Abstract: Al-Wasit fi-al-Adab al-‘Arabi wa-Tarikhih (The interpreter of Arabic literature and its history) is a textbook in Arabic literature approved for use by the Egyptian Ministry of Education in the various schools under its jurisdiction, namely all teacher-training institutes and secondary schools. The authors were religious and literary figures. The better known of the two, Shaykh Ahmad al-Iskandarī, was born in Alexandria, pursued his studies at al-Azhar, and became a teacher in the schools of al-Fayyūm and other areas around Cairo. He was appointed to the faculty of Cairo University and was elected to the prestigious Arabic Language Academy. He was the author of several textbooks, including a history of Abbasid literature. Shaykh Mustafa ‘Anani appears also to have been a teacher, although not a great deal is known about where he lived and worked. He was the author of a work on the 11th-century Andalusian poet Ibn Zaydun, first published by Dar al-Ma’arif in 1899 and subsequently updated. The current work is the first edition of al-Wasit. It became a standard text in the Arabic curriculum. As is usually the case with Dar al-Ma’arif publications, the book is of a high standard of scholarship and production. The authors cover the history of Arabic literature in all its aspects: poetry, prose, historical narrative, rhetoric, and so forth from pre-Islamic times to their own day. As an important reference in the field, it is supplemented by al-Iskandarī’s multivolume, Muntakhab min Adab al-‘Arab (Selections from Arabic literature), published in Cairo 1944−54.Physical description: 288 pages ; 25 centimeters
Abstract: Badāʼiʻ al-ṣanāʼiʻ fī tartīb al-sharāʼiʻ (The most wondrous of crafts in arrangement of paths) by the Hanafi scholar Abu Bakr al-Kasani (died 1191) is a compendium of the judicial principles and practices established by the eighth century jurist Nuʿman ibn Thabit, better known as Abu Hanifa, the founder of the most widespread school of sharia (Islamic law). Al-Kasani is one of a number of medieval fuqaha’ (legal authorities) influenced by Abu Hanifa and his early followers. The work covers the fundamental tenets of Islam and the obligations of Muslims. Topics are examined in multiple facets, including historical, textual, circumstantial, and procedural. In the section on purification before prayer where no pure running water is available (tayammum, or dry ablution), for example, al-Kasani examines principles established in the Qur’an and by the practice of the Prophet Muhammad, customary practice, and the methods of performing tayammum. The last part of the work covers adab al-qadi (the conduct of judges) and includes procedure for manumission of slaves, punishment for a variety of crimes, jihad, testimony, and evidence. Al-Kasani, dubbed “king of hadith scholars” by his contemporaries, was a student of Muhammad al-Samarqandi, whose daughter, Fatima, he married. His mahr (marriage offering) was said to be this book, which he wrote for the occasion and which Fatima’s father readily accepted in preference to offerings from richer but less learned and less pious suitors. Fatima was a prominent Hanafi authority and judge in her own right who assisted her husband in his judicial opinions. Al-Kasani died in Aleppo, Syria, and is buried with Fatima bint Muhammad al-Samarqandi. The work was published in 1909−10 in Cairo in seven volumes by Muhammad Amin al-Khangi who, along with others, financed publication.Physical description: 7 volumes ; 28 centimeters
Abstract: This six-volume work of al-shari’ah (Islamic law) is a commentary by ʻUthman ibn ʻAli al-Zaylaʻi (died 1342 or 1343) on a compendium of judgments by ʻAbd Allah ibn Ahmad Al-Nasafi (died 1310), a near contemporary of the author. Islamic legal texts are often accompanied by marginal commentaries and Tabayīn al-ḥaqāʼiq (Exposition of realities) is no exception. The main text by al-Zaylaʻi is accompanied in the margins by a commentary by Shihab al-Din Ahmad al-Shilbi (died 1611 or 1612). The manuscript thus contains al-Zaylaʻi’s commentary Tabayīn al-ḥaqāʼiq on al-Nasafi’s Kanz al-daqāʼiq (Treasury of intricacies), with an untitled marginal gloss by al-Shilbi on al-Zaylaʻi’s commentary. Tabayīn al-ḥaqāʼiq is a comprehensive exposition of Hanafite legal regulations, including those relating to prayer and ritual, business transactions, marriage and divorce, fostering of children, legal procedure, and many other topics. Al-Nasafi is held in esteem by followers of Hanafite jurisprudence; al-Zaylaʻi’s commentary is also highly regarded. Little is known of al-Zaylaʻi’s life other than that