusalem and this mosque of my own.” Professor WalTd al-KhalidT in his introduction to the catalogue traces the KhalidI family tree from Shaykh Muhammad Shams al-DTn al-KabTr (d. 837AH). He then takes the reader through the history o fth e Library, the hardships its establishment had to cope with until it almost failed during its century-long struggle. The catalogue compiler, Dr Nazmi al-Ju'abah, describes the condition of the manuscripts and the principles of cataloguing. The total number of manuscripts in the Library is 1,263 in the following languages, Arabie: 1,309 manuscripts including a large number of collections comprising almost 2,000 titles, Persian: 18manuseripts, Turkish: 36 manuscripts in Ottoman Turkish. The total of published titles in this catalogue is around 1,970 where 1,448 are in singular copies, the rest being repeated or having more than one part from different titles. The oldest dated manuscript is from 418AH/1027AD, namely "al-M ulakhaş li alMutahaffa?Tn" by 'All ibn Muhammad al-M a'arifi known as Ibn al-Qabis, (d. 403A H /I0I2A D ) on the science of hadlth. The most recent dates from 1351AH/1932AD. Rare manuscripts among the Library’s collection are included in the index for the second volume which is to be issued shortly. As for manuscripts written by the hand of their original authors, these are 112 titles forming a collection rarely found under one roof refleeting the care taken by the collectors to preserve the manuscripts. Among these are the collection by TaqT al-Din al-SubkT (written in 7 4 1-749A H /13401348A D ) and the work "Qasas ‫؛‬،l-A nbiy‫ "’؛؛‬by Ibn Abü 'Adsah alQudsT, (written in 856AH/1452AD) and many others. Topies vary according to the historical period. This volume covers the Holy Q ur^n and its interpretations, hadith and its science, Fiqh and jurisprudence, sufism, praise of the Prophet, shari'a literature and STrah (life of the Prophet). The second volume is to include all other topics together with indices and glossaries. The catalogue is finely bound, includes 611 pages and its cover is illustrated with a photograph of the inauguration of the Library 100 years ago.

AL-FURQAN ISLAM IC HERITAGE FOUNDATION NEW SLETTER ٧ //

al-Furqan news.

In Print

al-Furqan news.

Obituaries

Catalogue - ‫ ص‬the Ghazi Husrev-Bey Libra^ in Sarajevo Volume II), compiled by Kasim Dobraca ( Catalogue o f Islamle Manuscripts in Aligarh University Volume I), compiled by Muhammad Yasın Ma?har( Siddiqui, edited by Q ‫ة‬s ‫؛‬m al-Sam arra’i AI-Mawa'iz wa al-l’tib§r ft Dhikr al-Khi -‫؛‬at wa al-Athar !by al-Maqrlz Volume II), edited by Ayman Fu’§d Sayyid ( Music ill Muslim Civilisation M uham mad Şalih al-M ahdl

MEMORIAM:

PROFESSOR

ENES

KHALIDOV

(1929-2001)

In ?rep^ation for 2002 - A l-‘Ihn fî al-Isl^n wa al-Hadathab al-KalasTkiah Roshdi Rashed - ‫؛ء‬1‫ إلءا‬-al-Makhfutât al-Matoabah al-K h^diyya bi al Quds (Volume II) , compiled by Nazmi al-Ju abah, edited by WalTd al-Kha ‫؛‬jlidI Fihris Makhtujat Na'imah wa Walatah compiled by Ahmed Ould M uhammad Yahya, edited by Ulrich Rebstock, revised by Ibrahim Chabbouh -AI-Handisah wa 11m ,inkisar al-Dawa' fi Al-Qam al Ashar al-Mîlâdı : Ibn Sahi, Al-Qühî, Ibn Haytham‘ Roshdi Rashed Tahqlq Makhtütât 'Em al-’AnJ Proceedings o f the Fifth Conference o f al-Furqan ( Foundation) Arabic edition compiled by Ibrahim Ch ‫؛‬،bhouli Catalogue o f the Ghazi Husrev-Bey Library in Sarajevo Volume X), compiled byZejnil Fajic ( The Earth and its Sciences in Islamic Manuscripts Proceedings of the Fifth Conference of al-Furq§n ( Foundation) English edition compiled by Yusuf Ibish

