2. Carefuly compare the image(s) of the manuscript with the proposed transliteration. Get accustomed with peculiarities of this hand.

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1 Course of Islamic paleography by Jan Just Witkam Tasks for the student: 1. Read the bibliographical description of the manuscript. 2. Carefuly compare the image(s) of the manuscript with the proposed transliteration. Get accustomed with peculiarities of this hand. 3. Transcribe in the same way a considerable portion of that part of the manuscript which has not been transliterated. Start where the given transliteration ends. See how far you come. 4. Note remarkable or unusual ligatures and make a list of these. 5. Make an inventory of all signs and peculiarities which are different from modern practice. MS in private collection Arabic, machine-made European paper, 14 ff., 17.5 x 10.5 cm, unvocalized West-African script, 12 lines to the page, black ink with rubrics. Loose leaves, folded once, and put on top of one another. A system of catchwords is used by wich a word or part of a word on the verso page is repeated on the next following recto page. From the Gambia, end 19th century. The beginning only of Kīmiyāʾ al-saʿāda li-man arāda al-ḥusn wal-ziyāda by Yaḥyā b. ʿAbd al-raḥmān al-muqaddasī al-shāfiʿī al-qādirī (883/1478), GAL G II, 178. See the title on f. 5a. ff. 1a-b. Taṣliya prayer. Mention of ʿAbd al-qādir al-ǧīlānī. ff. 1b-2a. Fāʾida. In fact this seems to be an amulet text. ff. 2a-b. Another amulet text. ff. 2b-4b. Ṣalāt Ǧāmiʿa ʿalā al-nabī, a taṣliya prayer by Yaḥyā b. ʿAbd al-raḥmān al-muqaddasī al-shāfiʿī al-qādirī (883/1478), GAL G II, 178. ff. 4b-9b. Kīmiyāʾ al-saʿāda, here apparently ascribed to Muḥammad al-ghazzālī (d. 505/1111), GAL G I, 422. However, al-ghazzālī s text going by this title is a much longer work, and written in Persian, whereas we have here a shorter prayer or amulet text in Arabic, also going by the title Kīmiyāʾ al-saʿāda. It is On f. 9b is the colophon that was apparently copied from the exemplar, al-madīna, Thursday 12 Shawwāl 883 [1479], and which is also the date quoted by Brockelmann. : وكان الفراغ من تحريرھا بالمدينة المنورة يوم الخميس ثانى عشر شوال سنة ثالث وثمانين وثمان مائة من الھجرة النبوية... ff. 9b-14a. A sequel or continuation to the preceding text. Abrupt end on f. 14a. F. 14b is blank. Provenance: Purchased in August 2007 at Pembroke Antiques, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, UK, where the earlier, Gambian, provenance was mentioned by the owner. Transliteration of a manuscript, containing prayers from the Gambia, ff. 1a-3a: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم صلى الله على سيدنا محمد مبرع من قرا ھذ الصالة فكانما صلى على محمد صلى عليه وسلم من مبد الد نيا الى يوم القيامة وھى بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم صلى الله على سيدنا محمد وءاله وء صحبه وسلم تسليما اللھم صلى على محمد من االولين اللھم صلى على محمد من االخرين اللھم صلى على محمد من المرسلين اللھم صلى على محمد من النبئين اللھم صلى على محمد فى المأل االعلى الى يوم الدين فائدة ومن كا نت له حاجته الى الله سبحانه فليقرء اية الكرسى الم نشرح لك صدرك الى ءاخرھا ويھدى ثوابھما العبد القادر الجيلني ويمشى عشر خطوات فى المشر ق وعشر خطوات فى المغرب و يناد الشيخ ويقول ثالث مرات Course in palaeography. Copyright, Jan Just Witkam, Leiden, The Netherlands,

يا عبد القادر الجيالنى ويسئل الله حاجته فانھا تقضى باذ ن الله تعلى تمت فائدة ما ما تكتب افر الفرس كل حرف يجافر الملك الله الواحد القھار تمت فضل ومن كتب ھذه الله سماء ويشرف الخذ ه الجوع ابدا ان شاء

2 يا عبد القادر الجيالنى ويسئل الله حاجته فانھا تقضى باذ ن الله تعلى تمت فائدة ما ما تكتب افر الفرس كل حرف يجافر الملك الله الواحد القھار تمت فضل ومن كتب ھذه الله سماء ويشرف الخذ ه الجوع ابدا ان شاء الله تعالى ال يعذبه النار ابدا ويخرج الحرام فى بطنه ان شاء الله تعلى وھى ھذه اذا جاء نصر ا الله والفتح ورايت الناس يد خلون فى دين الله افواجا فسبح بحمد ربك وستغفره انه كا ن توابا ثالث مرات مع ھذه الخواتم المباركه ح حيسسطكھللكفلل ايضا يخرج الحرام فى ابطنه بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم صلى الله على سيدنا محمد نبيه وء اله واصحبه وسلم تسليما النبى الكريم الحمد رب العلمين والصالة والسالم على اشرف المرسلين سيدنا محمد خاتم النبيئين وعلى ءاله وصحبه اجمعين وبعد يقول العبد الفقير الى الله تعالى لى يحيى بن عبد الرحمن المقد سى الشافعى القادرى غفر الله له والوالدية ومشايخه والمسلمين اجمعين ھذه صالة جامعة على النبى العربى االمى االبطحى الھاشمى القريشى السيد الكامل الفاتح الخا تم حبيب رب العلمين وشفيع المذنبين وامام المرسلين وقائد القرى ا المحجلين سيد نا وموالنا محمد صلى الله عليه Prayer text from The Gambia, West Africa, end 19th century, f. 1a Course in palaeography. Copyright, Jan Just Witkam, Leiden, The Netherlands,

3 Prayer text from The Gambia, West Africa, end 19th century, ff. 1b-2a Course in palaeography. Copyright, Jan Just Witkam, Leiden, The Netherlands,

4 Prayer text from The Gambia, West Africa, end 19th century, ff. 2b-3a Course in palaeography. Copyright, Jan Just Witkam, Leiden, The Netherlands,

5 Prayer text from The Gambia, West Africa, end 19th century, ff. 3b-4a Course in palaeography. Copyright, Jan Just Witkam, Leiden, The Netherlands,

6 Prayer text from The Gambia, West Africa, end 19th century, ff. 4b-5a Course in palaeography. Copyright, Jan Just Witkam, Leiden, The Netherlands,

7 Prayer text from The Gambia, West Africa, end 19th century, ff. 5b-6a Course in palaeography. Copyright, Jan Just Witkam, Leiden, The Netherlands,

8 Prayer text from The Gambia, West Africa, end 19th century, ff. 6b-7a Course in palaeography. Copyright, Jan Just Witkam, Leiden, The Netherlands,

2. Carefully compare the images of the manuscript with the proposed transliteration. Get accustomed with peculiarities of this hand.

Course of Islamic paleography by Jan Just Witkam Tasks for the student: 1. Read the bibliographical description of the manuscript. 2. Carefully compare the images of the manuscript with the proposed transliteration.