Ibn Ishaq Research Articles

Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Ishaq ibn al-Sabbah al-Kindi (Alkindi, Alchindi)'nin (803-873) İslam Tıp Tarihindeki Yeri ve Bazı Orijinal Sonuçlar

Bu çalışmada, Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Ishaq ibn al-Sabbah al-Kindi'nin İslam tıp tarihindeki yeri belirtilmektedir. Onun tedavi metotları açıklanmakta ve Materia Medica'sından örnekler verilmektedir. Böylece orijinal sonuçlar elde edilmektedir.

روايات حد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم الخائضين في الإفك : جمعا ودراسة = Novels of Prophet’s (Peace Be upon Him) Judgment on Those Who Are Engaged in the Fabrication Event : Data Collection and Study

Since ancient, the enemies of Islam targeting companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, his wives and mothers of the believers to try to insult them, And overthrow them, for a fall of the Islamic religion, because they are the transporters of Islam to us. Hypocrites have targeted the mother of believers Aisha the daughter of Al Sedeeq( God bless them), and throw her in immorality with Safoan Bin Omeiah Al-Sulami. God has exonerated her from above the seven heavens in the Quran recited until hereafter. This study proves the judgment of the Prophet on ejaculation against who involved in fabrication, and the contents of research can be summarized in the following points: First: the Companions of the Prophet and his wives charitable trust, and the best of the nation after the Messenger Allah(God bless them), God Almighty praised them in the Qur'an, and recommended to save their rights, appreciate them and defending them is a religious work. Second: The text of the Qur'an, and the Sunnah has proved the innocence of the mother of believers, Aisha bent Abu Baker, may Allah be pleased with them, from which she was thrown out by the hypocrites. Third: Some prophet's companions ,who discussed what hypocrites said about Aisha, are mentioned by names such as: Hassan Bin Thabit,Mustah bin Athathah and Hamnah bint Jahesh. Fourth: The study of prophet's sayings, about fabrication event, resulted as the following: a.The true Hadith of Aish, narrated byMuhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar who heard it from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Hazm which heard it from Umrah, Aisha told it to Umrah. It is also true from Hadith of Abu Hurearah. b. It is not valid to talk hadith from (Abdullah bin Abbas and Abdullah bin Omar, and Abu Alyuser, and some ways to Aisha, God bless them). Fifth: It is confirmed that Prophet punished who talked about "Efik" twoard the mother of believers Aisha, God bless them, they are: (Hassan ibn Thabit, and Mustah bin Athathah, andHamnah bint Jahesh), but did punished the head of hypocrisy Abdullah ibn Abi Salool, for lack of evidence that about him. Sixth: all of appeal, or doubted the innocence of the mother of believers Aisha, which threw him hypocrites; it is denying the Koran and Sunnah, and this heresy and apostasy from Islam.

REFUTING THE ALLEGED TRANSMISSION OF GREEK GRAMMATIAL CONCEPTS INTO ARABIC GRAMMER

The first contact of Greek and Arabic grammar was probably made in Alexandria (Egypt) and Antioch (Syria) since both cities were renowned Hellenistic centers of education and learning (CHM. Versteegh, 1977:1-2). However, not all historical scholars agree on this matter, and the question whether Arabic language and thought have been directly influenced by their ancient Greek counterpart is still debated. The modern historian Ahmad Amin in his book Ouha al-Islam (1969) mentions that the renowned linguist and translator Hunayn Ibn Ishaq (260H I 873 C.E.) a. Ruska, 1980:134) went to Rome to learn Greek and later returned to Basrah to learn from Khalil (Amin Ahmad, 1978: v.1:313). This idea is strongly supported by Mustafa Nazif who states that Khalil was visited by Hunayn to study Arabic (1978:vo1.1:313). Modern historians assert that in the ninth century C.E. Arabic scholarship was influenced by Greek science and thought. Bustani, for example, was known to be very competent in Greek, and Khalil influenced by Aristotelian ideas, especially by the concept of cause and effect (Mahdi al-Makhzumi,1986:68). Mustafa Sadiq Rafiy suggests that Arabic phonetic signs such as the harakat did not originate from Arabia but from Syria which was governed by the Byzantines whohad introduced small harakai signs as reading aids in the text of the Bible (K. Brockelmann, 1968:vol.1:105).

