CC BY
36
UDC 811.411.21
Вестник СПбГУ. Востоковедение и африканистика. 2018. Т. 10. Вып. 2
Three manuscript copies of the Collection of Proverbs by al-Maydani from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Oriental Department of Gorky Library, St. Petersburg State University, and the National Library of Berlin
Y. Y. J. Hana, A. A. Mokrushina, E. K. Akhmatshina
St. Petersburg State University,
7-9, Universitetskaya nab., St. Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation
For citation: Hana Y. Y. J., Mokrushina A. A., Akhmatshina E. K. Three manuscript copies of the Collection of Proverbs by al-Maydani from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Oriental Department of Gorky Library, St. Petersburg State University, and the National Library of Berlin. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Asian and African Studies, 2018, vol. 10, issue 2, pp. 210-229. https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu13.2018.206
This paper presents an analysis of three manuscript copies of the Collection of Proverbs by the famous Muslim scholar-linguist al-Maydani. Two of the copies are part of St Petersburg manuscript collections: the collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the collection of the Oriental Department of Gorky Library at St. Petersburg State University. The third copy is part of the holdings of the National Library of Berlin. The al-Maydani Collection of Proverbs is a collection of Arabic proverbs arranged in an alphabetical order. Each proverb is accompanied by a commentary on individual words, grammatical constructions, and the origins and uses of the proverbs. The collection is prefaced by the author and includes twenty-eight chapters, one for each letter of the Arabic alphabet. Two additional chapters contain the list of Arab battle dates, the sayings of Muhammad and some prominent figures of Islam. Interest in the work al-Maydani is still alive today; his work Magma 'al-'amtal continues to be reprinted. Most proverbs, which the author included in his work several centuries ago, are widely used to this day. The study of the surviving copies of this manuscript makes it possible to get the most complete impression of one of the largest and most important works of the Arab thinker and scholar al-Maydani, and also enables researchers to look at the whole cultural and historical layer through the prism of proverbs used in living speech.
Keywords: codicology, Arabic manuscript, manuscript copies, Arabic, proverbs, folklore.
To date, more and more relevant are studies related to the study of various manuscripts that were created in the eastern languages. Knowledge and experience accumulated over the centuries were reflected in the pages of numerous treatises on philosophy, history, philology, medicine and other fields of knowledge.
As the number of manuscripts grew they formed private and public collections. The largest of which are based in Damascus, Baghdad, Medina, Basra, Merv, Nishapur, Bukha-
© Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет, 2018
ra, Jerusalem, Cairo, Kairouan, Cordoba, Istanbul and a number of other cities. With the manuscripts so widely distributed there is a need for their systematization [1, p. 4].
While originally the area of distribution of manuscripts was mainly limited to Muslim countries the situation drastically changed in the 16th and 17th centuries when Europeans grew interested in Oriental languages and cultures as a whole and Arab manuscripts, in particular. Gradually, collections of Arabic manuscripts began to take shape in European libraries and private collections initially in Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, France and Sweden, and later in other countries. During the same period, the first attempts were made by European Arabic scholars to systematize the accumulated library collections of Arabic manuscripts. V. Postel, J. Golius, S. de Sasi and I. Reiske laid the foundation for the further development and cataloging of the Arabic manuscript heritage. Nevertheless, these were only the first attempts to systematize the knowledge of Arabic manuscripts. Studies involving a comprehensive analysis of medieval Arabic writings did not come out until the 19th century. The same period saw the creation of the first academic catalogs of the largest collections of Arabic manuscripts held at various libraries including at the National Library in Paris, libraries in London, Berlin, Madrid, Vienna, Munich, Leiden, St. Petersburg, Oxford, and Copenhagen.
At the end of 19th century, K. Brokelman makes an attempt to make an overview of all the accumulated material about Arabic writings, mainly relying on printed catalogs. The first edition of his two-volume work, The History of Arabic Literature [2; 3], was published in 1898 and became a reference point for further work in this field. Brokelman's work was continued by the Turkish researcher of the Arabic manuscript heritage, literature and art F. Sezgin, who wrote the thirteen-volume History of the Arab Heritage [4], which is considered to be the most complete work on the history of Arabic science and literature.
