Biography and History [IO Islamic B76] كتاب بدو الخلق

• Biography and History. كتاب بدو الخلق
• This manuscript is now IO Islamic B76 in the India Office collections.
• [metadata: Otto Loth, A Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, (volume 1), no. 715 here with further notations and hyperlinks].

B 76. Size 9^1/2 in. 5^1/2 in.; fol. 284. Nineteen lines in a page.

قصص الانبياء ¹

A fabulous History of the Prophets [كتاب بدو الخلق] who preceded Muḥammad, by Abu’l-Ḥasan Muḥammad b. ‘Abdallah KISÂ’Î. Cf. Ḥ. Kh. iii. 174; Cat. Bodl. ii. 113 [=no. CXXIII]; Aumer, Hdss. Münch. 182 [=no. 444]; etc.

The author, who has sometimes been confounded with the celebrated grammarian ‘Alî b. Ḥamzah Kisâ’î, is modern. His history comprises the following ‘’Prophets’’ : Âdam (fol. 11), Idrîs (fol. 42), Nûḥ (fol.44), Hûd (fol.54), Ṣâliḥ (fol.62), Ibrâhîm (fol.79) Ya’ḳûb and Yûsuf (fol.101), Aiyûb (fol. 125), Shu’aib (fol.136), Mûsa (fol.143), Yûsha’ (fol.180), Ilyâs (fol.182), al-Yasa’ (fol.188), Dâ’ûd (fol.190), Sulaimân (fol.215), Yûnus (fol. 256), Zakarîyâ , Maryam, and ‘Îsa (fol.265) . This work is of frequent occurrence. The text of it appears to vary much in different MSS. Several titles are also given to it. Ḥ. Kh. mentions it under خلق الدنيا , a title apparently derived from the account of the creation, which precedes the history of Adam (cf. Ḥ. Kh. ii. 23, under بدء الدنيا ).

The exordium runs in this copy as elsewhere; but the words which immediately follow it vary here slightly from the Bodleian and Munich MSS. They are as follows (fol. 2):

هذا كتاب جمعت فيه المبتدات فى خلق الارضين و السموات و خلق الانس و الجن واوائل احوال النبيين على قدر ما وقع الىّ من اخبارهم ووصل الىّ من انبائهم بعد ان اجتهدت فتخيّرت ² ما قرب منها والغيت ³ ما بعد منها فما وافق منها الحق فهو الذى قصدناه و ما كان منها اختلافا فاثمه على من وضعه ووزره على من ابتدعه و ما توفيقى الا بالله عليه توكلت وهو حسبى و نعم الوكيل

The history of Jesus includes eschatological matter, relating to his imminent return. Then follows an account of the events which happened after his ascension. It ends abruptly on fol. 281, where there is a lacuna. The rest of the MS. gives the history of St. George (جرجيس) , and concludes as follows:

و هذا ما كان من حديثهم و الله اعلم بذلك

Plainly written. It was copied between 5th Dhu’l ḳa’dah and 14th Dhu’l-ḥijjah, 1049 [the last=6 April 1640 CE], by Ḥasan .. ¹ b. ‘Alî.

Cat. 230 (Seeyur), i.

¹ This title is given in the note of an owner (Mas’ûd Khân) on the last leaf; it is also written inside the cover; but on the first leaf is written by a later hand: كتاب بدو الخلق للشيخ الخ .

² The MS. has فسنحران (sic) .

³ MS. الغيب .

¹ The following word is indistinct.

• [ed note: Quick link to works by the same author.]