Naẓm al-Jamīʻ al-ṣaghīr, [late 15th century?].

Fine copy of Abū Naṣr al-Farāḥī's (d.1242) versification of al-Jamīʻ al-ṣaghīr fī al-furūʻ, the well-known legal treatise by Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī (d.804). Excerpts from Kashf al-ẓunūn addressing these two works appear on leaf affixed to 'title page' (p.5).

Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Library, Isl. Ms. 569

Origin: Lacks dated colophon ; paper, etc. would suggest mid to late 15th century. Damage and tail edge inscription (هدية ابن العماد وجامع الصغير بنظام [؟]) suggest that the codex originally opened with gatherings (now lost) carrying a transcript of Hadīyat Ibn al-ʻImād (cf. GAL II 291 no.3 and S II 402 no.3).

Accompanying materials: a. Inventory cataloguing slip in hand of Winifred Smeaton Thomas (pp.1-2) -- b. Acquisitions slip from Yahuda (pp.3-4).

Former shelfmark: From 'title page' (p.5) and envelope flap label "IL 395a" (likely supplied by Yahuda, see acquisitions slip).

Binding: Fiber boards (upper cover now lost) covered in shell marbled paper (mainly in blue, red, yellow, white) with red leather over spine and fore edge flap ; Type II binding (with flap) ; no board linings (i.e., interior of boards not lined, hinges and turn-ins only) ; sewn in grey-brown thread, two stations ; endbands have sustained significant losses but grey-brown primaries over red core still visible ; overall in quite poor condition with upper cover entirely lost, spine lining and leather almost gone, some abrasion and staining, etc. ; housed in board wrapper for protection.

Support: European laid paper of perhaps several types ; opening type with 9 laid lines per cm. (vertical), chain lines spaced roughly 28 mm. apart (horizontal), and scissors watermark (roughly 65 mm. tall, 33 mm. wide, see p.10, 11, etc. and compare Briquet 3685 Firenze etc. 1459-1472 and Piccard no. 122460 Bassano 1449 and no.122488-90/93 Ravenna 1470-71) ; next type with 10 laid lines per cm. (vertical), chain lines spaced 26 and 36-38 mm. apart (horizontal) and much smaller scissors watermark (roughly 48 mm. tall, 20-22 mm. wide, see p.22 / 32) ; another type with 9 laid lines per cm. (vertical), chain lines spaced 29 and 38 mm. apart (horizontal), and shears watermark (see p.90, 91, etc.) ; all sturdy, fairly transluscent and well-burnished ; some staining.

Script: Naskh with elements of nastaʻlīq (talik) ; clear Turkish hand in a bold line ; virtually serifless with effect of tilt to the right, slight effect of words descending to baseline, elongation of horizontal strokes, casually pointed in strokes rather than distinct dots, alif maqṣūrah and final yāʼ often mardūdah, hāʼ looking like two inverted commas, kāf mashqūqah preferred (even final kāf), freely ligatured.

Layout: Written in 9 and 12 lines per page with written area divided to two columns to set off the verses.

Collation: IV-1 (7), 6 IV(55), IV-1 (62) ; almost exclusively quaternions ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization (includes inserts).

Explicit: "وما عودي بمنحوت ولما تقدم لي تقوم به الطعان لسبعة عشرة ومائين ست سنين [؟] احد لي هذا السنان ضحى يوم الخميس مدى جمادى الاخيرة حين باخ المعمعان لابيات الكتاب لها حساب لرغبة [؟] اخي فهذا الترجمان"

Incipit: "الحمد لله مزكي الشمس والقمر والى البرية ذي الاقدار والقدر ..."

Title from inscription on leaf affixed to 'title page' (p.5).

Ms. codex.

Ḥājjī Khalīfah. Kashf al-ẓunūn,

Brockelmann, C. GAL,

Fine copy of Abū Naṣr al-Farāḥī's (d.1242) versification of al-Jamīʻ al-ṣaghīr fī al-furūʻ, the well-known legal treatise by Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Shaybānī (d.804). Excerpts from Kashf al-ẓunūn addressing these two works appear on leaf affixed to 'title page' (p.5).

Mode of access: Internet.

Acquired in 1926 from the bookseller Isaac Benjamin S.E. Yahuda via purchase transacted on his behalf by Abraham Shalom Yahuda (1877-1951), his younger brother.

Extensive marginal and interlinear glosses ; occasional corrections ; among statements in Turkish at close (p.128), statement mentioning "فخر النواب مولانا ادريس المقحم" and date 1st Rabīʻ [?] 1010 [ca. 30 August or 29 September 1601].