Title: Masabeeh as-Sunnah | مصابيح السنة
Author: Abu Muhammad Al-Hussayn bin Mas’ood bin Muhammad bin Al-Farra Al-Baghawi Ash-Shaafi’ee (d. 516H) | أبو محمد الحسين بن مسعود بن محمد بن الفراء البغوي الشافعي
Scribe: Haaji bin Ilyaas bin Yusuf bin Ayyoub Shawi Al-Kourani| حاجي بن الياس بن يوسف بن ايوب شاوي الكوراني
Date: Friday, 28th of Dhul Qa’dah, 950H | 22nd of February, 1544 CE
Script: Naskh
Size: 31.5 x 21.5 CM
Folios: V1: [1] +233 +[1] ; V2: 257ff
Description: 15 Lines/Page | European Laid Paper with Watermark: Tower (Tour crénelé) that resembles Briquet 15893 that is dated 1532CE (Briquet, Les Filigranes)| Black ink with Rubrication of some chapter titles and Nuqat al I’raab along with some marginalia and Floral Roundals indicating ending of Hadeeth. Chapter titles are in a larger Muhaqqaq script. | Extensive Hawashi, notably explanations (Shuruhaat). References to Mafateeh, the Sharh of Madhhar-ud-deen az-Zaydani on Masabeeh is common throughout both volumes. There are several inserts with additional annotations in Sharh of this work. | The manuscript has several later repairs and numerous wormholes minor water damage on some pages in volume two. There is extensive damage to the spine of the cover leaving some pages unbound. There is some damage that results in loss of text on the last page because of the damage of the cover. The cover and binding are original and in bad condition.
Vol 1: Incipit: الحمد للَّه وسلام على عباده الذين اصطفى والصلاة التامة الدائمة على رسوله المجتبى محمد سيد الورى وعلى آله نجوم الهدى. قال الشيخ الإمام
Explicit: عن أبي مسعود الأنصاري رضي اللَّه عنه قال: “كُنْتُ أَضرِبُ غلامًا لي فسمعتُ مِن خلفي صَوْتًا: اعلمْ أَبا مسعودٍ! لَلَّهُ أَقْدَرُ عليكَ منكَ عليهِ، فالتَفَتُّ فإذا ;
Vol 2: Incipit: هوَ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّهُ عليه وسلم، فقلتُ: يا رسولَ اللَّهِ هوَ حرٌّ لوجهِ اللَّهِ فقالَ: أَما لَو لَمْ تفعلْ للفَحَتْكَ النّارُ، أَوْ لَمسَّتْكَ النّارُ
Explicit: عن أنس رضي اللَّه عنه قال: قالَ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّهُ عليه وسلم: “مثلُ أمتي مثلُ المطرِ لا يُدْرَى أوله خيرٌ أم آخِرُه” والله أعلم
Provenance: On the inside of the cover of Vol 1. there is a note: دفتر بوءدك (؟) محمود حبيب (؟) بك زاده ملا مصطفى وعبد القادر “Book [..] Mahmoud Habeeb (?) Bek Zadeh Mulla Mustafa (and?) ‘Abdul-Qaadir”; On Recto of Fol [1], there is a notation in red that appears to mention a name and lineage, the first part appears to be: “حسن خان جميل بك” Hasan Khan Jameel Bek. This handwriting is different from the text of the manuscript and the marginalia likely being that of an owner. | On the Fol 1. Verso, there are two seals (both the same seal) and the name is written as a Tughra and what I can read is محمد بن عبد الله “Muhammad bin ‘Abdillaah”, Muhammad is above two wreaths and ‘Abdullah appears on the top right. Within the Beyze part of the Tughra, جي is visible. Could it be Al-Haaji? | Another seal with a name clearly bears the name علي “Ali”, but the rest isn’t clear. | Vol 2: On the inside of the cover, there is a penciled ownership note that’s difficult to read. On the margins of one of the folios in Volume 2, there is an ownership note: صاحبه ومالكه ملا محمد بن ملا عبد الله “Owned by Mulla Muhammad bin Mulla ‘Abdullah” and below it is a seal that is difficult to decipher but appears elsewhere on the manuscript. On the last folio of volume 2 there is an ownership note: دخل في ملك الفقير الحقير الحاجي مصطفى بن عبد الله من توابع نظمي زاده بعد ما دخل في ملك حاجي عبد الله ابن حاجي ابراهيم وقد باعه بحضور جماعة من المسلمين اللائي ذكرهم …. 