Mil al-Ayba bima jama bi tul al-ghayba - J 5

Mil' al-Ayba bi-ma jumi'a bi-tul al-ghayba (Volume 5) (Filling the Travel Bag with What Was Gathered During the Long Absence) is the fifth volume of the comprehensive travelogue and scholarly transmission record (rihla) composed by the Andalusian–Maghrebi traditionist and scholar Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Rashid al-Fihri al-Sabti (657–721 AH / 1259–1321 CE) Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1.

Scope and Contents of Volume 5

Ibn Rashid embarked on his four-year journey to the East in 683 AH at the age of twenty-five to perform the pilgrimage and seek sacred knowledge Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1. While the full work spans five or six volumes recording his observations, teachers, and scholarly assemblies across North Africa, Egypt, the Levant, and the Hijaz, the fifth volume focuses specifically on his stay in the Two Holy Sanctuaries (Mecca and Medina) and the initial stages of his return journey through Egypt and Alexandria Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l…+1.

Within this volume, accounts and documentation pertaining to the Two Holy Sanctuaries occupy the opening section up to page 283 Durus al-Shaykh Abd al-Ka…. It records detailed reading sessions (samā'āt), chains of transmission, and formal licenses (ijāzāt) obtained from prominent scholars residing in or visiting the Hijaz, including:

• The female hadith transmitter Fatima bint Ibrahim al-Bata'ihiyya, before whom Ibn Rashid heard Sahih al-Bukhari and the hadith compilation Juz' Abi Jahm beside the Prophet's Chamber in Medina, receiving her written authorization for her narrations Muqaddimat Ibn al-Salah w…+1.
• Abu al-Yumn Abd al-Samad ibn Asakir, before whom Abu Abd Allah ibn al-Hakim al-Rundi read Sahih al-Bukhari and Ibn al-Salah's Ma'rifat Anwa' 'Ulum al-Hadith in early Dhu al-Qa'dah 684 AH in the Prophet's Mosque in the presence of Ibn Rashid, who transcribed Abu al-Yumn's handwritten certification Muqaddimat Ibn al-Salah w….
• The Damascus military commander and hadith transmitter al-Imad Yusuf ibn Abi Nasr al-Shaqari, who granted Ibn Rashid and his companions a written license in Medina in Dhu al-Qa'dah 684 AH Muqaddimat Ibn al-Salah w….

Method and Scholarly Character

Unlike popular travelogues that dwell on geographical marvels or local monuments, Ibn Rashid's work is characterized by its rigorous focus on traditional Islamic sciences, especially hadith studies, legal derivation, and scholarly disputation Durus al-Shaykh Abd al-Ka…. The text scrupulously examines isnad structures, identifies textual defects ('ilal) and missing links (inqiṭā'), and compares variant recensions of transmitted texts to verify accuracy Azhar al-Riyad fi Akhbar …+1. Ibn Rashid adopted a predominantly straightforward prose style (mursal), reserving rhymed prose (saj') mainly for descriptions of particularly distinguished scholars and sacred sites Tarikh al-Adab al-Arabi l….

Reception and Editions

The travelogue received high acclaim from classical historians and traditionists. Lisan al-Din ibn al-Khatib described the work as a grand compendium containing diverse branches of knowledge, history, rare narrations, elevated transmissions, and poetry, noting that nothing like it had been produced before Fihris al-Faharis. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani praised its vast utility, stating that he examined the manuscript and made selections from it Mujam al-Shuara al-Arab+1, while Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti consulted it during his stay in Mecca Fihris al-Faharis+1.

Portions of the work survive in Ibn Rashid's own handwriting at the El Escorial Library al-Takhmir Sharh al-Mufas…. Volume 5 was critically edited by Dr. Muhammad al-Habib Ibn al-Khojah and published by Dar al-Gharb al-Islami in 1408 AH / 1988 CE Bughyat al-Naqqad al-Naqa…+1.