"تاريخ أئمة وأسياد عُمان بقلم سليل ابن رزيق، من ٦٦١-١٨٥٦ م، مترجم من الأصل العربي، ومُحرّر بملاحظات وملاحق ومقدمة تواصل التاريخ حتى سنة ١٨٧٠، بقلم جورج بيرسي بادجر، عضو في الجمعية الجغرافية الملكية والقس الراحل في رئاسة بومباي." [و‎-‎‎iii] (٦١٢/١٢)

umi^i pxcTciictr-or tjmigiiig mtr ro one err rne conrenumg f 1
parties. They ravaged the whole country indiscriminately
for several years, and it was 'Ahmad, then commander ot t jC
the fortress Sohar, who succeeded in expelling them a.d. |
1741. In recognition of his eminent services, the people j
elected him ruler of the country. The second book con
tains the history of his reign and that of his descendants 1
from a .d. 1741 as far as 1804.
The first two books were composed during the reign of
Sa'id b. Sultan (that is, before 1856), and dedicated to a
nephew of this prince, Sayyid Hamid b. Salim b. Sultan. The
third book was composed after the death of Sa'id '(19th Oc
tober, 1856), whose history it contains. But it was not finished
by the author himself, because at the end there is a note,
dated 12th December, a.d. 1857, stating that it was finished
by one Hamid b. Muhammad b. Razik, whilst the name of
the original author is Salil. Accordingly Salil must have died
between 19th October, 1856, and 12th December, 1857, and
his work was finished by a relative of his, as we shall see
hereafter.
Mr. Badger calls the author, on the authority of his MS.,
Salil-bin-Razik. But this is a mistake for Salil b. Muham
mad b. Razik. The author speaks in several places of his
father and grandfather, who held successively the post of
clerk of customs at Maskat, and played a not insignificant
part in the history of Oman (?\ pp. 135, 148, 153, 158, 165,
204, 216, 222); his grandfather he calls Razik b. Bakhit,
his father Muhammad b.-Razik. Hence it seems evident
that that Hamid b. Muhammad b. Razik, mentioned in the
note on p. 370, who continued and finished the work of
Salil was his brother.
Originally the ruler of Oman was called 'Imam. He was
the religious and political head of the people and freely
elected—according to the 'tenets of the 'Ibadiyya creed—
but "with a strong preference to the ruling family over
strangers, and with a strong preference in favour of the son,
not necessarily the eldest, of the last 'Imam over the other
members of his family." This title has become obsolete
since the death of Sa'id b. 'Ahmad (between 1811 and
1821). During his actual rule, from a.d. 17 75 -17 79, he
made himself so odious to his people that his son Hamid
found it easy to insinuate himself with the people of
Oman, and gradually obtain possession of all the forts,
including Maskat. Hamid was acknowledged by all the
chiefs; he resided at Maskat, and governed the country
as an independent chief till his death in 1792. He re
tained his former title " Sayyid," which means " Prince of
the royal house," as all his successors have done up to the
present time. Meanwhile his father Sa'id, the legitimate
'Imam, lived in retirement without having any influence on
the affairs of the country, at Alrastak, and died unnoticed,
between 1811 and 1821. By his death the 'Imama became
vacant, but it has not been filled again. The 'Imama was
superseded by the Siyada j the name being changed, the
office remaining the same.
Mr. Badger has doubtless rendered an important service
to the history of the East ^by translating this work of Salil.
With the exception of a portion of " the opening book, which
consists mainly of genealogies of the Arab tribes of Yemen r
and a few irrelevant episodes and laudatory poems," he has