Distribution Al-Furqan publications can be purchased direct from alFurqan London and al-Furqan Jiddah. They are also available ‫؛‬٢٥®: Cairo: D ^ a l- ^ h ir a h lil- K itö b , 116 Muhammad Farid St, Cairo, Egypt. Jiddah: M aktabat Kunüz al-M a'rifah, intersection of Setteen Street with Iskan Street, in front of the Mahmoud Said Centre, Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. Tel: (++966 2) 651 4222 and 657 0628 ‫ههام‬0‫ ه‬: Al-Saqi Books, 26 W estbourne Grove, London W2 5R H .U K . T el:(+ + 44 20) 7229 8543 Dar 1،‫؛‬-Hikmah, 88 Chalton Street, London NW1 1HJ, UK. Tel: (+ + 4 4 20)7383 4037 Leiden: Brill, Plantijnstraat 2, PO Box 9000, 2300 PA, Leiden, Holland. Tel: (++ 31) 715 353 564 Paris: Librairie Albert Blanchard, ‫ و‬rue de M<‫؛‬dicis, 75006 Paris, France. Tel: (++ 33 1)43 26 90 34 Zaragoza: Portico. Mufioz Seca, 6- 50005 Zaragoza, Spai n. 039 557 976 (34 ++) 1‫عآ‬ Al-Furqan publications are al^o available from amazon.com. Al-Furqan Foundation, in co-operation with its agents and distributors, takes part in many international book fairs.

Professor Enes Khalidov, the authority on Islamic manuscripts and Islamic culture in Russia and Eastern Europe, died on December I, ٦٨ ٨ ‫ا‬

For more than 30 years Professor Khalidov was the head of the Arabic Language Department in the ‫ الت س؛أم‬Institute at the Academy of Science in the former Soviet Union. He was also head of the Department of Middle East Studies ‫ ءا؛‬the Leningrad branch of the Institute. In the last two years of his life he lectured in the Oriental Studies Department of the University of Kazan. Professor Khalidov was bom in 1929 and graduated from the Department of Arabic at Leningrad University in 1946. He obtained his doctorate in 1955 and joined the Department of Arabic language Studies at the Leningrad branch ‫ آ ه‬the Soviet Union Academy of Sciences. There he specialised in the field o f classical and modem Arabic literature and Arabic paleography. He co-ordinated the preparation and production of the Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts in the Oriental Institute. He obtained his professorship in 1987 by which time he had published some 120 works: books, articles, critical editions and translations from Arabic. Many scholars at the universities of St Petersburg, Kazan, Kazakstan, the Ukraine, Syria, Vietnam and the United States of America have been, at one time, his students. Some of Enes Khalidov’s published works are the fruit of his collaboration with his father. Professor Baqi Khalidov, who, in his (٧٢٢١. had studied at the hands of M ‫ه‬s‫ ة‬Jâr-Allah Baqawl at the beginning of the 20th century. According to Professor Khalidov, the favourite among his works was his translation of the meanings o f the Q ur^n into the Tatar language. He started this work in 1997 and completed it in 2001. It was also in 2001 that he completed his A rabic-Tatar dictionary. O f his many valuable articles we should not ‫آا‬،‫ ا؛‬to mention "Questions in the Translation of the Meanings of the Q ur’an", a paper he presented at the W orld Conference on Islamic Civilisation which was held in the Volga-Ural under the auspices of IRCICA in collaboration with Russian and T atar academic institutes. C od’s mercy and blessing be upon Enes Khalidov. We are of Him and to Him we return.

AL-FURQAN ISLAM IC HERITAGE FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER ٧//

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History of the_Ottoman State, Society a^d Civilisation - Eng^şh franslation, edited by Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu The Research C entre for Islamic History, A rt and C ulture (IR C IC A ) in Istanbul has published an E nglish translation of "History o f the Ottom an State, Society and C ivilisation" ed ited by Professor E km eleddin Ihsanoğlu. Published in two volumes, it com prises a total o f m ore than 1,650 pages and is illustrated by maps, diagram s and photographs o f the O ttoman Empire fiom its rise to its fall The first volum e covers the period from the emergence of the O ttom an state in W estern A natolia and ends with the collapse o f the em pire and the establishment of the Republic o f Turkey, ft deals with various aspects o f the em pire’s history analysing the political, m ilitary, adm inistrative, judicial, econom ic, financial and social structures o f Ottoman life. The second volume covers religious and cultural aspects o f life in the Ottoman state: religion, intellectual life and literature, arts, architecture, music, science and education. The book was originally published in Turkish in 1994 and was follow ed by an A rabic edition in 1999. This English edition has been keenly aw aited and will doubtless prove to be a m ajor reference for scholars and researchers of the O ttom an Em pire. The prom inent orientalist Bernard Lew is welcomed news of its publication: "I was delighted to hear that the two volum es on O ttom an State and Civilisation are to be published in English. During the last two years I have often consulted your work, always with profit, and read it with pleasure. An English translation will be a m ajor resource for scholars." The orientalist Stanford-Ezel Shaw com m ented on this work saying the “H istory of the O ttom an State, Society and C ivilisation", produced and edited by E. Ihsanoğlu, provides a m ajor integrated approach to the political, adm inistrative, and social life o f a m ajor pow er located betw een East and W est. It is especially im portant in its highlighting o f the complex O ttoman cultural achievem ents in the six centuries o f its presence. This w ork, in addition to offering detailed inform ation on subjects as diverse as systems o f taxation, legislation, justice, finance, and industrial activity, is a unique invitation to scholars o f com parative history to see institutions and issues in a world historical perspective." No other publication o f such a com prehensive nature has been published up to now, either in Turkish or any other language. The "History o f the Ottoman State, Society and Civilisation" fills a huge gap in the study o f O ttom an history and will act as a valuable aid to anyone concerned w ith learning or researching this topic. It is exceptional in that it covers such a wide range o f topics and therefore pro-