In Russia, A. B. Khalidov and I. B. Mikhailova compiled a comprehensive bibliographic reference book of Arabic manuscripts published in 1982 [1], the first and still unique Russian undertaking in creating a consolidated bibliography of Arabic manuscript catalogs.
In the 20th century, interest in manuscript collections persisted and the first detailed descriptions of valuable manuscripts came out that did not only contain studied texts but a detailed textual analysis of them. Despite the emergence of new works on the description and systematization of manuscripts, much of the Arabic manuscript heritage still remained unexplored, which, first of all, was due to the sheer amount and variety of material [5, p. 63].
We should mention Russian researchers C. G. Zaleman, V. R. Rosen, V. F. Girgas, A. A. Romaskevich, I. Yu. Krachkovsky [6], A. B. Khalidov [7], O. B. Frolova [8], V. I. Be-lyaeva, M. S. Pelevin [9], as the ones who studied Oriental manuscript collections, and some of them also supplemented collections in different years. However, despite the lively interest of researchers in the manuscript collections of St. Petersburg and other oriental studies centers of Russia, only a small part of them was subjected to close analysis, and most remain unexplored [10, p. 26-31].
Various methods are used for a comprehensive study of manuscript composition. First of all, you should pay attention to the study of external features of the work — its size, degree of dilapidation, quality and condition of the binding and paper, as well as the presence or absence of filigree. All these nuances make it possible to make precise conclusions about the time of the creation of a particular manuscript. The external characteristic
of the composition is the type of paper, handwriting, the presence or absence of a paper line (lines of vertex and ponceau), information about ink, handwriting — are also an important part of the study of a manuscript. The next stage is a deeper analysis of the text of the work, revealing its features, comparing it with similar texts. Detailed study of the text often allows the scholar not only to accurately date the manuscript, but also to establish who the copyist was, and also to whom it belonged. At the moment, researchers have a significant arsenal of modern methods of studying manuscripts, starting with infrared and ultraviolet studies of ink and paper and ending with a nuclear analysis, which allows obtaining the most complete information about the origin and features of a manuscript.
Together with the need to comprehensively study and systematize information about available Arabic manuscripts, it is necessary to emphasize the role of detailed descriptions of individual manuscripts that allow us to establish general patterns in the works of Arab authors.
Among Arabic manuscripts, Magma' al-'amtal (Collection of Proverbs) by al-Maydani is of particular research interest. We studied three copies of the manuscript: copy B-908 from the collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which includes two parts; copy No. 804 from the collection of the Oriental Department of Gorky Library at St. Petersburg State University, containing only the first part of the work; and copy Lbg. 815 from the collection of the National Library of Berlin, which includes the second part of the work of al-Maydani.
Abu al-Fadl 'Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Nisburi al-Maydani was born in the city of Nishapur in the Maydan district. The year of his birth was not established. Al-Maydani died in 518 AH, which corresponds to the year 1142 according to the Christian calendar.
The medieval Muslim scholar Yaqut al-Hamawi wrote about al-Maydani, "He (al-Maydani) is an excellent scholar, grammarian, linguist. He died in 518, is buried in Maydan. The composition Al-gami'fi al-'amtal (Collection of Proverbs) belongs to him, and this is a beautiful work" [11, p. 511-513].
Yaqut al-Hamawi also describes the following curious story: when al-Maydani completed the work on Al-gami'fi al-'amtal, the writer and philosopher Abu al-Qasim al-Zamahsari got jealous of how comprehensive and good al-Maydani's work was. Al-Zamahsari took a pen and added the letter nun to the name of al-Maydani, which turned the latter's name into al-Namaydani, which in Persian means someone who does not know anything. When al-Maydani discovered this, he took one of the works of al- Zamahsari and also added the letter nun to the author's name to make it read as al-Zanahsari. This name means in the Persian language the one who sold his wife1. This story is mentioned in a number of sources, including the B-908 manuscript from the collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts on page 1.
