NEAR EAST, CIRCA 1300

The present manuscript is an early copy of a work on astrology and magic. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi was an important scholar of the late 12th century who is known for his work on philosophy and religious sciences. Although he was an Asha'rite scholar concerned primarily with philosophy and theology, his knowledge of both Islamic and non-Islamic literature was extensive and even in his theological texts, such as his Tafsir, he includes discussions on astrology, astronomy, physics and medicine. Born in Rayy in 1149, he lived in Bukhara, Samarkand, Ghazna and Hind and finally settled in Herat, where he was poisoned by members of the Karramiya sect.

Another copy of the manuscript is in the John Rylands Library (A. Minganana, D.D., Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the John Rylands Library, Manchester, 1934, pp.588-89, no.362).