World news.

vides an opportunity for the general reader, as well as the specialist, to leam about the history o f a state -which prospered for nearly six centuries and encom passed people o f many ethnicities and faiths, a state which has left an enduring heritage which can still .be appreciated to this day It opens the doors to a fresh, unbiased look at the history of the Ottoman state and offers a chance to re-evaluate the nature o f its relationships with its .Arab and M uslim neighbours

,Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an, Volume One A-D, edited by Jane Dammen McAuliffe V olum e

the

LncNclopaedia ،)(' the" ‫■ ■ جأة ه'م ح قء‬Quran" has >ee'e'n(ly been ‫ا‬ ‫؛ أ ' أ ا ' ا ا ا ' ا‬،'‫ ا ؛‬b\ the ‫;ااال‬،']‫ا ا‬ publishers. ‫ ا؛ آ أ ا‬Theenc .1\‫ اآلاا م ااا 'أ‬،، ‫؛‬s intended to be ‫ |إ م‬، 1 1 ‫' ي‬ a systematic ‫ د س‬, -meticu lous ‫؛ < الا ا‬١١' the meanings ‫ ئ؟ ؛ ' م‬.‫ء ال ؛ ب م ء‬:‫• ''“ي أ آ‬ ١١) the Qur an employing ‫' ءأ|؛ ج ةه و ء‬-; ‫'؛■•هةبمء‬:I'nglish ،‫ إي< ااااآااااا’ ا آ‬rather ‫ا‬ ‫ ؛‬1‫س‬

‫ ;ااا ي‬، ‫■ اااا‬

' '

Its ;،‫؛‬٨١ is to familiarise I Western readers ١١‫؛)؛‬٦ :the I meanings ofthe )‫ ااار‬-'‫؛‬،‫; أا‬،‫ ااا‬1 ‫ا‬ to facilitate research for ‫ا‬ speakers of languages other -than Arabic, Persian and Turkish, the basic lan .guages o f Islamic culture The scholarly introduction by ٥٢ M cA uliffe explains the internal structure o f the Q u r^ n and -touches upon them atic variations and stylistic differ ences existing within the text. She addresses the question o f Q u ran ic interpretation of the Q ur ’‫؛‬in and em phasises that the Q u r^n is only essentially the Q ur ’‫؛‬in in its Arabic version, while translations into -other languages are to be considered mere interpre tations or explanations o f the m eanings o f the Q ur^n for non-A rabic speakers. The introduction also deals with the different traditional Q u ran ic sciences and their developm ent as well as the definition of -know ledge o f the Q u r^ n and the means o f acquir .mg tt Planning for the publication o f this encyclopaedia began in 1992 and was followed by much laudable effort to produce the first volume in 2001. Further volum es are expected to be published within the next five years. The entries are arranged alphabet ‫؛‬cally according to the terms as expressed in English rather than as transliterated from Arabic). This ( approach may inflam e Arab or Q ur ’‫؛‬،,nic scholars ' ' but the editor prom ises to put an end to all in the last volum e where indices and glossaries of Arabic Q u ra n ic terms will be classified with the -corresponding English terms to allow cross-refer .encing for all users -It should be noted that each entry in this ency clopaedia has been written by Q ur ’‫‘؛‬ inic .m any o f whom are M uslim This encyclopaedia will be a m ajor im petus for English-speaking academ ics and scholars enabling them to explore the treasures contained in the Q ur’an .

AL-FURQAN ISLAM IC HERITAGE FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER VII

١٦

World news...

