‘Umdat al-muḥtajj fī ḥukm al-shaṭranj عمدة المحتج في حكم الشطرنج Sakhāwī, Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd al-Raḥmān سخاوي، محمد بن عبد الرحمن

Content

Treatise on the legality of chess by the hadith scholar and historian Abū al-Khayr Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd al-Raḥman al-Sakhāwī al-Shāf‘ī (أبو الخير شمس الدين محمد بن عبد الرحمن السخاوي الشافعي, d. 1497)

The copy is missing one or more folios at the beginning so the text begins in the middle of the author's preface (see ed. al-Shanbarī [Bayrūt: al-Dār al-ʻArabīyah lil-Mawsūʻāt, 2006] p. 30, line 15; ed. al-Ḥarīrī and Ka‘kah [al-Kuwayt: Dar al-Nawadir, 2012] p. 30, line 11). Neither of the editions of this text is based on the present manuscript, which contains more text at the end than either edition. The end of ed. al-Shanbarī [Bayrūt: al-Dār al-ʻArabīyah lil-Mawsūʻāt, 2006] corresponds with f. 48v, line 9 and the end of ed. al-Ḥarīrī and Ka‘kah [al-Kuwayt: Dar al-Nawadir, 2012] corresponds with f. 44, line 17 (directly before the supplement [تتمة]).

Two scribes completed this manuscript. The first copied ff. 1r-18v and the second ff. 19r-52r.

The text contains 4 diagrams:

• Table (جدول) of a chess board (f. 4r);
• Circular diagram (f. 33r);
• Circular diagram (f. 34v);
• Chess board as a magic square (وفق) of 8 x 8 cells (f. 35v).

Contents:

• Introduction (مقدمة, ff. 1r-5r [defective at beginning]);
• Chapter One (الباب الأول, ff. 5r-7v);
• Chapter Two (الباب الثاني, ff. 7v-12r);
• Chapter Three (الباب الثالث, ff. 12r-25v);
• Conclusion (خاتمة, ff. 25v-44r);
• Supplement (تتمة, ff. 44r-52r).

Begins (f. 1r, lines 1-3, defective [= p. 30, lines 15-18 ed. al-Shanbarī; p. 30, lines 11-14 ed. al-Ḥarīrī and Ka‘kah]):

من النخال ويعتمد في استرواحه مطالعة الأخبار والمغازي وفائق الأشعار

التي هي وأحلى من الزلال ويعلم أنه وإن فاق بسببه أعقلا فهو في الحقيقة استفال

لا سيما إن كان عند لعبه ذا فصاحة وفي الدروس يأخذه السعال ...

Ends (ff. 51v, line 23-52r, line 5):

ولأسامة ابن مرشد

انظر إلى لاعب الشطرنج يجمعها * مغالبًا ثم بعد الجمع يرميها

كالمرء يكدح للدنيا ويجمعها * حتى إذا مات خلاها وما فيها

وفي رواية

أما ترى لاعب الشطرنج يجمعها * مبالغًا ثم بعد الجمع يرميها

كذلك المرء في الدنيا يجمعها * حتى إذا مات خلاها وما فيها

Colophon Section at the end of a manuscript text. (f. 52r, lines 6-10):

تم والحمد لله وحده

وصلى الله على سيدنا

محمد وعلى آله

وصحبه

وسلم

Extent and format

Codex A collection of pages, usually gathered into quires, and bound between covers. ; ff. v+52+i

Physical characteristics

Material: Western laid paper

Dimensions: 200 x 150 mm leaf [130 x 100 mm (ff. 1r-18v) / 150 x 95 mm (ff. 19r-52r) written]

Foliation: Eastern Arabic foliation in pencil (?), British Museum foliation in pencil

Ruling: No ruling visible (ff. 1r-18v) / misṭarah (ff. 19r-52r); 23 lines per page; vertical spacing 17 lines per 10 cm (ff. 1r-18v) / 16 lines per 10 cm (ff. 19r-52r)

Script: Naskh

Ink: Black ink, with rubricated headings and overlinings and diagrams in red

Binding: Modern blue cardboard binding with flap. Paper on binding has watermark 'Gouvernement Egyptien' with crescent moon and star, and crescent moon and three stars. The same watermark can be seen in ff. 55 and 56, which are later additions and have been left blank

Condition: Water damage more extensive towards front of volume; minor insect damage

Marginalia: See especially ff. 41r and 44r

Seals: None

Written in

Arabic in Arabic script

Type

Manuscript

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: Oriental Manuscripts

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

Or 9227

History of this record

Date(s)

15th century (CE, Gregorian)

Immediate source of acquisition

Purchased from Abdel Ghani Shehab, 12 May 1923

Related material

Select Bibliography

Editions:

• Sakhāwī, Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd al-Raḥmān, ‘Umdat al-muḥtajj fī ḥukm al-shaṭranj , ed. by al-Sharīf Hāshim ibn Hazzāʻ al-Shanbarī (Bayrūt: al-Dār al-ʻArabīyah lil-Mawsūʻāt, 2006)
• Sakhāwī, Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd al-Raḥmān, ‘Umdat al-muḥtajj fī ḥukm al-shaṭranj , ed. by Usāmah al-Ḥarīrī and Nadhīr Ka‘kah (al-Kuwayt: Dar al-Nawadir, 2012)

Subjects

Chess--early works to 1800Islamic law -- Early works to 1800

People & organisations

Muḥammad ibn 'Abd al-Raḥmān Sakhāwī

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‘Umdat al-muḥtajj fī ḥukm al-shaṭranj عمدة المحتج في حكم الشطرنج Sakhāwī, Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd al-Raḥmān سخاوي، محمد بن عبد الرحمن, British Library: Oriental Manuscripts, Or 9227, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100036339944.0x000001> [accessed 27 July 2024]

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