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Lot Essay
Karim ibn Ibrahim is Karim Khan Kirmani was distant cousin to Fath 'Ali Shah Qajar and a 19th century polymath. He was born in 1809-10 and died in 1871. As leader of the Shaykhi movement, he redacted a number of tracts against the Babists and Baha'is. Karim Khan was a prolific author, covering the whole field of Islamic and philosophical sciences, including alchemy, medicine, optics and music.
The first treatise in this manual is Khulasat al-Taqwim (Summary of the Calendar). Its introduction states that it is a summary in the form of tables for ikhtiyarat: the selection of auspicious moments according to the day, the station of the moon and the zodiac as well as a means of introduction of the solar and lunar calendars, the hours of the day, the night, and knowledge of horoscopes.
The other two works in this manuscript are also by Karim Khan Kirmani are the Risala al-Mizan, on the use of the astrolabe and Risala-i Halqa-i Karimi (The Treatise on the Karimi Ring), which is about an instrument that the author himself developed in place of the astrolabe. It is fascinating that this curious 'ring' instrument is offered here with this manuscript.
The colophon states that "it was completed by the hand of its compiler Karim bin Ibrahim on the first day of the month of Muharram AH 1259/1st February 1843 AD. However another inscription in the same hand states that it was “approved” by Muhammad Javad ibn Muhammad bin ‘Ali al-Kirmani in Sha’ban AH 1312/Jan-Feb 1895. This probably means that it was copied by Muhammad Javad from Karim bin Ibrahim’s (the author's) original copy.
The first treatise in this manual is Khulasat al-Taqwim (Summary of the Calendar). Its introduction states that it is a summary in the form of tables for ikhtiyarat: the selection of auspicious moments according to the day, the station of the moon and the zodiac as well as a means of introduction of the solar and lunar calendars, the hours of the day, the night, and knowledge of horoscopes.
The other two works in this manuscript are also by Karim Khan Kirmani are the Risala al-Mizan, on the use of the astrolabe and Risala-i Halqa-i Karimi (The Treatise on the Karimi Ring), which is about an instrument that the author himself developed in place of the astrolabe. It is fascinating that this curious 'ring' instrument is offered here with this manuscript.
The colophon states that "it was completed by the hand of its compiler Karim bin Ibrahim on the first day of the month of Muharram AH 1259/1st February 1843 AD. However another inscription in the same hand states that it was “approved” by Muhammad Javad ibn Muhammad bin ‘Ali al-Kirmani in Sha’ban AH 1312/Jan-Feb 1895. This probably means that it was copied by Muhammad Javad from Karim bin Ibrahim’s (the author's) original copy.