F irst D igital E dition o f the M anuscript Collection in the Library o f Alexandria

•

"A l-L am a' fl al-N ahw " by Abu al-Fath 'U thm an ibn Jin n I al-M awşilT (d. 392A H ). This book is one o f the earliest reliable references for the history o f A rabic literature and is based on the teachings o f the fam ous gram m ar teacher, Shaykh .<١١٦٧ ‘AIT al-F arisi. T his m anuscript, w ritten in the script in the 7th century AH, is one o f the m ost valuable in the possession ٠،' the A lexandria Library.

•

"A l-T ^ !k h al-KabTr" by MaqrTzI, TaqT al-D In A bü al'A bbas A hm ad Ibn 'A bd ‫ا ال‬-‫؛ ز؛‬،،1‫ آا‬al-HussainT al-M aşrl (d. 859A H ). T his volum e is a rough copy o f a work MaqrTzT intended to publish under the title "AI-TarTkh al-KabTr". It is a rare copy o f a fragm ented w ork handw ritten by the author.

In its endeavour to preserve the Islam ic heritage, the Library o f A lexandria has published the first digital edition o f its collectio n o f m anuscripts. The collection includes treasures o f Islam ic heritage from the L ibrary stored on com pact discs. T he recording is o f such quality that it fully recreates reading the original m anuscript. T he project aim s to take rare m anuscripts ٥،'،' dusty shelves into the m ost up-to-date realm o f digital publishing and m ake them available to researchers w orldw ide. A ccess to rare m anuscripts in a digital form will enhance the possibility ‫ آ ه‬their

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w ide dissem ination w hile preserving the original m anuscripts u n d e r m useum conditions. T he published discs contain the follow ing seven m anuscripts: • "T ak h m ls Q a sld a h al-B urdah" by al-B üw aşIrI. W ritten in thuluth script, it is an exceptionally beautiful and guilded copy w ritten for 'A ’ishah bint Ism â'Il al-K h‫؛‬izin w ith a registration o f ow nership dating back to 1‫ ا‬0 ‫ و‬AH.

National Scientific Research Centre in France Honours Professor Roshdi Rashed In 2 1 ‫س‬

Professor R oshdi Rashed, a m em ber o f al-Furqan

Foundation’s Board o f E xperts, w as aw arded a m edal ‫ آ ه‬honour by the N ational Scientific R esearch C entre (C N R S) in France . T his w as in recognition o f his efforts in the field o f scientific research and in com m endation o f his contribution to the Centre.

P rofessor Ibrahim C habbouh D elivers a ^ c t u r e on the M osque o f ‘Uqbah i b n N ^ i‘ By invitation o f th e K uw aiti Institute o fls la m ic M onum ents, ٥٤٢ al-’A thar al-lslam iyyah, Professor Ibrahim C habbouh, a m em ber o f the Institute and D irector o f Al al-B ayt li al-F ikr al-lslâmT in Jordan, delivered a lecture about the m osque o f ‘U qbah ‫؛‬١٦٨ N a fr in Q airaw an. T he speaker drew attention to the spiritual significance o f the m osque and brought to light T he 'T a k h m is Q asld ah al-B urdah" •

•

new inform ation he had acquired in devoting tw o decades to

"D iw an s ‫؛‬،l‫؛‬unah bin Jandal" by the Jâhili poet know n as Salâm ah ibn Jandal ibn 'A m ru ibn S a'ad al-T am lm l (d .23 pre H ijra). The copy is in a good condition, inflected and annotated, w ritten in a clear thuluth script in 494A H and allocated to the z a w ’Iah o f Abü S a 'id alA ‫؟‬m a'I. "A l- Z lj al-Jam i', by K üshiâr ibn Laban al-JIII (d. after 4 ‫ق‬9 ‫ ر س‬. T his is a rare m anuscript covering the second part o f the w ork "Al- Z lj al-Jam i' ", and was copied in 566A H from a w ell-illustrated handw ritten original by K üshiâr dated 393A H . "G hayath a l-’U m am fl al-T hiyath al-Z ulum " by the Im am o f the T w o H oly M osques, A bü al-M am âlI D iyâ’ al-D In ‘A bd al-M alik a l-jü w a in l (d.478A H ). This is a good copy o f a m anuscript w ritten by 'A ll ibn Abü ’A şrün (in the 6th century A H ) in A leppo. W ell know n to researchers, it contains an im portant political extract on Islamic' political thought. ’’A l- B a d l'r i N a q d al-Shi'r" b ^ e m a s t» ^ e t ’U sâm ah Ibn M unqidh (d. 584A H ). T his m anuscript is good copy w ritten in n a skh i script in 61 1AH. Som e 95 chapters long, the m anuscript contains various passages review ing and analysing poetry.

researching and restoring this unique m onum ent.