13 في ربيع الأول 1145 سنة … ملا عبد الله سويد… شيخ مرعي … عبد الله بن جلال الدين “Entered into the ownership of the Faqeer al Haqeer Al-Haaji Mustafa bin ‘Abdullaah from the followers of Nadhmi Zadeh after it was previously entered in the ownership of Haaji ‘Abdullah bin Haaji Ibraaheem and it was sold in the presence of a group of Muslims who are mentioned below: 13th of Rabee’ al Awwal 1145H (3rd of September, 1732CE)… Mulla ‘Abdullah Suwaid… Shaykh Mar’ee… Abdullah bin Jalaaluddeen ” There is also a seal above this which bears the name Muhammad Mustafa and I cannot read the complete seal| There are numerous paper inserts in both volumes of the manuscript that give some indication to the historical ownership. Some of the inserts are written in Arabic in a different script from the main text, and appears on different paper dating from the 18th to 20th century. Some of the text is written in Arabic and appears to be reminders or small talks on Islamic subjects. There are other notes written using Arabic letters but in a different language, either Ottoman Turkish or another language (I’m not able to read it). Some text is written in pencil and others in ink of different colors. One paper insert has what appears to be the second Khutbah on it, as it contains the Du’a and ending commonly used in the second khutbah. On the back of this paper insert, there is a handwriting of the English alphabet in cursive as if the writer was practicing from A to H. It appears to be of someone learning English as there is a vocalization in Arabic letters written above each English letter on the first line (A – ا) (B – به) etc. There is a watermark with a Star of David and the letters E N U S below it (the first letter is cut off, but I assume it’s V). I haven’t been able to identify and date this watermark, but the content of the Khutbah gives us the time period as it cites Du’aa for the leader of the Muslims of the time: السلطان ابن السلطان، السلطان عبد المجيد خان ابن السلطان عبد العزيز (؟) خان “The Sultan son of the Sultan, Sultan ‘Abdul Majeed Khan bin Sultan Abdul ‘Azeez (?) Khan”. This is likely the Ottoman Sultans in the 19th century. Another insert has a watermark with the text “The Lion Grand” and a rampart lion holding a septre in a circle. One of the inserts has a date 1241H (1825 CE) and it is calculating the age of the manuscript in relation to that year and it is signed “محمد جميل افندي” Muhammad Jameel Effendi. | Another group of inserts found between the pages were some fragments of an Ottoman Turkish magazine called “اسلام مجموعه سي” (pg 176) and is written in Ottoman Turkish with Arabic script. These fragments can be traced to the published edition on 27th Jumad al Oula, 1332H/ 23rd April, 1914 CE. | Given all of this information, we can presume that the provenance of this manuscript is in the Ottoman regions until the early 20th century
Research Notes: The Muhaqqiq of the Dar al Ma’rifah print of Masabih as Sunnah, Dr. Yusuf Al-Mer’ashli (Published in 1407H/1987CE) noted that there are 41 manuscripts of this work with 42 explanations (Vol. 1: pg. 50 & pg. 100). The first publication of Masabeeh as Sunnah was in 1294H by Bulaq press. Refer to Masabeeh As Sunnah, Dar al Ma’rifah, Tahqeeq Dr. Yusuf Al-Mer’ashli; Beirut, Lebanon , pages 1/100-103 for an extensive list of the existing manuscripts in catalogues and libraries. Dr. Al-Mer’ashli relied on a complete manuscript dated 804H/1402CE for this print. | Volume 1 of Masabeeh as-Sunnah scribed by Ameer Ahmad bin Jamaluddeen Al-Bakbazari and dated 843H/1439CE from Konya, Ottoman Turkey was on auction at Bonhams Islamic and Indian Art auction (Lot 9; April 28, 2005) for an estimate of $1,000 – $1,300. A manuscript dated 811H/1409CE of Masabeeh as-Sunnah sold along with two other manuscripts at Christie’s in the Islamic Arts and Manuscripts auction on May 1st, 2001; Lot 54 for 2,350 British Pounds. There have been several other auctions in the early 2000s carrying manuscripts of Masabeeh as-Sunnah.
Accession #: Ms.125c