Legal document: T-S Ar.35.390

Description

Bill of sale in Arabic script, beginning only, probably Mamluk period. "Instead of the opening formula hādhā mā ishtarā X min Y ishtarā minhu ... , which is found in the Fatimid documents, many of the later contracts open directly with the verb without subsequent recapitulation after the identification of the parties. The verb is modified by the adverbial insertions bi-mālihi li-nafsihi ("with his money, for himself"), e.g. ishtarā PN bi-mālihi li-nafsihi min PN kadhā wa-kadhā (T-S Ar.53.73, various documents from the eighth century AH, al-Qāhira; T-S Ar.53.19, no date, Minyat Zifta Jawād); bi-mālihi li-nafsihi dūna ghayrihi ("with his money, for himself, not anyone else"), e.g. T-S Ar.38.116 (925 AH, Bilbays, al-Sharqiyya); or simply by li-nafsihi, e.g.: ishtarā PN li-nafsihi min PN (T-S Ar.34.332, 655 AH). The small fragments T-S Ar.35.390 and T-S AS 180.149 open with the verb ishtarā but break off immediately after the name of the buyer. (Geoffrey Khan, Arabic Legal and Administrative Documents, p. 45)