COPIED BY 'ABD AL-KARIM IBN MUHAMMAD ISMA'IL, DATED AH 1259/1843-44 AD

Details

MUHAMMAD BAQIR IBN MUHAMMAD TAQI MAJLISEH (D. AH 1110/1698 AD): ZAD AL-MA'AD
COPIED BY 'ABD AL-KARIM IBN MUHAMMAD ISMA'IL, DATED AH 1259/1843-44 AD
A book of prayers in the Shi'ite tradition, Arabic and Persian manuscript on paper, 223ff. plus 2 fly-leaves, each with 22ll. of crisp black naskh with important words and headings picked out in red, blue or gold, some pages with interlinear Persian translation in red nasta'liq, margins in gold with black rules, outer margins in black and gold, fine illuminated medallions in the margins marking the beginning of each month and small red naskh marking of the month in the upper corner, opening bifolio with the text in clouds reserved against gold and finely illuminated margins and headpiece, two colophons, the first signed 'Abd al-Karim ibn Muhammad Isma'il and dated 1259, very good condition, original brown shagreen morocco with painted central medallion and borders
Text panel 5¾ x 3in. (14.6 x 7.6cm.); folio 7 3/8 x 4 3/8in. (18.8 x 11.1cm.)

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Lot Essay

Muhammad Baqir b. Muhammad Taqi b. Maqsud 'Ali al-Majlisi al-Isfahani (AH 1037-1110/1627-98 AD) was one of the foremost religious thinkers of his time and among the most prolific authors in Twelver Shi'ism. He held the office of Shaykh al-Islam under Shah Sulayman (d. 1106/1694) and Mulla Bashi under Shah Sultan Husayn (d. 1125/1713). He wrote several important works, the most famous being Bihar al-Anwar (Seas of Lights) and Zad al-Ma'ad (Provisions for the Resurrection), a text in Arabic containing prayers for each day of the year, with titles and explanatory introductions given in Persian, (Encyclopaedia of Islam, Leiden, 1986 pp.1086-88).

While the 1259 date in the colophon is clear, the details of the day of the week and precise date are given in such a complicated way that they appear not to tally.

The scribe, 'Abd al-Karim ibn Muhammad Isma'il, is unrecorded.

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