Bloodletting from the Ankle Vein to Treat Sciatic Pain

The most renowned physicians through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance up to the Modern practiced bloodletting from the “sciatic vein” (saphena minor or small saphenous vein, which runs behind or under the external ankle) as a cure for sciatic pain. Here we review historic descriptions of this procedure carefully selected from medical literature in Latin language from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and hazard a guess as to why phlebotomy of the sciatic or saphenous veins was conceived of as a possible remedy. In the early Middle Ages, Mesue (Ibn Masawaih, 777–857) (Assyrian Christian physician) was the first to report bloodletting from the “sciatic vein” (saphena minor or small saphenous vein) for: “ De dolore anche et sciatico ”: “pain in the hip and sciatic” [1]. He wrote: “ Galienus comendavit et ex venis quae flobotomantur est vena inter minimum, et secundum pedis, si materia in inferioribus iam existit flobotomia, enim huius vene est maius iuvamentum quam sciatice et saphene in hoc casu …”: “Galen recommended phlebotomy, and among the veins that may be bled, there is a vein between the little toe and the second toe of the foot, for matters in the lower parts. In fact, in this case, the benefit of this vein is greater than that of the sciatic and saphenous veins.” Isaac Judaeus (Ishaq ibn Sulaiman, c 850–ca. 932) (Egyptian Jewish physician) introduced wrapping the leg, when he wrote: “ Sciatica que sub talo est exterior: cum phlebotomanda fuerit: totam coxam et tibiam usque ad spacium quattuor digitorum a talo fortiter ligari convenit … phlebotomo vena aperiatur …”: “The vein sciatica, which is external and inferior to the ankle, when it has to be bled, it is appropriate that the whole thigh and tibia are strongly wrapped at four fingers above the …

ALIRAN BASRAH; SEJARAH LAHIR, TOKOH DAN KARAKTERISTIKNYA

Since Basra was a trading port for Iraq in the Arab Gulf, foreign influences that affected the
 progress in the field of trade and investment. Here in this port, encounters occurred between
 Arabs, Persians and Indians as well as between the religions of Christianity, Judaism, Majus
 and Islam. The closeness between Basra and the Gandisabur school in Persia that studied the
 Persian, Greek, and Indian culture has generated a mix of culture as a whole. During the
 period of Umar ibn Abdul Aziz, translation works on medical books were carried out by
 Masir Haubah. The same thing was also undertaken by Abdullah al-Muqaffa’ who was fluent
 in Arabic and Persian. He translated books on the Persian literature and history into Arabic.
 From the son of Abdullah al-Muqaffa, Muhammad, the Arabic translation of Aristotle’s
 science of logic Kalilah wa Dimnah was produced. There was also a Jewish translator
 named Hunain Ibn Ishaq, who translated books and got rewards in the form of gold for each
 weight of books he translated. In Basra, there was a school of Mu'tazilah that learnt the Greek
 sciences. This strongly affected the school of sciences he learnt such as the science of kalam
 and nahwu in terms of taqsim, ta’lil, ta’wil dan qiyas.

Breaching medical ethics in research.

Breaching medical ethics in research.

The Fragment of Al-Kindī's Lost Treatise on Observations of Halley's Comet in A.D. 837

