Matla al-Anwar wa Nuzhat al-Basair wal-Absar
- Author died
- 640 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Gharb al-Islami
Matla al-Anwar wa Nuzhat al-Basair wal-Absar (Arabic: مطلع الأنوار ونزهة البصائر والأبصار, lit. 'The Rising of Lights and the Recreation of Insights and Eyes') is a biographical dictionary of the scholars, jurists, and men of letters associated with Malaga (Mālaqah) in al-Andalus, completed in 639 AH (1239–1240 CE) by Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Ibn Khamis (d. after 639 AH) as a continuation and completion of an unfinished work by his maternal uncle, Ibn Askar (d. 636 AH / 1238–1239 CE) .
Composition and Naming
The work originated as an addendum (dhayl) to an earlier local history, al-I'lam bi-Mahasin al-A'lam min Ahl Malaqa al-Kiram by Asbagh ibn Ali ibn Hisham ibn Abi al-Abbas . The judge Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Khidr ibn Askar al-Ghassani initiated a continuation titled al-Ikmal wal-Itmam fi Silat al-I'lam bi-Mahasin al-A'lam min Ahl Malaqa al-Kiram, but died before finishing it . His nephew, Ibn Khamis, completed the compilation, finalizing it in 639 AH under the full title Matla al-Anwar wa Nuzhat al-Basair wal-Absar fi ma Ihtawat alayhi Malaqa min al-Alam wal-Ruasa wal-Akhyar wa-Taqyid ma Lahum min al-Manaqib wal-Athar .
Biographical authorities differ regarding the title's exact assignment: Ibn Abd al-Malik al-Marrakushi and Ibn al-Khatib treat Matla al-Anwar as an alternate title for Ibn Askar's al-Ikmal wal-Itmam, whereas al-Sakhawi notes that Matla al-Anwar was specifically chosen by Ibn Khamis for his completed recension . The book is also referred to across classical sources as Tarikh Malaqa ("History of Malaga"), al-Tatmim ("The Completion"), al-Takmila, Udaba Malaqa ("The Men of Letters of Malaga"), and Alam Malaqa ("Notables of Malaga"), while one manuscript copy carries the title Kitab jumi'a fihi ba'd fuqaha Malaqa wa-udaba'uhum .
Scope, Structure, and Sources
The book collects biographical entries for individuals who resided in Malaga, entered it, or passed through it, recording their scholarly achievements, literary production, correspondence, eloquence, virtues, and the teachers they studied under in al-Andalus and elsewhere . It documents aspects of Malaga's intellectual life, including literary gatherings (majalis) and poetic rivalries .
The biographies in the work are organized in alphabetical order (huruf al-mu'jam) within a single modest volume . In compiling the material, Ibn Khamis drew upon major earlier Andalusian biographical and historical works, including:
- Tarikh 'Ulama al-Andalus by Ibn al-Faradi
- Al-Silah by Ibn Bashkuwal
- The historical writings of al-Humaydi, Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Razi, and Ibn Hayyan
- Rijal Malaqa, compiled for the Umayyad caliph al-Hakam II al-Mustansir
- Ibn Askar's personal catalogue of teachers (fahrasa)
Transmission and Modern Editions
The work was widely utilized by later Andalusian and Maghrebi historians, including Ibn al-Zubayr in Silat al-Silah, Ibn Abd al-Malik al-Marrakushi in al-Dhayl wal-Takmila, and Ibn al-Khatib in al-Ihatah fi Akhbar Gharnatah and A'mal al-A'lam . It also circulated in the Islamic East, where Shams al-Din al-Sakhawi inspected a copy and described it in al-I'lan bil-Tawbikh li-Man Dhamma Ahl al-Tawrikh .
In modern scholarship, the text has been published under different titles based on its manuscript transmission: it was edited by Salah Jarrar under the title Udaba Malaqa (also invoking Matla al-Anwar), and edited by Abd Allah al-Murabit al-Targhi under the title A'lam Malaqa (Dar al-Gharb al-Islami and Dar al-Aman, 1420 AH / 1999 CE) .
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