SIGNED AHMAD BIN HUSAYNI BIN YAHYA AL-TAMI, MOROCCO, NORTH AFRICA, DATED AH 989/1581-2 AD

Al-Samhudi was born in Samhud in Upper Egypt in AH 844/1440-1441 AD, and lived in Medina where he died in AH 911/1505-1506 AD. He was a prolific author and came to be an authority of the history of Medina. His text, Wafa al-wafa, is considered the largest surviving source on the history of Medina and he would later abridge this work to produce the present text, Khulasat al wafa bi-akhbar dar al-Mustafa.

Another abridged copy written in Medina and dated 14 Safar AH 1203/1788 AD is in the British Library, London (Rieu, 2013, p.827, no.1284) and a further copy of this text was sold in these Rooms, 26 October 2017, lot 60. For further information and recorded copies of this text see C. Brockelmann, Geschichte der Arabischen Litteratur, Leiden, 1943, II., p.174, Suppl. I., 631; II., 223.