he probably came from the port city of al-Zaylaʻ (also called Zeila or Saylac, in present-day Somalia) and taught in Cairo. Even less is recorded in the biographical literature about al-Shilbi. As with the other schools of Sunni law, the Hanafite tradition began well after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632. Abu Hanifah (died 767 or 768) made his reputation as a teacher in Baghdad and Kufa in Abbasid Iraq. His teachings were memorized, copied, and transmitted by his students and their successors, whose works are considered authoritative. Hanafi jurisprudence is the predominant tradition in Central and South Asia, Turkey, and many other regions. The present work was published in Cairo at Bulaq Press, the government printing house, at the expense of the book merchant ʻUmar al-Khashshab, who “underwrote the printing inasmuch as students called for it, experts needed its support, and the public desired its benefits.”Physical description: 6 volumes ; 25 centimeters
Abstract: Tanzīh al-Qurʼān ʻan al-maṭāʻin (Defending the Qurʼan against slander) is a detailed commentary on the Qurʼan from the viewpoint of the early philosophical wing of Islamic speculative theology known as Mu’tazilah, which emphasized the oneness of the Godhead (Allah) and the primacy of human reason in understanding his will. This view gave rise to intense debate, with alternate views expressed by the rationalist Asharites and mystical adepts (Sufis). In Islamic intellectual history, philosophical speculation of this sort is termed ‘ilm al-kalam (science of discourse). As with many such abstract arguments, the debate spilled over into politics and even bloodshed. Eventually, the theological views of Abu al-Hasan al-Asha’ari (died circa 935) prevailed as the basis of Sunni scholastic theology, and the Mu’tazilite school disappeared from the mainstream. The author of the main work in this volume, ‘Abd al-Jabbar al-Asadabadi (circa 937−1025), was a prominent figure in Mu’tazilism and Tanzīh al-Qurʼan has an important place in its history. ‘Abd al-Jabbar addresses issues of faith and morality in light of what he describes as the inherently rational injunctions of the Qurʼan. Questions and answers are arranged according to the suras (chapters) of the Qurʼan. Topics include marriage, gambling, drinking alcohol, death, and jihad. The author responds to questions by arguing that, whatever the injunction, God has created what is best for mankind and the believer is free to choose the right path. Abu al-Hasan ʻAbd al-Jabbar ibn Ahmad ibn ʻAbd al-Jabbar al-Hamadhani (the full name of ‘Abd al-Jabbar’, who was nicknamed Qadhi al-Qudhat, meaning the Judge of the Judges) was born in Asadabad in present-day Iran. He was a prolific author and the leader of the Mu'tazilites of his time. His erudition was sought at court in Baghdad. He eventually moved to the Iranian provincial capital Rayy (Rey or Ray), where he died. His magnum opus is the al-Mughni (Summa), a compendium of Mu’tazilah thought. Tanzih al-Qurʼan is followed by a 20-page treatise attributed to judge-exegete Raghib al-Isfahani (died 1108), entitled Muqaddimat al-tafsir (Introduction to Qurʼan commentary), which appears to be a précis of his other, longer works on the subject. It has no connection to the main work of the volume. The book was printed in 1911 at the Jamaliyah Press in Cairo and was financed by Muhammad Saʿid al-Rafiʿ, owner of the Azhariyah Bookstore.Physical description: 432 pages ; 20 centimeters
Abstract: Tahdhib al-akhlaq (Refinement of character) is a guide to practical conduct by the famous Iranian polymath Ibn Miskawayh (died 1030). It is considered a primary contribution to the field of ethics. Its origins are firmly rooted in Greek philosophy rather than in Islamic texts and traditions. In his philosophical writings, Ibn Miskawayh presents rational rather than scriptural arguments. Often associated by scholars with Neo-Platonist methods, the author makes frequent reference to Aristotle in discussing human nature, requirements for happiness, and the virtuous life. Ibn Miskawayh is sometimes categorized with Shia medieval philosophers, but he is universally heralded throughout the Muslim world, as exemplified by this rendering of the work by Egyptian editor ‘Abd al-‘Alim Salih, who dedicates the work to Ottoman sultan ‘Abd al-Hamid II and to Egyptian ruler ‘Abbas Hilmi Basha (1874−1944). The edition also includes a preface by a prominent jurist of al-Azhar, a further testament to the widespread appeal of Ibn Miskawayh’s writings in the Islamic world. The work was published in Cairo at al-Taraqqi