Yaqut al-Hamawi wrote, referring to contemporaries who knew al-Maydani personally, the following, "If intelligence, nobility and generosity had a face, it would be the face of al-Maydani" [11, p. 513].
Al-Maydani studied with outstanding scholars of his time, one of whom was the famous Koran commentator Abu al-Hasan al-Wahidi. The famous al thinker Abu al-Hasan al-Bayhaqi and al-Maydani's son Sa'id became the students of al-Maydani himself.
In the catalog of A. B. Khalidov said that al-Maydani is
1 Another version reads the one that has bought a wife.
"a popular collection of Arabic proverbs arranged in an alphabetical order; each proverb is accompanied by a more or less understandable explanation (of individual words, grammatical constructions, the origins and uses of the proverbs). The collection has the author's foreword and consists of 28 chapters on the number of letters in the Arabic alphabet. There are also the 29th chapter, listing the days (battles) of the Arabs and the days (battles) of Islam and the 30th chapter, which contains sayings of Muhammad and prominent figures of Islam. The time of copying is the 17th century. Sheets 01 a and 1a have the owners' inscriptions. Sheet 1a carries a small oval stamp and an Asian Museum stamp" [12, p. 65-66].
The writing we are interested in has various names. 'Ibn Hallikan — a famous Arab writer and jurist — called the work al-Maydani Kitab al-amtal (Book of Proverbs) [13, p. 6]. Yaqut al-Hamawi referred to it as Gamx al-amtal. The most common title today is Magmacal-amtal. Al-Maydani himself refers to his work as Magma al-amtal in the introduction on sheet 6 of copy 804 and on sheet 3 of copy 908 (Fig. 1, 2).
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Fig. 1. Copy sheet 804 (from the Oriental Department of Gorky Library, St. Petersburg State University)
Fig. 2. Copy sheet 908 (from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of
Sciences)
Manuscript B-908 from the collection of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences is called Magma al-amtal al-Maydani. The dimensions of this copy are 25 cm by 16 cm. The copy includes 286 sheets. The cover of the composition is ornamented, half-leather. In general, the book is in good condition.
The text of the piece is preceded by an inscription made on the title page of the copy (Fig. 3): Kitab al-amtal al-sair al-sahir bi-magma' al-amtal ta'lif al-Maydani rahima-hu Allah tacala (Translation: The book of well-known proverbs in the collection of proverbs under the authorship of al-Maydani, may Allah be merciful to him!).
On the left-hand side of the title sheet there is a text written without dots in letters and without any voices: Al-Husayn Yusuf min al-abd al-faqir al-salahiyya al-mudarris bi-al-madrasa kull man galaba 'ilay-ha (unintelligible) afa Allah an-hu wa gafara la-hu (Translation: Al-Husayn Yusuf from a poor slave, school teacher. Aleppo. God forgive him!).
Fig. 3. Title sheet of copy B-908 (from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences)
Fig. 4. The first copy of the B-908 copy (from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences)
On the first sheet of this copy to the left of the Asian Museum stamp2 there is an inscription containing information about the owner of the book. In this phrase, there are also no points for letters and vowels (Fig. 4):
min kutub al-abd al-faqir al-sayyid Yusuf b. al-sayyid Husayn al-Hanafi hadim al-sunna al-nabawiyya bi-Halab. Ufiya an-hu. (Translation: From the (collection) books of the poor slave of Mr. Yusuf, the son of Mr. Husayn al-Hanafi, the servant of the Sunnah of the Prophet in Aleppo. God forgive him!).
2 Sig. Mus. Asiat. C. A. 1818.
Then follows the inscription: al-hamd li-Allah tamallaka-hu bi-al-sari al-sar'i al-'abd al-faqir 'ila mayla-hu al-'ali. The next fragment of the text is crossed out, but readable; this traditionally happened when the book changed owner and the name of the previous owner of the manuscript was struck out or completely erased:
al-sayyid Muhammad b. al-sayyid Ali al-sahir bi-'Abu al-'Izz. The text follows without strikethrough: al-Halabi min al-sayh Muhammad al-Sami fi mazad matrakat al-mufti fi sahr gumadi al-tani sana 1153 (Translation: Thank God, it became the property of a poor slave with the legitimate acquisition of Mr. Muhammad, the son of Mr. All, known as 'Abu al-'Izz (further without strikethrough) al-Halabi from Sheikh Muhammada al-Sami (purchased) at the auction of the mufti's things in the month of Jumad al-sani, in 1153).