1. IntroductionIn the first half of the ninth century, a generation of Muslim scholars emerged under the support of the Abbasid Caliphs in Baghdad, among whom the great polymath al-Kindl stands tall. There is an astrological work written by him (on the duration of the reign of the Arabs), in which he mentions an uprising in a.d. 866, and so he must have died later than that date,' most likely around 870. He started his work under al-Ma'mun (reigned 813-833) but served mostly under the caliphate of al-MuTasim (reigned 833-842), during which his career reached to its peak.2 Since he was still alive in the late 860s and most likely an active scholar around 830, he probably was bom about 800.3The most important feature of al-Kindl's wider historical context is that he worked during the translation movement that was encouraged by the Abbasid Caliphs.4 Al-Kindl's scientific works had a two-fold influence on the development of the sciences in the early stage of the Islamic period: they expounded the newly translated Greek texts, and then promoted them by discussing their authenticity.Ibn al-Nadlmin his al-fihrist devotes several sections to al-Kindl's scientific works, such as arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy, meteorology, and spherics.5 The list of Al-KindT's meteorological works includes two lost treatises, entitled His treatise on what was observed of the great atmospheric phenomenon in 222 a.h. (Kitab risalatih fima rasada min al-athar al-cazim fisanat ithnatayn wa cishnn wa mi 'atayn li- 'l-hijra) and His treatise on a comet that appeared and [al-Kindl] observed it for some days until it faded out (Kitab risalatih fi kawkab alladhi zahara wa rasadahu ayyaman hatta idmahalla).6The title of the first treatise indicates that it concerns al-Kindl's observation of an 'atmospheric' phenomenon that appeared in 222 a.h./a.d. 837 and which we can probably identify as a comet.7 Rada supposes that this would have been al-Kindl's treatise on observations of Halley's Comet which appeared in that year.8 In this article, I will demonstrate that this conjecture is definitely correct. Moreover, it is quite possible that the second treatise was associated with the same topic.9Recently, I came across a treatise entitled Nayazik,'0 during my research into a collection of manuscript images from Princeton University Library. This treatise is said to be an Arabic commentary on Aristotle's lost treatise on comets, written by Hunayn ibn Ishaq al-clbadl from the ninth century.12 Hunayn, who was contemporary to al-Kindl, translated numerous Greek scientific texts into Arabic.13 However, Hunayn's commentary on Aristotle's treatise has not come down directly to us in the original form although a recension (with later additions) is currently at our disposal. Much of the text concerns the implications of for judicial astrology.14 The recension was certainly written after 299 a.h./a.d. 912 (see below), and as a whole it still awaits a detailed study. However, there is a passage in it dealing with al-Kindfs observational report of a comet that appeared in 222 a.h7a.d. 837.15 This passage (with some hiatuses) also appears in another treatise regarding prognosis of entitled 'The gift of sages on description of the prognosis of comets (Tuhfat al-albab fibayan hukm al-adhnab) written by al-Maqdisiwho lived c. 1675, probably in Cairo.16 Further research shows that the report is very likely a summary or a fragment of al-Kindfs lost treatise on observations of Halley's Comet in a.d. 837 (see below).17 Only one other description of Halley's Comet's appearance in 837 has previously been known from Islamic sources, to be found in the voluminous History of Ibn al-Athlr; this has been examined by Rada and Cook.18The return of Halley's Comet in a.d. 837 marks its closest known approach to Earth and has been among the closest ones for any comet ever seen in history. It was also the most thoroughly documented account of Halley's Comet during the first millennium. …

Menimbang Validitas Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah

The aim of this paper is simply to describe the content of a book by Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Ishaq Ibn Khuazaymah al-Nisaburi al-Shafi’i called Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah. The book deals mainly with the tradition of the prophet. A deeper analysis on the book however reveals that it also contains a fairly good exposition of fiqh and its general rules. In this paper we would try to unlock this aspect of the book and find out how the discursive interaction between hadith and fiqh takes place in it. Our approach is critical in that it will question the validity of some hadith under investigation. We believe that not all hadiths in the book are valid and authentic.

MUHAMMAD AND THE JEWS ACCORDING TO IBN ISHAQ

This paper examines the phenomenon of anti-Semitism in the Muslim world, shedding light on one component of the Islamic tradition, namely, the earliest extant biography of the Prophet Muhammad, the Sirat Rasul Allah, or The Life of the Prophet of God by Ibn Ishaq (d.767 CE.)

