Luqtat al-Ajlan mimma tamass ila marifatihi hajat al-Insan
- Author died
- 1307 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmīyah
Luqtat al-Ajlan mimma tamass ila marifatihi hajat al-Insan (A Hastener's Gleanings of What Human Need Touches to Know) is a historical and chronological compendium written in Arabic by the Indian scholar and prince of Bhopal, Siddiq Hasan Khan (1248–1307 AH / 1832–1890 CE) .
Composition and Context
Siddiq Hasan Khan concluded the manuscript of Luqtat al-Ajlan in the city of Bhopal in Rabi' al-Awwal (likely on the 14th), 1290 AH (1873 CE) . In his epilogue, he noted that he compiled the material extemporaneously from the books of reliable authorities during a period of distraction and shifting circumstances . Reflecting on his own era toward the end of the thirteenth century Hijri, he observed the collapse of Muslim rule in India and the transition of authority to the British Empire, emphasizing the recurrent need across eras for historians to document changing conditions, nations, and customs in the manner of al-Mas'udi and Ibn Khaldun .
Subject Matter and Scope
The work is an encyclopedic overview of universal history, calendars, and chronology . It includes:
- Chronological systems and time reckoning: Discussions of nights, days, months, years, hours, minutes, and the four seasons, as well as the definitions and uses of history across different religious communities .
- Ancient and universal history: A substantial survey of past nations, beginning with the creation of the world, the inception of humanity, the chronological variances between Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians, the Flood, and subsequent kingdoms and rulers .
- Historical and scriptural inquiries: Specific historical investigations, such as the identity of Dhu al-Qarnayn—whom the author argues was an ancient Himyarite king of Yemen named al-Sa'b ibn Dhi Marathid rather than Alexander the Great—as well as lineages, the history of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the duration of the world, and critiques of esoteric letter divination (jafr) .
The author frequently referred readers to Luqtat al-Ajlan in his other major works, including his Qur'anic commentary Fath al-Bayan fi Maqasid al-Quran and his classification of sciences Abjad al-Ulum, for detailed treatments of genealogy, sacred geography, and cosmic timelines .
Publication History
The book was printed in India in 1291 AH (1874 CE) . It was subsequently published in Istanbul by Matba'at al-Jawa'ib in 1296 AH (1879 CE), where it appeared in a 318-page volume appended with the author's treatise on religious sects, Khabi'at al-Akwan fi iftiraq al-umam 'ala al-madhahib wa-al-adyan . Modern editions include a printing by Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah in Beirut in 1405 AH (1985 CE) .
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