Below on this sheet there is a stamp on which it is possible to decipher only some words: qala, rabbi, Muhammad.
On the same sheet, the information about al-Maydani, mentioned by Yaqut al-Hamawi, is repeated.
B-908 European copy paper with filigree; yellowed. The text of the copy is written in a clear, intelligeable handwriting, which is a combination of nash and ruq'a handwriting. The main text is written in black ink, but individual words and phrases are highlighted in red ink. On the back of the first sheet there are traditional unwan and basmala. The text of the piece is limited to the back of the first sheet; on the second sheet it is inscribed in a gilded frame. On the margins of some pages there are comments made in different handwritings in black, rarely red ink. Throughout the text of the work al-Maydani there are custodes. Each sheet has 33 lines (Fig. 5). It is written in the collage on the last sheet number 286 (Fig. 6):
'intaha kitab al-amtal al-gazir al-'asbah wa-al-'amtal wa-al-hamd li-Allah al-wahid al-karim al-mutaal wa-salla Allah ala sayyidi-na Muhammad wa-ahli-hi wa-azwagi-hi wa-duryati-hi wa-ahl bayti-hi wa-ashabi-hi tasallam3 tasliman 'ila yawm al-din 'amin amin amin mim mim mim4
(Translation: The proverb book is completed, which is full of comparisons and proverbs, thank God the One, the Bountiful, the Most High. God blessed our master Muhammad, his family, his wives, his descendants, his relatives and associates, and he blessed him until the day of judgment. Amen, Amen, Amen, the End.)
The scribe's name, which is sometimes present even in the collage, is not indicated in this case.
The second copy we studied, No. 804 of al-Maydani, belongs to the collection of the manuscript collection of the Oriental Department of the Gorky Library of St. Petersburg State University and is called Al-guz' al-'awwal min magma' al-'amtal al-Maydani (The first part of Proverbs al-Maydani).
The size of this copy is 23 cm by 17 cm. In total, there are 179 sheets in the composition. Cover copy cardboard. The paper is European, of varying density with filigree.
3 This was probably a mistake in the use of the verb form tasallam instead sallam.
4 The letter mim was repeated three times in the manuscript and signifies the end of the piece.
Fig. 5. The back of the first sheet of copy B-908 (from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences)
The text of the composition as well as in the copy of B-908 is written in two handwritings — nash and ruq'a, throughout the composition there are custodes. For the main text, the scribe used black ink, however the table of contents, the first word of each proverb and the commas are highlighted in red ink (Fig. 7).
It is interesting to note that the copy of the work was probably written by the famous Egyptian philologist at-Tantàwl,5 which is mentioned in I. Yu. Krachkovsky [14, p. 109], as well as from V. I. Belyaeva and P. G. Bulgakov [15, p. 25].
At-Tantàwï taught at St Petersburg between 1840 and 1861.
5
Fig. 6. The last sheet of copy B-908 (from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences)
Copy of Lbg. 815, belonging to the National Library of Berlin, also includes only one part of the composition of al-Maydani, but unlike the copy of 804, this is the second part of the work. The copy is called Al-guz' al-tani min magma' al-amtal al-Maydani (The second part of the collection of proverbs al-Maydani).
The size of the Lbg list. 815 is 22.5 cm by 15.5 cm. The cover of the composition is leather, brown. The condition of the copy is satisfactory — in some places the paper was damaged by insects and subsequently restored. The paper without filigree, east, thick enough, yellowed. Some pages are strongly stuck together.