The Transmission and Dynamics of the Textual Sources of Islam: Essays in Honour of Harald Motzki ed. by Nicolet Boekhoff-van der Voort et al. (review)

Reviewed by: The Transmission and Dynamics of the Textual Sources of Islam: Essays in Honour of Harald Motzki ed. by Nicolet Boekhoff-van der Voort et al. Andrew Rippin The Transmission and Dynamics of the Textual Sources of Islam: Essays in Honour of Harald Motzki ed. Nicolet Boekhoff-van der Voort, Kees Versteegh, and Joas Wagemakers, 2011. (Islamic History and Civilization, vol. 89.) Leiden & Boston: Brill, xvi +496 pp., ills., €161.00, $221.00. ISBN: 978-9-00420-389-1 (hbk). Harald Motzki is renowned for his studies concerning the transmission of early Islamic texts (especially hadith) and for grappling with issues related to the historical origins of such writings. His approach, one that he has termed isnad-cum-matn analysis, focuses on tracing isnad patterns and textual variations in order to determine the mode of the earliest transmission of the material. The essays gathered in this volume honouring him reflect the themes of his own work, and many of the contributors develop his insights by employing his approach. Divided into four sections – ‘Production’, ‘Transmission’, ‘Interpretation’, and ‘Reception’ – nineteen scholars have contributed essays that treat a diverse range of subjects. Among the authors in the first section are Gregor Schoeler (49–61) commenting on Kitab al-Maghazi of Musa ibn ‘Uqbas (d. 141/758), Maribel Fierro (63–89) writing on hadith in al-Andalus, Fred Leemhuis (91–103) discussing a Qur’anic manuscript in Groningen likely written in the sixteenth century as a ‘not very careful imitation of a part of an old Qur͗ān manuscript’, and Claude Gilliot (105–33) meticulously tracing traditions on the collection of the Qur’an. In Section Two we find Michael Lecker (181–96) discussing the death of Jewish merchant Ibn Sunaynah during the lifetime of Muhammad, Maher Jarrar (197–227) writing on Ibn Abi Yahya who was a scholar of traditions in the second/eighth century, and Gerard Wiegars (229–47) documenting the reception of the ‘prophecies’ of the fourteenth century friar, Jean de Roquetaillade. The third section provides us with Uri Rubin (251–78) working on the interpretation of Qur’an 44:10–11, Joas Wagemaker (301–27) discussing modern Salafi conceptions of ‘ignorance’ (jahl) as an obstacle to making the accusation of disbelief (takfir), and Herbert Berg (329–53) exploring Elijah Muhammad’s interpretation of the Qur’an. Finally, Section Four sees Abdulkader [End Page 98] Tayob (357–74) discuss human rights in the modern Islamic discourse, Roel Meijer (375–99) document ‘the transnational battle for religious authority’ as illustrated by the Saudi quietist-Salafi Rabi‘ ibn Hadi al-Madkhali (b. 1931), Martijn de Koning (401–19) explore the experience of the Qur’an among Muslim youth in the Netherlands, Carmen Becker (421–41) outline ideas related to computer-mediated use of the Qur’an in the Salafi view, and Ulkire Mitter (443–73) analyse modern discussions of the hadith that states ‘The majority of the dwellers of hell-fire are women.’ It is in the nature of such volumes that some essays will be of greater interest to individual readers than others; I am highlighting here four essays from the volume (not mentioned in the above summary) that particularly drew my attention and which also illustrate the overall themes of the volume (and much of Motzki’s work). It is true that a number of the essays in the volume display the problems that emerge when scholars try to establish the historical validity of their sources on the basis of attributions to early authorities. Nicolet Boekhoff-van der Voort in her essay entitled ‘The Kitāb al-Maghāzī of ͑Abd al-Razzāq ibn Hammām al-Ṣan͑ānī: Searching for earlier source material’ (27–47) tries to determine the historical reliability of traditions ascribed to al-Zuhri (that is, she wishes to establish that such traditions can be asserted to have been circulating at the time of al-Zuhri, d. 124/742) as they are found in later works, specifically in the transmissions of Ma‘mar (as transmitted by ‘Abd al-Razzaq) and Ibn Ishaq (as transmitted by Ibn Hisham). Significant differences are seen between three similar reports ascribed to al-Zuhri; various explanations are proffered for...