Press. It is not a critical edition of the original. Rather, it gives the appearance of being a private endeavor, perhaps published to win favor at the Egyptian court. Ibn Miskawayh (also seen as Ibn Miskawah or Ibn Meskavayh) was a person of many accomplishments -- a librarian, court official, associate of princes, historian, physician, and philosopher. He was the correspondent or intellectual companion of many of the great thinkers of his time, such as Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi (died 1023). Depending on the vicissitudes of politics or career opportunities, he lived in Abbasid Baghdad and at other times at courts in Persian cities. Tahdhib al-akhlaq is also known by its subtitle Tathir al-‘irq (Purity of disposition). Ibn Miskawayh’s historical and philosophical writings have received much attention from modern scholars.Physical description: 187 pages ; 25 centimeters
Abstract: Hashiyah ‘ala al-‘Arba’in al-Nawawiyah fi al-ahadith al-qudsiyah (Commentary on al-Nawawi’s forty sacred hadiths) is a collection of commentaries by 19th-century Egyptian scholar ‘Abd Allah al-Nabarawi on the famous collection of hadiths known as ‘Arba’in al-Nawawi (Al-Nawawi’s forty hadiths). (In actuality, there are 42 hadiths.) Al-Nabarawi gives his work the alternative title ‘Urus al-afrah (The bride at the wedding feast). He provides word-by-word commentary on each of the hadiths. The title states that the selections are ahadith qudsi (sacred hadiths), a term denoting that the sayings are the actual words of God transmitted through the speech of the Prophet. Imam al-Nawawi was born in the village on Nawa near Damascus. He was and remains an important authority for the Shafi’i school of law. Forty hadiths is among his most famous works and has been republished often. No details are available on the life of al-Nabarawi. His earliest known work, Fara’id al-Fara’id (Precious gems regarding religious obligations), was completed circa 1841. This and other works by him are among the early imprints of the Bulaq Press in Cairo. The colophon gives valuable information about the operation of the Bulaq Press of the period when it was a government-operated facility. The editor of scientific (i.e., scholarly) works was ‘Abd al-Ghaffar Ibrahim al-Disuqi. The work was financed, perhaps with the expectation of repayment from the proceeds of sales, by Muhammad al-Shurbaji, chief of the merchants of the Ghuri wikalah (trading center) near al-Azhar Mosque. The press was headed by Husayn Husni. He was assisted by Muhammad Husni, who performed a number of functions such as heading the maktabah (sales shop) and the kaghadh-khanah (paper mill and warehouse), and by the mulahiz dhi ra’i al-musaddad (“gimlet-eyed foreman”), Abu ‘Aynayn Ahmad.Physical description: 186 pages ; 28 centimeters
Abstract: Hadharat al-Islam fi Dar al-Salam (Islamic civilization in the city of peace) is a work of historical imagination, written as a straightforward narrative free of stylistic adornments. The city referred to is Baghdad. The book straddles the transition in Arabic literature from baroque, poetic metaphor to a modern, economic prose style. Treatment of the subject is also innovative. Rather than an essay on glories of the Abbasid period (750−1258), the work is presented as the tale of an anonymous Persian traveler writing home about conditions in the largely Persianate empire. Drawing upon dozens of Arabic historical and literary sources, it describes the cityscapes and the cultural and political life of Basra and Baghdad. As is suggested by the title, the author, Jamīl Nakhlah Mudawwar (1862−1907), seeks to reconstruct the atmosphere of this golden age of Islamic achievement. Each conversation or detail of geography is referenced to the medieval source that inspired the scene. They include such contemporary sources as Kitab al-Aghani (The book of songs by Abū al-Faraj al-Iṣbahānī, 897 or 898−967), the geography by Yāqūt al-Ḥamawī (circa 1179−1229), and Kitāb alf laylah wa-laylah (The 1001 nights, most of which date from the eighth to the 14th centuries). Abbasid Baghdad was under the rule of the Iranian (and Shi’i) family, the Barmakids who, until their displacement in the early ninth century, built Baghdad into the opulent political and cultural capital of history and legend. Mudawwar brings a new approach to its history in this popular account. Little is known of the author, except that he was born in Beirut and spent his creative life in Cairo. The work was printed at the press of the newspaper al-Muqtatif, which helped to finance the publication.Physical description: 392 pages ; 23 centimeters
