ABU AL-QASIM B. FIROOH AL-RU’AINI AL-SHATIBI (D.1194 AD), HIRZ AL-AMANI WA-WAJH AL-TAHANI, A GUIDE TO QURANIC RECITATION, COPIED BY AL-MAMLUK MUSAFIR, EGYPT OR SYRIA, DATED 780 AH/1378-79 AD

Arabic manuscript on polished paper, 110 leaves plus 4 fly-leaves, 14 lines to the page written in naskh in black ink, headings in gold outlined in black, important words and sentences written in red, 2 illuminated headpieces, in red leather binding with flap. 17 by 12 cm.

CATALOGUE NOTE Also known as Qasidat al-shatbiya, this volume is one of the most renowned texts regarding the qira’at, the memorization and recitation of the Quran. Compiled in the 12th century, the text discusses the correct way to recite Quranic verses and the different readings. Al-Shatibi was born in Andalusia in 1144 AD. Blind from birth, he performed the hajj and afterwards moved to Cairo, where he held the position of head of language, grammar and recitation of the Fadiliyya Madrasa until his death in 1194 AD. He was a highly respected figure to the point that he was introduced to the great Saladin after his military campaigns in Palestine in 1193 AD.

The original text by al-Shatibi was taken as an important religious reference, especially during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, as demonstrated by the survival of numerous commentaries on the original text. A copy dated to the fourteenth century is now in the Beinecke Library, New Haven, USA (inv.no.2007631), and another copy dated 809.