Ethics in medical education, practice, and research: An insight

A combination of moral principles and values that are applied to take judgements in medical education, practice, and research are termed as medical ethics. There have been other many traditional medical ethics guidelines brought about by Muslim Ishaq ibn Ali al-ruhawi wrote Conduct of physicians, Jewish and Catholic scholastic thinkers over time. Ethics in modern medicine started way back in 18 th century when Thomas Percival, a physician based in England, wrote a book on medical ethics and coined the terminology of medical ethics and medical jurisprudence. The medical profession should be viewed differently and a rethought on the ethical practices is the need of hour to make it an exciting and fulfilling profession. A rethink on the status of modern medicine will certainly pave the way for obtaining specific answers for many dilemmas in modern medicine including the best ethical codes and practices.

“The sheikh of the translators”

With the ascension to power of the Abbasid dynasty in 750 CE and the transfer of the capital of the Muslim Empire to the newly-created city of Baghdad, the middle of the eighth century heralded an era that in Islamic history is referred to as the “Golden Age,” during which period the Muslim world became an unrivaled intellectual center for science, philosophy, medicine, and education. Approximately eighty years after the dynasty’s rise to power, the Abbasid Caliph (ruler) al-Ma’mun (d. 833 CE) established in Baghdad Bayt al-Hikma (the House of Wisdom), an educational institution where Muslim and non-Muslim scholars together sought to gather the world’s knowledge not only via original writing but also through translation. Probably the most well-known and industrious translator of the era was Hunayn ibn Ishaq (d. 873 CE), known in the West by the Latinized name “Joannitius.” Referred to as “the sheikh of the translators,” he is reported to have mastered the four principal languages of his time: Greek, Syriac, Persian, and Arabic. Hunayn is credited with an immense number of translations, ranging from works on medicine, philosophy, astronomy, and mathematics, to magic and oneiromancy. This article looks at Hunayn’s work, briefly places this key figure within the translatorial habitus, discusses his methodology towards translation, as described in his own works, and examines that methodology in light of the sociological and sociolinguistic factors of the time.

The sociological turn in translation and interpreting studies

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Galen, De Diebus Decretoriis. From Greek into Arabic: A Critical Edition, with Translation and Commentary, of Hunayn Ibn Ishaq, Kitab Ayyam al-buhran (Medicine in the Medieval Mediterranean) By GLEN M. COOPER

Galen, De Diebus Decretoriis. From Greek into Arabic: A Critical Edition, with Translation and Commentary, of Hunayn Ibn Ishaq, Kitab Ayyam al-buhran (Medicine in the Medieval Mediterranean) By GLEN M. COOPER

Book Review: Abraham IBN Ezra on Elections, Abraham Ibn Ezra on Elections, Interrogations, and Medical Astrology: A Parallel Hebrew—English Critical Edition of the Book of Elections, the Book of Interrogations and the Book of the Luminaries, Abraham Ibn Ezra's Astrological Writings, Études sur le Judaïsme Médiéval

