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Catalogue: Prophetic Medicine

Kitāb al-Ṭibb al-nabawī (MS A 32): (Prophetic Medicine); كتاب الطب النبوى; by Abū ‘Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ‘Uthmān al-Dhahabī (d.1348/748); ابو عبد الله محمد ابن احمد ابن عثمان الذهبى

The is a complete copy of the shorter version of the treatise on prophetic medicine by al-Dhahabī, though the author is actually given in the copy as Dā’ūd al-hakim ('the doctor'). A later owner's label, pasted on the front endpaper, identifies the author as Dā’ūd al-Anṭākī. Sommer identified him as Dā’ūd ibn ‘Umar al-Antaki, who died in 1599/1088, but al-Anṭākī is not known to have written on prophetic medicine and it can be demonstrated that copies of this treatise date from as early as the 14th century (see Schullian/Sommer, Cat. of incun. & MSS., p. 308).

The treatise is divided into three chapters (fanns), on general medical principles, on drugs and regimen, and on the therapy of diseases. This version lacks the section on listening to music that is found in the longer versions, and the section on smallpox and measles occurs earlier in the treatise than in the longer version.

Illustrations

Folio 1b from Abū ‘Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ‘Uthmān al-Dhahabī's Kitāb al-Ṭibb al-nabawī (Prophetic Medicine). The biscuit paper has almost a matte finish, with fine vertical laid lines, single chain lines, and watermarks. The text is written in a somewhat stiff, medium-small, widely-spaced naskh script, using black ink with headings in red and some red highlighting.

MS A 32, fol. 1b

The opening of a copy of the shorter version of the treatise on Prophetic Medicine by al-Dhahabī. The copy was completed on 18 Muharram 957 (= 6 February 1550) by Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad Ismā‘īl al-Ghazzī, known as (‘urifa bi-) al-Balmūfī.

Folio 88a from Abū ‘Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ‘Uthmān al-Dhahabī's Kitāb al-Ṭibb al-nabawī (Prophetic Medicine) featuring the colophon. The biscuit paper has almost a matte finish, with fine vertical laid lines, single chain lines, and watermarks. The text is written in a somewhat stiff, medium-small, widely-spaced naskh script, using black ink with headings in red and some red highlighting.

MS A 32, fol. 88a

The colophon in a copy of the shorter version of the treatise on Prophetic Medicine by al-Dhahabī. According to this colophon, the copy was completed on 18 Muharram 957 (= 6 February 1550) by Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad Ismā‘īl al-Ghazzī, known as (‘urifa bi-) al-Balmūfī.

Physical Description

Arabic. 88 leaves (fols. 1b-88a). Dimensions 19.8 x 14.8 (text area 16.2 x 11) cm; 17 lines per page. The title Kitab Tibb nafis is given in possibly a later hand on the title page (fol. 1a), where the author's name is also given, inaccurately, as Dā’ūd al-hakim (Dā’ūd the doctor). A later owner's label, pasted on the front endpaper, identifies the author as Dā’ūd al-Anṭākī. Sommer identified him as Dā’ūd ibn ‘Umar al-Anṭākī, who died in 1599/1088, but al-Anṭākī is not known to have written on prophetic medicine (see Schullian/Sommer, Cat. of incun. & MSS., p. 308).

The copy was completed on 18 Muharram 957 (= 6 February 1550) by the copyist Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad Ismā‘īl al-Ghazzī, known as (‘urifa bi-) al-Balmūfī (fol. 88a, lines 10-11).

A complete copy of the shorter version of the treatise on prophetic medicine by al-Dhahabī; the treatise is divided into three chapters (fanns), on general medical principles, on drugs and regimen, and on the therapy of diseases. This MS lacks the section on listening to music, which is present at the end of printed Cairo editions and on p. 175-176 of Elgood's translation; the section on smallpox and measles, on p. 176-77 of Elgood's translation, occurs earlier in this manuscript.

The text is written in a somewhat stiff, medium-small, widely-spaced naskh script, using black ink with headings in red and some red highlighting. There are catchwords.

There is some marginalia in several hands, including some corrections by the copyist.

The biscuit paper has almost a matte finish, with fine vertical laid lines, single chain lines, and watermarks. The paper is waterstained and soiled through thumbing.

The volume consists of 88 leaves. Fol. 1a is a title page (possibly written later), with a couple of later owner's notes. Fol. 88b has miscellaneous later notes. On the front endpaper is a modern owner's label bearing the ELS number and the Arabic text: Kitāb ṭibb li-ra'is Dā’ūd al-Anṭākī wa-huwa al-ṭibb al-nabawi (Book of Medicine, That is, Prophetic Medicine by Ra'is Dā’ūd al-Anṭākī).

Binding

The volume is bound in a dark-tan modern library binding. There are modern paper pastedowns and endpapers.

Pasted to the front endpaper is a brown leather scalloped mandorla panel on which has been stamped a design virtually identical to that stamped on the covers of MS A 78. This panel was cut out of what was possibly the earlier binding. In the center of the panel are the words ‘amal ‘Umar ('the work of ‘Umar').

Provenance

The volume was purchased in 1941 by the Army Medical Library from A. S. Yahuda, who acquired it from a dealer in Homs, Syria (ELS no. 1733, Med. 28).

References

Schullian/Sommer, Cat. of incun. & MSS., 1950, A32, p. 308, where the author is given as Da'ud al-Antaki.

NLM Microfilm Reel: FILM 48-118 no. 5