Letter: AIU VII.A.43

Description

Letter fragment (bottom half) in Judaeo-Arabic, addressed to an important person (perhaps Avraham Maimonides). Dated: Middle decade of Elul 1541 Seleucid = August 1230 CE. Opens with a mention of the ḥushshār (capitation tax collectors) of Alexandria and somebody they wanted to imprison. Mentions the noble congregation of Bilbays. Seems to be a letter of recommendation for a man in need. Verso: List of names, including Ibn al-Labbān Abū Saʿd; al-Rayyis Abū l-Riḍā Ibn al-Shelishi and his son; al-Rayyis Abū Manṣūr and David and Netanel and Yaʿaqov. There are also various jottings in Hebrew, Judaeo-Arabic, and Arabic script. Notably, the jottings include the five categories of sharīʿa rulings (aḥkām), but in Judaeo-Arabic: mafrūḍ (compulsory); manhiyy ʿanhu (forbidden); makrūh (discouraged); mustaḥabb (encouraged); mubāḥ (neutral).