Musamarat al-Zarif bi Husn al-Tarif
- Author died
- 1318 AH
- Editions
- Musamarat al-Zarif bi Husn al-Tarif
Musāmarāt al-Ẓarīf bi-Ḥusn al-Taʿrīf (Conversations of the Elegant on Good Acquaintance) is a biographical and historical work by the Tunisian scholar, jurist, and historian Muḥammad ibn ʿUthmān al-Sanūsī (1266–1318 AH / 1850–1900 CE), documenting the notable figures of Tunisia under the Husainid dynasty.
Scope and Content
The work is dedicated to biographical accounts of the rulers, scholars, jurists, muftis, judges, and literary figures of Tunisia during the Husainid era. In several biographical references, it is also identified by descriptive subtitles such as the history of the jurists of the Husainid state in Tunisia (Tārīkh Fuqahāʾ al-Dawlah al-Ḥusayniyyah bi-Tūnis) or the history of the judges of Tunis (Tārīkh Quḍāt Tūnis).
In addition to individual biographies of prominent beys and princes—such as Hammudah Pasha al-Husayni and Muhammad al-Rashid Bey—the text incorporates historical notices concerning Tunisian institutions, most notably the history of the Ez-Zitouna Mosque. The work concludes with an epilogue (khātimah) dedicated to identifying noble forebears, eminent teachers, and scholarly figures (al-Taʿrīf bi-l-Ābāʾ al-Kirām wa-l-Shuyūkh wa-l-Aʿlām).
Publication History
The first part of the book was originally printed in Tunis at the Official Press (al-Maṭbaʿah al-Rasmiyyah) in 1309 AH (1890 CE). It was later edited by Sheikh Muḥammad al-Shādhilī al-Nayfar and published by Dār Bū Salāmah in Tunis in 1983, followed by a three-volume edition published by Dār al-Gharb al-Islāmī in 1994.
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