Tercüme-i Milel ve'n-nihal - ترجمهٔ ملل ونحل

This material is held atBritish Library Asia, Pacific and Africa Collections

  • Reference
    • GB 59 Or 15422
  • Dates of Creation
    • Late 17th century
  • Language of Material
    • Turkish
  • Physical Description
    • 1 text 219 ff Material: Cream European laid paper. Foliation: European, 219 ff. Dimensions: 198 x 100 mm; text area, 138 x 50 mm. Pricking and Ruling: 15 lines; Red rubrics and overlinings; text frames in black and gold. Script: Nesta'lik. Binding: Deep maroon Morocco binding with gilt decoration and flap, along with a matching box.

Scope and Content

This volume contains an Ottoman Turkish translation of the renowned Arabic work on sects and creeds by Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm ibn Aḥmad al-Shahrastānī (died 548 AH/1153 CE). The translation was executed by Nuh ibn-i Mustafa, (died 1070 AH/1660 CE), a scholar and judge hailing from Amasya. He died on 22 Zilkade 1070 AH/July 30 1660 CE in Cairo. He was a prolific writer, especially in the fields of fıkıh and kelam. The contents of the work are as follows:. (4v-19v) Preface. (19v-104r) Bab-ı evvel, firak-ı zâlle beyanındadır. (104r-173v) Bab-ı sani, fırka-yı Naciye beyanındadır. (173v-218v) Hatime, Millet-i Hanefiye ve şeriat-i İslamiye'den hariç olan tavayıf beyanındadır. Each bab is subdivided into several fasıllar, some of which are wrongly numbered (for example fasl-ı salis in place of fasl-ı sadis). A good illuminated unvan can be found on f 4v, and there are gold roundels and text frames in black and gold throughout. There is a table of contents between ff 1v-3v. Other contents include various supplications to be recited daily and on special occasions on 219v. Inscriptions on 1r include a saying of Hazret-i Hasan and a selected table of contents. Though undated, this work is likely from the late 11th century AH/seventeenth century CE.

Access Information

Not Public Record(s)

Unrestricted

Acquisition Information

Purchased from Mr T. Jalal and A. Kazzaz on 5 March 1998.

Related Material

For other copies of this text in the British Library, see Add MS 23590 and Or 1589. On these copies, see Charles Rieu, Catalogue of the Turkish Manuscripts in the British Museum, 35-36. On the author, see Carra de Vaux, 'al-S̲h̲ahrastānī,' EI1(doi.org/10.1163/2214-871X_ei1_SIM_5278). On his work, see Ömer Faruk Harman, 'el-Milel ve'n-nihal,' TDVİA (islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/el-milel-ven-nihal). On the translator, see Ömer Türker, 'Nûh b. Mustafa,' TDVİA (islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/nuh-b-mustafa).

Bibliography

This work was printed in Cairo (1263 AH) and Istanbul (1279 AH), though there are occasional differences between the original text and Nuh ibn-i Mustafa's translation).Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm Shahrastānī, Tercüme-yi Milel ve Nihal (Cairo: Matbaʿat Miṣr al-Maḥrusa, 1263 [1846-47]). (British Library 14422.d.1)