Masbuk al-Dhahab fi Fadl al-Arab wa Sharaf al-Ilm ala Sharaf al-Nasab
- Author died
- 1033 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Rushd lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawzī‘
Masbuk al-Dhahab fi Fadl al-Arab wa Sharaf al-Ilm ala Sharaf al-Nasab (The Cast Gold on the Virtue of the Arabs and the Nobility of Knowledge over the Nobility of Lineage) is a treatise by the Hanbali jurist and scholar Mari al-Karmi (d. 1033 AH / 1624 CE) addressing the merits of the Arabs and establishing the superiority of religious knowledge over ancestral nobility .
Subject Matter and Scope
The treatise gathers arguments and evidence regarding the merits of the Arabs, their lineage, and their standing, while establishing that the nobility derived from religious knowledge surpasses ancestral status . In its introductory section, al-Karmi outlines linguistic and ethnographic distinctions between the Arabs and non-Arabs (al-Ajam, including Turks, Byzantines, Indians, Berbers, and the Zanj) . He examines the classification of the Arabs into original, pure Arabs (al-Arab al-Ariba or al-Arba', traditionally considered speakers of the ancient tongue of Ya'rub ibn Qahtan) and Arabized Arabs (al-Musta'riba, who spoke the language of Ishmael in the Hijaz and adjacent nomadic regions) . Al-Karmi also reviews linguistic discussions on the distinction between settled Arabs (Arab) and desert bedouins (A'rab), noting differing positions among lexicographers and grammarians such as Sibawayh .
The work belongs to the traditional genre of treatises dedicated to the virtues of the Arabs, alongside earlier studies authored by figures such as Ibn Qutaybah, Zayn al-Din al-Iraqi, and Nur al-Din al-Haythami .
Title and Transmission
In biographical and bibliographical literature, the work is frequently cited under its full title or abbreviated as Masbuk al-Dhahab fi Fadl al-Arab . The biographical compilation al-Na't al-Akmal erroneously listed it as two separate treatises, recording them as Masbuk al-Dhahab fi Fadl al-Arab and Sharaf al-Ilm ala Sharaf al-Nasab .
Manuscripts and Publication
Manuscript copies of the treatise are preserved in several libraries, including:
- The Royal Hassani Library in Rabat (MS 4893)
- Al-Ahmadiyya Library at the Ez-Zitouna Mosque in Tunis (MS 5690)
- The Institute of Arabic Manuscripts in Kuwait (via the National Library of Tunis, MS 7865)
The text was edited by Najm Abd al-Rahman Khalaf and published in Riyadh by Maktabat al-Rushd in a first edition in 1411 AH / 1990 CE .
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