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Fig. 7. Fragment of copy 804 (from the Oriental Department of Gorky Library, St. Petersburg State University)
On the title page of the copy of Lbg. 815, there are numerous inscriptions in addition to the name of the composition and the stamp of the library,6 the letters in some of them are completely devoid of points (Fig. 8):
I. al-hamd li-Allah (inaudible) fï nawba (inaudible) Hamad b. Muhammad (part of the page is cut off) al-Mawsawï al-Sâfi'ï lataf Allah bi-hi
(Translation: Glory to God (inaudible) in possession of Hamad bin Muhammad (part of the page is cut off) al-Mawsawi al-Sâfi'i, may God be merciful to him)
6 Ex. Biblioth. Regia Berolinensi.
II. fuhrisatft kutub al-abd al-faqtr 'ila rahmat Allah hallas-hu Allah min al-tabat tumma ft nawbat al-mawlawiya al-sagiya walad sayh al-suyuh
(Translation: This manuscript was included in the copy of books of a poor slave, his heavenly kingdom, May God save him from the consequences (sins), then in possession of the dervishes (?) Of the sheik's son)
III. al-hamd li-Allah taala wahda-hu
hada wa-ma qabla-hu mimma sarft nawbat al-faqtr 'ilay-hi subhana-hu wa-taala Abd al-Kartm b. Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Muhammad b. al-Sayh Hamza al-Hasbant al-Dimafqt gafara-hu Allah ft ragab min sanat 1113 bi-al-sira al-sar't
(Translation: Glory be to God the Supreme One. This is both what was before and what the poor took over. 'Abd al-Karim b. Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Muhammad b. al-Sayh Hamza al-Hasbani al-Dimasqi, God forgive him, in (month) rajab in 1113 by legal purchase)
IV. al-hamd li-waliya-hi tumma saqa-hu saiq al-taqdtr min qabla-hu ila nawbat al-abd al-faqtr Ragab 'ibn 'Abd al-Kartm b. Muhammad b. Hamza al-Hasant
a hsan Allah awaqiba-hu wa-faddil bi-al-sira al-sar't ft sanat 1118
(Translation: Glory to his viceroy7
Then fate transferred (this book) to the possession of the poor slave Ragab 'ibn Abd al-Karim b. Muhammad b. Hamza al-Hasani, may God make his affairs auspicious. It was acquired legally in 1118)
V. katab (inaudible) al-duhad al-'izzt bi-ta'rth ragab al-fard sana (illegible) Allah al-mahmud ala kull hal wa-naud bi-hi min hal ahl al-nara
wa-katab (illegible) lataf Allah bi-hi
faqtr 'ila mawla-hu yasal afwa-hu wa-yargu 'ataya-hu (illegible)
yagfur zallat wa-yastur 'aura wa-yudhib 'an-hu
wa-yult-hi min-hu kull say'yarumu-hu wa-yagala-hu abdan la-hu
abda-ka wa-taattaf alay-hi wa-'urzuqh min fadli-ka ya rabb al-'alimtn (illegible)
wa-salli awwalan wa-ahiran wa-batinan wa-zahiran 'ala Muhammad wa-ali-hi wa-sahbihim
(Translation: I wrote al-Izzt in the month of rajab ... a year... in the name of God.) God
is glorious and he will save from bad people.
And wrote (illegible) let God be merciful to him. The poor (slave) asks his master8 for his forgiveness and his retribution (illegible). He asks for forgiveness of mistakes, (requests) to hide his shortcomings and to save him (from all bad things), to grant him that he (God) wishes to make him his slave. (He) is your slave, have mercy on him and grant him out of your blessings, Most High. Constantly raise the prayer explicitly and disgorged Muhammad, his family and their companions)
7 Prophet Muhammad, the governor of God on earth.
8 God is meant.
' ' ■'■'■- .'sir
Fig. 8. Title sheet of copy Lbg. 815 (from the National Library of Berlin)
It should be noted that on the title page there is also an inscription duplicating a fragment of the text above, but written in a bad hand:
faqïr 'ila mawla-hu yas'al afwa-hu wa-yargu ataya-hu (illegible)
yagfur zallat wa-yastur 'aura wa-yudhib an-hu
wa-yulïh min-hu kull say'yarumu-hu wa-yagala-hu abdan la-hu
The entire text of the work is written in a clear and intelligible handwriting nash. In the text there are custodes, there are rare comments on the fields. A distinctive feature of this copy is that the text is fully voiced (Fig. 9).