ABRAHAM IBN EZRA ON ELECTIONS Abraham lbn Ezra on Elections, Interrogations, and Medical Astrology: A Parallel Hebrew-English Critical Edition of the Book of Elections, the Book of Interrogations and the Book of the Luminaries. Shlomo SeIa Abraham lbn Ezra's Astrological Writings, iii; Etudes sur le Judaisme Medieval, 1; Brill, Leiden, 201 1). Pp. xii + 657. $257. ISBN 978-90-04-21220-6.This is the third volume in the series of lbn Ezra's astrological treatises, composed in the twelfth century (a review of the first two volumes appeared in this journal, xlii (201 1), 120-1). Once again we are given a critical edition of the Hebrew texts, together with a reliable English translation and valuable notes: the Book of elections (3 versions), the Book of interrogations (3 versions), and the Book of the luminaries. The astrological system of elections concerns finding the best time for beginning some activity; interrogations concern responses by an astrologer to questions related to daily life; and the Book of the luminaries concerns astrological doctrines related to critical days in the course of a disease. In all cases lbn Ezra depended on Arabic sources, which are identified by the editor. The appendices include a list of the manuscripts consulted, a concordance of topics discussed in the various treatises, a list of authorities and sources mentioned in the three versions of the Book of elections and in the Book of the luminaries. In addition to a bibliography, there is a glossary of technical terms arranged in English alphabetical order, followed by a Hebrew index to the glosssary, an index of technical terms in English alphabetical order (with references to the notes), and a general index.To get the flavour of Ibn Ezra's approach to astrology, here is one passage from the Book of the luminaries:The great physicians investigated why the crises of diseases take place on the seventh, fourteenth, twentieth or twenty-first, and twenty-seventh or twentyeighth day [after the onset of the disease]. The only explanation they could find involved the Moon, as long as the disease lasts for up to one month and passes; but if it does not pass they look at the Sun, which is above the Moon, as I shall explain (pp. 455-7).Sela's note (pp. 493-94) refers to the corresponding passages in Galen's On critical days as well as to the Arabic translation of Galen's work by Hunain Ibn Ishaq (d. 873).John North (d. 2008), the eminent historian of astronomy, used to say that if you seek a clear exposition of any astrological doctrine, the best place to look is in alBiruni's Book of astrology, ed. and transi, by R. R. Wright (London, 1934). Among the virtues ofthat book are diagrams and tables: it is to be hoped that in a final volume SeIa will move away from notes tied to specific passages and give us an overview of Ibn Ezra's astrological doctrines in a more systematic way than that presented by the twelfth-century author himself. …

Critical Approaches to the "Farewell Khutba" in Ibn Ishaq's Life of the Prophet

Ibn Ishaq’s rhetorical use of genre in his edited biography of the life of the Prophet Muhammad instances the authority accorded by the early Muslim community to Biblical forms familiar to them. The genre in question is the “universal history” modeled by the Genesis-through-Kings saga contained in the Hebrew Bible. At the “center” of this saga stands the Deuteronomic restatement of Mosaic law; likewise, at the “center” of Ibn Ishaq’s biography stands a restatement of Qur’anic legislation contained in the Prophet’s “Farewell Sermon.” Ibn Ishaq’s biography subtly accomplishes both Muslim Biblical interpretation and legal interpretation by means of a rhetorical use of allusion.

Arabic Books and a Moroccan Treasure: Colonel Percival Kirke and Mulay Ismail, 1682–1683