Abstract: Haqāʼiq al-akhbār ʻan duwal al-biḥār (Historical realities of maritime principalities) is a comprehensive textbook in three volumes on the history of European and Middle Eastern maritime powers from ancient times to the late 19th century. It was written mainly for students of the Egyptian Military Academy in 1896−98 by Admiral Ismaʻil Sarhank (also seen as Sarhang). The first two volumes contain significant detail on the Ottoman and Egyptian military forces, material that is useful in tracing the growth and decline of Ottoman military power and the development of Egypt’s armed forces during the 19th century. Although there is no bibliography or mention of sources, it is clear from the text and footnotes that Sarhank had access to Egyptian palace documents and a well-stocked library of Ottoman and European military and political history. Admiral (sometimes called General) Sarhank was nazir (headmaster) of the Egyptian Military Academy. His father immigrated to Egypt from Crete. Nothing is known of the author’s education in Cairo, except that he possessed a command of a half-dozen European languages. All three volumes were printed at Bulaq Press, the government printing house in Cairo. The final chapters of the third volume appear never to have been published.Physical description: 3 volumes ; 28 centimeters
Abstract: This work is a printed edition of Ḥusn al-muhādara fī akhbār Miṣr wa al-Qāhira (An agreeable discussion of the history of Egypt and Cairo) by Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti. It covers the history of Egypt, its rulers and their armies, and their historical reputations. The book consists of two parts, printed in a single volume, by the Al-sharafīya publishing house in Cairo in 1909. Imām Abū al-Faḍl ʻAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Kamāl Abū Bakr Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī was born in Cairo in 1445. He memorized the Qurʼan at a young age, studied with many noted scholars, and excelled in the exegesis of the Qurʼan, hadith (sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad), jurisprudence, and Arabic. His travels took him to Hijaz, Syria, Yemen, and Morocco. He died in Cairo in 1505. He was an adherent of the Shafiʻī Madhhab school of law, on which he is considered an authority. He wrote more than 500 works on religious studies and linguistics. Among his well-known works are Al-Itqān fī ʻulūm al-Qurʼān (The perfect guide to the science of the Qurʼan), Tārīkh al-khulafā (History of the caliphs), Tafsīr al-Jalalayn (Commentary on the Qurʼan by the two Jalals, i.e., Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti and Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli), Al-Ṭibb al-nabawī (On prophetic medicine), and Durr al-manthūr (On interpretation).Physical description: 2 volumes in 1 book ; 24 centimeters
Abstract: This file consists of one letter and a note from the Middle East Supply Centre in Cairo. The letter is a study of local resources in Persia regarding supplies and transport of coal and coal lumps and is composed of several parts covering the following topics:The supplies of coal lumps that civilians needThe prices of coal and coal lumps in the Persian GulfTests on the quality of the shipsDifficulties in transporting the material from Tehran to the GulfCoal requirements for the GulfResults of the transportsPetroleum cokeA trial shipment for Egypt.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 4; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.
Abstract: The file comprises correspondence between the Military Attaché in China and the Commander-in-Chiefs in India and the Middle East as of March 1943. The mission starts from Chungking via Calcutta to Cairo. The mission was comprised of Major-General Hoo Hsien Chung, Major-General Lam Wai Ching, Colonel Lew Fang Chu and Major Hwang Hsu Piao. Hoo Hsien was the head of the Mission and Lam head of the Air Force. The Mission left Chungking for Calcutta by CNAC plane on 17 March 1943 and then left Calcutta on Sunday 21 March 1943.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 6; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio
Abstract: This file consists of two letters between the Foreign Office and the Government of India's External Affairs Department discussing the appointment of HM Ambassador to Greece as a result of the King of the Hellenes and the Greek Government transferring to Cairo.Physical description: Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 4; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto side of each folio.