Fig. 9. A fragment of the copy Lbg. 815 (from the National Library of Berlin)
It should be noted that the National Library of Berlin also contains a complete list of works of al-Maydani — Df. 62. Information about him is in the catalog of Arabic manuscripts of the library [16, p. 594], but it is impossible to see the copy itself at the moment, as it is in a dilapidated state and is not available for examination.
Structurally, the composition al-Maydani includes 30 chapters, the names of which are arranged in alphabetical order. Moreover, the 28th chapter includes proverbs beginning with the letter ya, the 29th chapter unites the names of festive and memorable days in history, and the 30th chapter is entirely devoted to the statements of the Prophet and righteous caliphs (Fig. 10).
Fig. 10. A fragment of copy B-908 (from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian
Academy of Sciences)
Each chapter of the work begins with ordinary proverbs, followed by proverbs grouped by the use of the af'al in them (Fig. 11).
After that, the proverbs composed by the speakers of the Arabic language are not Arabs by origin — this part is called 'amtdl al-muwalladin (Fig. 12).
Fig. 11. The fragment of copy B-908 (from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian
Academy of Sciences)
The subjects of the proverbs included in this literary work are diverse: the animal world, the planets, as well as citations from the well-known bait, which later became proverbs. It is interesting to note that a large number of such baits belong to the poet al-Mutanabbl. Some proverbs are grouped according to the use in them of the terms of kinship (mother, father, brother, etc.), others have a prehistory of appearance.
/
ft у J, y
Fig. 12. A fragment of copy Lbg. 815 (from the National Library of Berlin)
Let's consider some examples in more detail, dividing them into the appropriate groups.
1. Proverbs using the terms of kinship.
• 'inn al-hamat awlaat bi-al-kanna wa-awlaat kannatu-ha bi-al-zanna
They talk about constant hostility between a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law.
• 'ila 'ummi-hi yalhaf li-al-lahfan
They say that when a person turns to his relatives for help.
• umm farasat faanamat
They speak of a good attitude to a member of a loved one.
• aha-ka aha-ka 'inna man la ah la-hu kasa 'ila al-hayga bi-gayr silah They say when you need to support a loved one.
2. Proverbs using anatomical terminology.
• 'ida ga al-hin harat al-'ayn
'ida ga' al-qadar gasiya al-basar
They say, when everything is already decided and nothing can be changed.
• 'inna-hu la-sadtdgafn al-'ayn
They talk about a person who can stay awake for a long time.
• 'anf ft al-sama' wa-'istft al-ma'
They speak of a stupid and arrogant person.
3. Proverbs about women.
• 'inna al-nisa'saqa'q al-aqwam
They say to emphasize the equality of women and men.
4. Proverbs using the image of animals.
• 'ida 'arad Allah halak al-namla 'anbat la-hu ganahayn
If God wants an ant to die, he will give him wings.
• 'ida dakarta al-di'b fa'a'idd la-hu al-asa
If you remember the wolf, prepare a stick.
• 'ida lamyanfaa-ka al-bazt fantif rtsa-hu
If you do not need a falcon, pluck it.
5. Proverbs using the grammatical form 'af'al.
• 'absar min zarqa' al-yamama9
They talk about a person with excellent eyesight.
6. Poetic lines that have become proverbs.
• 'ida 'akramta al-kartm malakta-hu wa-'inn 'anta 'akramta li-al-la'tm tamarrada
Doing good to a noble (man), you multiply his nobility, if you do good to the low
(man), he becomes even lower.
The fact that Magma' al-'amtal continues to be reprinted can only indicate that the interest in the work of al-Maydani is still unabated. Most proverbs, which the author included in his work several centuries ago, are used to this day.
