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Catalogue: Plague Tracts

‘Umdat al-rāwīn fī bayān aḥkām al-ṭawā‘īn (MS A 80): (The Authority of the Narrators Concerning the Explanation of the Principles of Plagues); عمدة الراوين فى بيان احكام الطواعين; by Abū ‘Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥaṭṭāb al-Malikī al-Ru‘aynī (d. 1547/954); محمد ابن محمد ابن الحطاب الملكى الرعينى

This plague tract was written on the occasion of the occurrence of plague at the end of the year 1536-7/943. The author is apparently the same as the Malakite theologian Abū ‘Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥaṭṭāb al-Malikī al-Ru‘aynī who died in 1547/954.

According to the colophon of the NLM copy, the author finished composing the treatise on 19 Rabi‘ II 944 [= 26 September 1537]. The copy is undated, but its appearance suggests that it was made during the author's lifetime or is even in the author's hand.

No other copy is recorded.

‘Umdat al-rāwīn fī bayān aḥkām al-ṭawā‘īn (MS A 80)

Illustrations

Folio 40b, the end of a plague tract featuring the colophon of Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥaṭṭāb's ‘Umdat al-rāwīn fī bayān aḥkām al-ṭawā‘īn (The Authority of the Narrators Concerning the Explanation of the Principles of Plagues). The thick, biscuit paper is worm-eaten, and has been repaired at the edge. The text is written in a small naskh script written using a brown-black ink with headings in red and red overlinings.

MS A 80, fol. 40b

The end of a plague tract that, according to the colophon shown here, was completed on 19 Rabi‘ II 944 (= 26 September 1537). The author is apparently the same as the Malakite theologian Abū ‘Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥaṭṭāb al-Malikī al-Ru‘aynī who died in 1547/954. The undated copy appears to have been made during the author's lifetime and is possibly in his own hand.

Physical Description

Arabic. 41 leaves (fols. 1a-40b). Dimensions 16.3 x 11 (text area 13 x 8) cm; 23-4 lines per page. The title is given on the title page (fol. 1a) and in the text (fol. 2a, lines 12-13). The author's name is given on the title page (fol. 1a) as Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥaṭṭāb; Sommer (Schullian/Sommer. Cat. of incun. & MSS., p. 323-4) misread the honorific word sayyidi as the proper name Yahya ibn.

The copy is undated; the appearance of the paper, script, and ink suggests a dating of about 1600 or possibly earlier. It is possible that the copy was made during the author's lifetime or is even in the author's hand.

According to the colophon (fol. 40b lines 5-7), the author finished writing the treatise on 19 Rabi‘ II 944 [= 26 September 1537]. The occurrence of plague in the land at the end of the year 943 [= 1536 or 1537] is mentioned on fol. 1b, lines 7-8.

The text was copied in North Africa, in a small naskh script written using a brown-black ink with headings in red and red overlinings. Fols. 10 and 40 were transcribed by a different scribe. The folios are numbered in Arabic numerals.

There are some marginal notes, and on fols. 41a and 41b there are recipes and miscellaneous notes, all in later hands.

The thick, biscuit paper has neither laid lines nor chain lines visible. It is worm-eaten, and some folios have been repaired at the edges.

The volume consists of 41 leaves. Recipes and miscellaneous notes are found on fols. 41a and 41b, all in later hands. Two miscellaneous notes in later hands are on fol. 1a; two later notes were added on fol. 40b after the colophon, one dated 1233 [= 1817-8].

Binding

The volume is bound in a red leather modern library binding with envelope flap. There are modern paper pastedowns and endpapers.

Provenance

The volume was purchased in 1941 by the Army Medical Library from A. S. Yahuda (ELS 1849). No further information is available on its provenance.

References

Schullian/Sommer. Cat. of incun. & MSS., A80, pp. 323-4, where the author is given as Yahya ibn Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ḥaṭṭāb.

NLM Microfilm Reel: FILM 48-127 no. 4