Nawadir al-Makhtutat
- Author died
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- Editions
- Sharikat Maktabat wa Matba'at Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi wa Awladuh
Nawadir al-Makhtutat (Rare Manuscripts) is a multi-part collection of rare, edited classical Arabic treatises and short works by various authors, compiled and edited by the Egyptian scholar Abd al-Salam Harun (1327–1408 AH / 1909–1988 CE) .
Purpose and Structure
Harun assembled the collection to fill gaps in the published corpus of classical Arabic literature by bringing scarce and unpublished manuscript texts to light . The collection was organized into eight successive parts (majmu‘at) divided across two volumes, each volume comprising four parts and concluding with a comprehensive index .
The texts span various genres of classical Islamic scholarship, including genealogy, history, Arabic literature, rhetoric, and geography . Among the treatises published within the collection are:
- Al-Risalah al-Misriyyah by Abu al-Salt Umayyah ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Dani .
- Al-Muradafat min Quraysh by Ali ibn Muhammad al-Mada'ini .
- Man Nusiba ila Ummih min al-Shu‘ara’ by Muhammad ibn Habib .
- Tuhfat al-Abiyyah fiman Nusiba ila Ghayr Abih by al-Fayruzabadi .
- The sermon of Wasil ibn Ata', delivered without using the letter rā’ .
- Asma' al-Mughtalin min al-Ashraf fi al-Jahiliyyah wa-al-Islam wa-Asma' man Qutila min al-Shu‘ara’ (Part 6) by Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Habib al-Baghdadi (d. 245 AH) .
- Asma' Jibal Tihamah wa-Sukkaniha (Part 8) by Arram ibn al-Asbagh al-Sulami .
Publication History and Reception
The series began publication in Cairo in 1370 AH / 1951 CE through Lajnat al-Ta'lif wa-al-Tarjama wa-al-Nashr . Subsequent parts, including parts 5 and 6, were issued in Cairo and Baghdad through Maktabat al-Khanji and Maktabat al-Muthanna around 1373–1374 AH / 1954–1955 CE . A second complete edition in two volumes was published in Cairo by Matba'at Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi in 1392 AH / 1972 CE .
Upon the release of the initial installments, the literary scholar Shawqi Dayf reviewed the project in Majallat al-Thaqafah (issue 634), discussing its contents and drawing textual comparisons between Al-Muradafat min Quraysh and Ibn Habib's Kitab al-Muhabbar . In preparing his editions within the series, Harun incorporated notes and corrections from contemporary peers, such as Hamad al-Jasir, and cross-referenced works like Arram's treatise with editions prepared by Abd al-Aziz al-Maymani .
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