Reading the evidence for attribution

Editorial reading guide

These new editorial guides explain the published plan. They are not translations of complete chapters; some entries, particularly in Volume II, still contain only headings.

Reading the evidence for attribution

The third volume organizes the investigation around six sources of titles and attribution. Keep four questions apart: is the title recorded, is the work identifiable, does a witness survive, and is its attribution supported? Neither a catalogue entry nor a modern translation alone settles all four. The chapter notes explain how the sources can be compared.

Chapters · Read the complete Arabic source

First source: the Fihrist, or list of works

Treat the Fihrist as a particular documentary witness, with its own manuscripts and textual history. Separate the authenticity of the list from the identification of each work named in it. One title may occur in several forms; two similar titles may also refer to distinct works. Preserve the source’s numbering.

Contents · Arabic chapter outline

Second source: al-Qunawi’s authorizations and audition records

An ijaza is an authorization; a sama record documents a reading or audition. Examine names, dates, titles and the wording of the record together. These documents can connect a named work to an identifiable act of transmission. Their force depends on the particular witness, not simply on the presence of a familiar name.

Contents · Arabic chapter outline

Third source: references in other securely attributed works

When Ibn al-Arabi names another work, record the wording and location of that self-reference. Distinguish an exact title from a descriptive phrase and a completed book from a projected work. An internal reference supports attribution only when the referring text and the identification of the referred work are themselves secure.

Contents · Arabic chapter outline

Fourth source: the Ijaza for al-Malik al-Muzaffar

Keep the recipient’s identity, the document’s date and its list of works together. Al-Muzaffar is a royal title used by more than one ruler; matching that title alone is insufficient identification. An authorization and a catalogue answer different questions, even when the authorization includes a list of books.

Contents · Arabic chapter outline

Fifth source: titles appended to the Ijaza

Ask whether each title belongs to the original document, a later addition or an editorial reconstruction. Preserve that distinction when combining lists. A supplement can be valuable evidence without automatically carrying the same authority as the document to which it has been attached.

Contents · Arabic chapter outline

Sixth source: works named in other sources

Identify the author, date and purpose of each external source. A manuscript catalogue, a biographical notice and a modern bibliography provide different kinds of evidence. Record uncertain attributions as uncertain. The aim is an inspectable dossier for each work, not an inflated total obtained by counting every title as a separate authenticated book.

Contents · Arabic chapter outline

Selected readings

Volume 3 · 0.1.2

Why the works follow the Fihrist’s order

Therefore, after critically editing the Fihrist on the basis of the manuscript authenticated by Shaykh Muhyiddin himself, we found that the best way t…