The study of the surviving copies of this manuscript makes it possible to get the most complete understanding of one of the most major works of the Arab thinker and scholar al-Maydani, and also enables researchers to look at the whole cultural and historical layer through the prism of proverbs used in living speech.
The medieval culture of the Muslim world cannot be fully understood without a comprehensive study of the entire Arabic manuscript tradition and a thorough examination of Arabic manuscripts. Attention to Arabic manuscripts derives from their immense historical and cultural significance as an invaluable source of information about the most diverse
9 According to legend Zarqa' al-yamama is the name of the woman whose sharp eyes allowed her to see a person who was at a distance of a three-days' walk from her.
fields of science, art, history of political and religious thought in the Middle East and in neighboring regions.
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Received: 20.10.2017 Accepted: 27.02.2018
Author's information:
Yafia Y. J. Hana — PhD in Philology; [email protected]
Enesh K. Akhmatshina — PhD in Political Science; [email protected], [email protected]
Amaliia A. Mokrushina — PhD in Philology; [email protected]
Три списка рукописи al-Maydäni «Сборник пословиц» из Института восточных рукописей Российской академии наук, собрания восточного отдела Библиотеки им. М. Горького Санкт-Петербургского государственного университета и коллекции Национальной библиотеки Берлина
Я. Ю. Д. Хана, Э. К. Ахматшина, А. А. Мокрушина Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет,
Российская Федерация, 199034, Санкт-Петербург, Университетская наб., 7-9
Для цитирования: Hana Y. Y. J., Mokrushina A. A., Akhmatshina E. K. Three manuscript copies of the Collection of Proverbs by al-Maydäni from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Oriental Department of Gorky Library, St. Petersburg State University, and the National Library of Berlin // Вестник Санкт-Петербургского университета. Востоковедение и африканистика. 2018. Т. 10. Вып. 2. С. 210-229. https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu13.2018.206
В последние десятилетия одним из приоритетных направлений изучения рукописной книги является кодикология. Статья посвящена анализу трех списков рукописи «Сборник пословиц» известного мусульманского ученого-лингвиста al-Maydäni. Два списка хранятся в рукописных коллекциях Санкт-Петербурга (Институт восточных рукописей РАН и восточного отдела Библиотеки им. М. Горького СПбГУ), третий принадлежит коллекции Национальной библиотеки Берлина. Сочинение al-Maydäni представляет собой сборник арабских пословиц, расположенных в алфавитном порядке. Каждая пословица сопровождается комментарием, касающимся отдельных слов, грамматических конструкций, а также происхождения и употребления. Сборник снабжен предисловием автора и включает двадцать восемь глав по числу букв арабского алфавита. В двух дополнительных главах перечислены дни битв арабов, собраны изречения Мухаммада и выдающихся деятелей ислама. Изучение сохранившихся списков рукописи позволяет составить наиболее полное впечатление об одном из самых крупных и значимых сочинений арабского мыслителя и ученого al-Maydäni, а также дает возможность исследователям взглянуть на целый культурно-исторический пласт сквозь призму употребляемых в живой речи пословиц. Интерес к произведению al-Maydäni сохраняется и сегодня, а его сочинение Magma' al-'amtäl продолжает переиздаваться. Большинство пословиц, которые автор включил в свое произведение несколько веков назад, широко используются по сей день. Без целостного охвата всей арабской рукописной традиции и многопланового рассмотрения арабских манускриптов не могут быть в полной мере поняты существенные аспекты средневековой культуры мусульманского мира. Таким образом, внимание к арабской рукописной книге, которая является бесценным источником сведений о самых разнообразных областях науки, искусства, истории политической и религиозной мысли на Ближнем Востоке и в сопредельных регионах, объясняется ее огромным историко-культурным значением.
Ключевые слова: кодикология, арабская рукопись, списки рукописи, арабский язык, пословицы, фольклор.
Контактная информация:
Хана Яфиа Юсиф Джамиль — канд. филол. наук; [email protected]
Ахматшина Энеш Курбансейидовна — канд. полит. наук; [email protected], [email protected]
Мокрушина Амалия Анатольевна — канд. филол. наук; [email protected]
