Letter: MIAC 23973.95
Letter MIAC 23973.95What's in the PGP
- 1 Transcription
- 1 Translation
Description
Letter to a Nubian eparch in Ibrīm. Sender might be writing on behalf of a group of Muslim merchants as they refer to themselves in the plural consistently throughout the letter. The sender reminds the eparch that they (i.e., the Muslim traders) "are dependent on the goodwill of the eparch's direction of administration (mutawallī) without the latter putting capital into business transactions in a partnership (qarīḍa)" (Khan (2024), 101). This sentence might refer to the eparch and his administration's control over the flow of commerce and people. The main subject of the letter are an enslaved woman (jāriya) and her son, Rāhim, who were delivered by a man named Bazilī, who is also the bearer of this letter. The sender complains that the enslaved woman was sick (marīḍa), so the writers wanted to return her, even though she had apparently been examined three times before purchase. They sent her and her son on a return journey while she was sick. On this journey, the messenger who accompanied them fell ill, and eventually both the woman and her son died. Now the sender wants the eparch to help make them whole. They say that they would have appeared before the eparch themselves if not for the news from the north and the "strife of the land" (ikhtilāf al-bilād). Instead, they have sent Bazilī on their behalf. The eparch's own messenger in the north has absconded (lit. "has left on feet of cotton"; kharaja ʿala aqdām quṭn); perhaps this is the same messenger who accompanied the sick woman and her son. The senders ask the eparch to authorise his servants to extract forcibly from the absconded messenger what they believe is owed them. PG. Khan, Qaṣr Ibrīm, doc. 24.
Tags
Editor: Khan, Geoffrey
Translator: Khan, Geoffrey (in English)
MIAC 23973.95 recto
Recto
- بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
- سبب اصدار هذه المناجاة اطال الله بقاه حضرة مولاي
- الاكشيل صاحب الخيل وزير الملك وادام تاييده وعلاه ورفعته
- [و]سناه وسموه وارتقاه وكبت بالذل حسدته واعداه مماليكها
- [ يقبلون الارض بيـ]ـن يديها وينهون اليها انها ما خفى عنها ان مماليكها
- كانوا معولون على المتولى بين يديها بدون القريضة ويعلموها ان
- الراس الرقيق الذي انعمته علي مماليكها على يد بزلي انها كانت
- مريضة وان مماليكها ارادوا يردوها وان الرسول الذي كانت
- على يده مرض وان الجارية وولدها راهم غلامك مشورة تلات
- دفوع وانها توفيت هي وولدها ومماليكها فهي اخبر باحوالهم
- وانهم ما طلبوا قربها الا بحسب ما ينهي عنها من التنا الحسن
- والذكر بجميل والدعا الصالح فابقينا على ما الناس عليه من الشكر
Recto, right margin
- شاكرين نحشر
- لها والتنا عليها والناس ما يبتغوا المنيل
- الا يطلبوا فضله ونحن فقد خسرنا
Recto
- In the name of God, the Merciful and Compassionate.
- The reason for sending this message, may God prolong his life, my honourable lord,
- the Ikshīl, Master of the Horses, vizier of the king, may God cause his support, his exaltedness, his ascendance,
- his splendour, his loftiness and his elevation to endure,and crush in humility his enviers and his enemies, his slaves
- [kiss the ground] before him and report to him that it has not been concealed from him that his slaves
- were dependent on the administrative director in his presence without being in financial partnership. They inform him that
- the slave whom he bestowed upon his slaves (i.e., the writers of this letter) through the agency of Bazilī was
- sick, and that his slaves (i.e., the writers) wanted to return her, but the messenger whom
- she accompanied became ill, and that the slave girl and her son, Rāhim, your slave boy, were examined before purchase three
- times, and that she and her son have died. As for his slaves (i.e., the writers of this letter), he is best informed about their circumstances,
- and that they only demand from him according to what isreported about him with regard to high praise,
- kind words and pious prayer, so put us in a position to be grateful to him, as other people are,
Recto, right margin
- thankful to be gathered
- into his (favour) to praise him. People only seek to obtain something
- through asking your favour. But we have lost this.
MIAC 23973.95 verso
Verso
- ولولا ما تسمع من الاخبار البحرية واختلاف البلاد والا فكانوا
- مماليكها معولين علي المثول بين يديها لتقبيل الارض وادا ما يلزمهم
- من الفرض ولكنها تعلم ان ما لك الرق توجههم الى البلاد البحرية لاخذ
- الاخبار وقد سيرنا متحملها بزلي فتفعل معه ما يليق بشاكلتها
- وما هي اهله وكان متحملها قد خرج على اقدام قطن فيكون يخرج
- امرها الى بعض مماليكها في الشد منه واستخراج ما له مثال ان
- شا الله ومماليكها منتظرين تفضلها وانفاقها كما لم يزل تمتعهم
- بتفضلها ان شا الله عز وجل
- الحمد لله وحده وصلواته على سيدنا محمد {و}نبيه واله وسلم تسليما
Verso, right margin
- ووصل متحملها شاكر لتفضلها وما فعلت
- الخير فنحن الشاكرين لها عليه والمعينين لها به ان شا الله
Verso, address
[ابو] الخير متولي [بلاد]
مريس واعمالها [ ]
Verso
- If it was not for the news we have heard from the north and the strife of the land, your
- slaves (i.e., the writers) would have made sure to present ourselves before you to kiss the ground and to perform their
- obligations. But you know that you do not have any slaves (al-riqq) to send to the northern land to receive
- news. So, we have sent the bearer of this message, Bazilī. But do with him what is appropriate for your manner (of conducting affairs)
- and what you are in a position to do, for your carrier has absconded (lit. "has left on feet of cotton"). Please arrange for
- your command to be issued to some of your slaves to etract forcibly from him what is appropriate,
- God willing. Your slaves expect your kindness and munificence, as they have unceasingly enjoyed
- your kindness, if God, the Mighty and Glorious, wills.
- Praise be to God alone and His blessings be upon our lord Muḥammad, His prophet, and his family, and may He save (them).
Verso, right margin
- Your carrier has arrived, grateful for your kindness and the good
- that you have done. We also are grateful to you for this and would like to help you with regard to it, if God wills.
Address
- [ʾAbū] al-Khayr [the governor of the land]
- of Marīs and its districts [ ]