Letter: T-S 18J5.1

Recto

1. I, your servant, acknowledge your words of condolence over the death of my late
2. father—may he find mercy! I never doubted your friendship, Sheikh Abū Isḥāq,
3. and know well that what happened at your place {alt. tr.: with you} is like what happened
4. with us. Those two young men, the sons of Mūsā, namely
5. Judah and Hārūn, journeyed to Broach, but the ship was struck in the Khawr (the gulf );
6. the two young men perished together with Sheikh Abu ’l-Faraj al-Maḥallī. God forbid
7. that we should be forgetful of them! Furthermore, the death of my mother occurred this year
8. in the month of Av; thus, even more grief befell me. However, at all times
9. everything is governed by God, the Exalted. He can do anything He pleases;
10. and none can say to Him, “What are You doing?” May God, the Exalted, turn all matters to a good end! There
11. arrived the ‘eggs’ and the ‘refurbished’ iron, which were sent in the ship of Ibn Abu
12. ’l-Katā'ib. Many thanks for your kindness. There arrived also four
13. copper lids; they are very heavy. I had wanted
14. lighter ones. The betel nuts, which you, my lord, kindly sent with Sheikh
15. Abu ’l-Surūr and Muwaffaq al-'Ashā'irī arrived. May God reward you well,
16. my lord, and undertake to give you recompense and never let me want for you life! As to the cardamom,
17. which you, my lord, mentioned had been delayed this year, do not worry about it, my lord.
18. I talked with my lord, the most illustrious Sheikh Maḍmūn and suggested
19. to him to write about it to Ibn al-Marīḍa and to the Fidyār.
20. But he said that you had already made the same suggestion {lit., ‘mentioned this’} in your letter to him. You
21. inquired in your letter, my lord, about the frying pan. (As a matter of fact) I
22. had forgotten it in my house on that day and did not send it. God, the Exalted, made it possible for me to forward
23. to you for your household two bottles of raisins, a sieve, and two stone pans,
24. both in one case, and a pound of Maghrebi kohl. Please, my master, take delivery
25. and forgive me (for not sending more). You ordered twenty bowls {alt. tr.: cups} and four lamps.
26. By my faith, I paid for this in advance two months before the sailing of the ships.
27. However, it happened that my lord, Sheikh Maḍmūn, and Sheikh Bilāl
28. were outfitting a boat {add: that belonged to them} for Ceylon in partnership and sent the attendants to set aside all that
29. was being manufactured, so that they could take whatever they needed. Until the moment I wrote this letter, they
30. were promising some of it. If I get some, I, your servant, shall send it and add a note about it at
31. the end of the letter. Making a bold demand on your kindness, I sent
32. five manns of silk—of that silk. I was forced to do so, because of
33. the devaluation of the Malikī (dinar); and by chance I had no {alt. tr.: and I did not succeed in acquiring} mithqāls, the price of which is here
34. higher even than last year. Please, my master, just sell it for whatever God,
35. the Exalted, apportions and with its proceeds buy for me, your servant, a little pepper or ‘eggs’ and betel nuts
36. and cardamom. However, do not buy for me ‘standard,’ //shiny// or refurbished iron,
37. even for one dinar or one dirhem. But, if you happen {alt. tr.: are able} to get smooth iron, packed
38. in bārbazās {alt. tr.: in containers with ventilation}, it will be all right. For when there are vapors, the iron becomes
39. rusty. Thus, please do not buy me, your servant, standard, <<shiny
40. or>> refurbished iron, but only smooth, long (bars) or pepper and 'eggs,'
41. betel nuts and cardamom. Please hire for these wares some space (in a ship), even if it is expensive,
42. either from a shipowner or a captain or if you happen to find [merchants, who are],
43. trustworthy, even if the rental is expensive. Do not cause me a delay [...]
44. whatever God, the Exalted, apportions; do not delay selling it [. . . as soon as]
45. you, my lord, have taken delivery, and when you buy, [my] lo[rd...]
46. even if it is expensive. There is no need, my master, [to give you advice. A hint is sufficient to a]
47. wise man. Accept, my lord, for your es[teemed self the best greetings].
48. And best regards to my lord, your son, and Sheikh [Bama and those embraced]
49. by your care. And peace.
50. I acquired thirteen bowls and two lamps and th[ey are in such or such a package. I sent]
51. the silk, the sieve and the [Maghrebi] kohl [with Muwaffaq al-]
52. 'Ashā'irī; and the two bottles [of raisins and the two stone pots]
53. in the ship of Ibn al-Muqaddam [with ...]
54. Please assist them, [my] lo[rd...

Recto - Margin

Excuse me, your servant, for not sending sugar. There is none to be had this year; and you, my master, are disposed to forgiving. Together with this letter is a letter for Sheikh Isaac Tilimsānī. Please deliver it to him without delay.

Verso

1. And another letter to [. . . Please deliver it]
2. to him, for I have heard th[at he is in . . . And Peace.]