In the early modern period, there was considerable readership in North Africa among men (and sometimes women) who trained in Qur'anic elementary schools and then in mosques, madrasas, and Sufi lodges. Under learned jurists, they received an ijaza/certificate of achievement at the end of their instruction cycle. In Morocco, the ruling elite were both literate and well-educated: Mulay Ahmad al-Mansur (reg. 1578-1603) mastered Euclid,1 and his library was reputed (exaggeratedly) to have thirty-two thousand manuscripts.2 At regular intervals, he received shipments of books from Istanbul, and when his ambassador al-Tamjarouti went there c.1589/90, he bought a large selection for his master.3 Al-Mansur also told his envoys to Mecca to buy or have books copied for him: 'You are to be thanked for bringing them to our Hasanite person, knowing how much we are eager to select books of learning and add them' to our collection.4At the same time, al-Mansur persistently tried to retrieve the Arabic books which had belonged to the dispersed Moriscos in Spain and wrote to King Philip II 'de la lectura moruna que los naturales andaluces tenian acerca de los ritos y cermonias de su ley'.5 Exiles and escapees from Spain had told him how after the 1569-71 revolt of the Moriscos, the Spaniards ransacked villages and pillaged libraries and madrasas. Unfortunately, the manuscripts they seized were not taken to be studied or preserved: on 5 May 1573, Ibn Zenbal asked a Spaniard about Cordoba, and was told that the grand mosque had been turned into a church and all the books which had belonged to the Muslims in all parts of the former Muslim territory had been collected inside a building near the church, and kept under lock and key. If you put your ear to the keyhole, you could hear the cockroaches chewing.6In 1612, al-Mansur's successor and son, Mulay Zaidan, had to flee Marrakesh during the conflict with his brother. Cherishing his father's collection, he packed two thousand of the manuscripts in sixty-three bundles and sent them on board a ship from Sus to the safety of Safi. Unfortunately, the ship's French captain sailed off with the cargo, and was captured by a Spanish pirate who subsequently sent the manuscripts to Philip III. Zaidan was desperate to get the manuscripts back, and therefore when a French delegation arrived in Morocco in 1624, he took the members hostage: 'The bottom of the business', wrote a French visitor over half a century later, 'was, the King desired to recover his Household-stuff, but chiefly his Library ... for in it there were several Manuscripts of St. Augustin, whom they call Cidy Belabech ... These Manuscripts the King valued above all his Houshold-stuff.'7The reason why Zaidan cherished the books so much is because they included collections of Hadith commentary and grammar; treatises on medicine, and the treatment of diseases; translations of and commentaries on Hippocrates, Plato, Aristotle, Ptolemy, Galen, Avicenna's Canons, and Maimonides; translations by Ishaq ibn Hunayn; the poetry of Hafez, Abu Tammam, and selections from Persian and Turkish literature. Some books had been written in al-Andalus, while others had been brought from regions as near as Majorca, and as far as Egypt. There was also a copy of the 'Qur'an from [the sura of] the Cow to the sura of Maryam and after, in Christian script'; and another 'written in Hebrew which I do not understand'.8There were various other books, but over seventy years later, and with a new dynasty on the Moroccan throne more eager to consolidate power than learning, one manuscript in particular became the object of extensive negotiations between Mulay Ismail (reg. 1672-1727), who wanted it back, and Colonel Percy Kirke in Tangier. The reason why Ismail wanted the manuscript was because it contained a map with information about a buried gold treasure.By the last years of the Tangier bastion, 1682-83, the British had been in North Africa for a little over twenty years, but the situation was very precarious. …

Two Antidotes from the 'Empiricals' of Ibn at-Tilmid

This article deals with two antidotes which form part of an hitherto unpublished treatise on 'empirical drugs' (muǧarrabat), composed around the middle of the twelfth century CE by the master physician Ibn at-Tilmid: the so-called faruq theriac and the viper pastilles. These two antidotes, which ultimately depend on Greek prototypes, circulated in different Arabic versions and belonged to the stock of medieval Islamic pharmacy. They are edited and translated here on the basis of Ibn at-Tilmiḏ's 'empirical' recension, which is also distinguished by the fact that the faruq theriac shows traces of an earlier revision made in the ninth century CE by the famous Hunain ibn Ishaq; moreover, the prescription of the viper pastilles is based on early, precanonical antecedents. The article concludes with a glossary of terms and a botanical register.

Islam and War: Tradition versus Modernity

Islamic thinking on war divides roughly into two main schools, classical and modern. The classical (or medieval) view commands offensive war to spread Islamic rule ultimately across the entire world. The modernist view, predominant since the nineteenth century, limits war to defensive aims only. This paper compares the views of two important Muslim scholars, the classical scholar Ibn Ishaq (d. 767) and the modernist scholar Mahmud Shaltut (d. 1963). This comparison reveals that the modernist project of rethinking the Islamic law of war is a promising though as-yet-unfinished project that can benefit from the insights of Western scholars applying the historical-critical method to the study of early Islamic sources.

The Prophet as a Hero – Myth or Reality? A Comparative Survey of Ibn Ishaq’s Biography of the Prophet (Sirah) and the Myth of the Hero

The Prophet as a Hero – Myth or Reality? A Comparative Survey of Ibn Ishaq’s Biography of the Prophet (Sirah) and the Myth of the Hero