Conference on Islam in the Fifteenth Century Al al-B ayt li al-F ikr al-Islam l in A m m an is to hold its tw elfth conference, entitled "The Reality o،' Islam in the Fifteenth Century" on 4th A ugust 2 2 ‫ س‬.

P u b lic a tio n s o f the N ational M useum o f P ak istan The follow ing are expected to be published shortly by the N ational M useum o f Pakistan: "Catalogue o f Illustrated M anuscripts in the M useum o f Pakistan" "Catalogue o f M anuscripts on H adith and Fiqh" (in A rabic) "Catalogue o f M anuscripts o f the Holy Q ur’an" (in A rabic and Urdu)

Publications o fÂ I al-Bayt li ^ -F ik r al-Is^ m i Al al-B ayt li al-F ikr al-Islam l in A m m an has published volum es VI and VII o f "The C om prehensive C atalogue o f A rabic Islam ic M anuscripts" relating to fiqh and its principles. T w o other catalogues are currently being prepared by expert scholars w hich will be devoted to the sciences, m athem atics and m edicine and to history, biographies and other works.

‫ءا‬

AL-FURQAN ISLAM IC HERITAGE FOUNDATION NEW SLETTER VII

S T A T E M E N T O F M IS S IO N

Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation has the general brief to care for Islamic manuscripts. The Strategic Aims of the Foundation are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

to to to to to

identify and describe existing collections o f Islamic manuscripts s t o o g e t ^ s e ™ nuscripts where needed help in the preservation o f Islamic manuscripts record m n u s c r i^ s u ^ n ^ ^ t o - t h e - m ^ u t e te publish critical editions o f selected Islamic texts

The Foundation realises these strategic aims through: Surveys o f Islamic manuscript collections Cataloguing Islamic m anuscript collections Imaging Islamic manuscript collections or individual manuscripts ?reservation o f Islamic m anuscript collections or individual manuscripts ?ublishing critical editions o f im portant texts Conferences on Islamic manuscripts The Foundation promotes its work and its interests in Islamic culture generally and in the manuscript tradition specifically through: Public Lectures and Events Exhibitions ftiannnal Newsletters Community Connections The Foundation has also built up a library as a resource for students and scholars o flslam ic manuscripts. This library holds almost 80% of all published catalogues of Islamic manuscripts. The Foundation has also undertaken to set up training courses for cataloguers and an award for scholarly achievement in the field o f Islamic manuscripts.

AL-FURQAN ISLAM IC HERITAGE FOUNDATION NEW SLETTER VII

‫وا‬

A L - M U N A J J ID F E S T S C H R IF T

Al-Furqan Foundation w ill celebrate the life and continued work o f Professor Salah al-DIn al-Munajjid with a festschrift scheduled for publication later this year. The book w ill contain articles by Professor Munajjid's colleagues and students as w ell as those influenced by his example and his work. The scholars are located in the Arab and Islamic world as w ell as in Europe and North America. The articles will be in both Arabic and English. FORTHCOMING CONFERENCE The following conferences have been held at the Foundation's h e a d q u ^ e r ^ W im bledon, England: Decem ber 1991, the Inaugural C onference on "The Significance o f Islam ic M anuscripts"; Novem ber 1993, "The Codicology o f Islamic M anuscripts"; N ovem ber 1995, "The C onservation and Preservation o f Islamic M anuscripts"; November 1997, "Editing Islam ic M anuscripts o f Science" and November 1999, "Geography and the N atural Sciences in Islamic M ‫^؛‬uscripts". The Foundation's Conference VI and Conference VII will be held on "The Islamic M anuscript Tradition in the Human and Social Sciences". Topics will include History, Jurisprudence, Linguistics, Political Thought, Psychology and Sociology. It is expected that C onference VI will he held during 2003 and will include panels on: * Philosophy o f Jurisprudence in Islam * M athem atics and the Human Sciences in Islam * Social and Political Theories in Islamic History * Urbanisation and the Science of Civilisation in Islam * Theories o f Psychology in Islamic Culture * The Penetration o f W estern Historiography into Islamic Thought: the Exam ple o f the Ottoman Experience

Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation Eagle House, High Street, Wimbledon ‫ س م أ‬0 ‫ ه‬SW19 5EF E-mail: info@al-furqan.com h^://www.^-fiu'qan.com Tel: + 4 4 (0 )2 0 8944 1233 Fax:+ 4 4 (0 )2 0 8944 1633