Refutation of an anonymous poem excusing disbelief in God Ibn Taymīyah, Aḥmad ibn ʻAbd al-Ḥalīm ابن تيمية، أحمد بن عبد الحليم

Content

The text begins with eight lines of a poem in which the anonymous poet tries to excuse his disbelief in God (f. 4v, lines 2-9), and continues with a refutation of the poet's points by the theologian Taqī al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʻAbd al-Ḥalīm ibn Taymīyah (تقي الدين أحمد بن عبد الحليم بن تيمية; AD 1263-1328).

Manuscript completed by an anonymous scribe on 3 Dhū al-Ḥijja 712/4 April 1313 in part in Aleppo (see colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. to Item 1; f. 9v, lines 5-7). The final colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. in the manuscript is dated late Sha‘bān 711/early January 1312, which perhaps indicates that the manuscript is bound out of its original order (see colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. to Item 8, f. 174r, lines 13-14).

Begins (f. 4v, lines 2-5):

إيا علماء الذين ذمي دينكم تحيّر دُلوه لأوضح حجت

إذا ما قضى ربّي بكفري يزعمكم ولم يرضه منه فما وجه حيلت

دعاني وسدّ الباب عني فهل إلى دخولي سبيل بيّنوا إلى قضيت

قضى بضلالي ثمّ قال أرض بالقضاء فهل أنا راضٍ بالذي فيه شقوتي

Ends (f. 9v, lines 1-4):

وإختار أن لا إختار فعل ضلالة ولو نلت هذا الترك فزت بنوبة

وذا ممكن لكنه متوقف على ما يشاء الله من ذا المشية

فدونك فافهم ما به قد أجبت من معان إذا انحلت بفهم غريزه

إشارة إلى أصل تشير إلى الهدى ولله رب الخلق أكمل مدحه

Colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. (f. 9v, lines 5-7):

تمت والحمد لله بحلب عشية نهار السبت الثالث من ذي الحجة

سنة إثنا عشر وسبعمائة وصلى الله على من انقذ (؟) من الردي وحملنا

على منهج السعادة والهدى وعلى آله وصحبه أولى الفضل والندى

Extent and format

ff. 4v-9v

It is part of

Medical compendium

370 images

Ref: Arundel Or 10

Physical characteristics

Material: Paper

Dimensions: 174 x 124 mm leaf [130 x 94 mm written]

Foliation: British Museum foliation in pencil

Ruling:

• Misṭarah; 11 lines per page; vertical spacing 8 lines per 10 cm (ff. 4v-27v);
• Misṭarah; 15 lines per page; vertical spacing lines per 10 cm (ff. 28v-104r and 109r-174r);
• No ruling visible; average 18 lines per page; 16 lines per 10 cm (ff. 105v-108v)

Script: Naskh

Ink: Black ink, with rubricated headings and over lining in red

Binding: British Museum binding in brown leather

Condition: minor waterstains, some foxing and light grime from thumbing, some folios torn and repaired (e.g. ff. 10, 11 and 68)

Marginalia: Occasional marginal annotations and corrections

Written in

Arabic in Arabic script

Type

Manuscript item

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: Oriental Manuscripts

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

Arundel Or 10, ff 4v-9v

History of this record

Date(s)

711-712 (AH, Hijri qamari)

Context of creation

Aleppo

Provenance

See note on f. 28r of one Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Khalīl (?) ibn al-Ḥaṣūn (?) who inspected and copied the texts on ff. 28v-104r and 109r-174r on 17 Jumādá II 829/26 April 1426.

Front paper i verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. contains an anonymous bookplate with motto ‘NULLIUS IN VERBA’.

Folio 4r contains stamp inscribed ‘Soc. Reg. Lond. ex dono Henr. Howard Norfolciensis’.

Related material

Subjects

PoetryMedicine, Greek and Roman

People & organisations

Aḥmad ibn 'Abd al-Ḥalīm Ibn TaymīyahHibat Allāh ibn Ṣā'id Ibn al-TilmīdhAvicennaGalen

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Refutation of an anonymous poem excusing disbelief in God Ibn Taymīyah, Aḥmad ibn ʻAbd al-Ḥalīm ابن تيمية، أحمد بن عبد الحليم, British Library: Oriental Manuscripts, Arundel Or 10, ff 4v-9v, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023901480.0x000001> [accessed 23 June 2026]

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