Saturday, August 02, 2008

To Keep These Rich Islamic Texts Well-Cared


By Mohamed Ahmed Bin Shihab, "Al-Ahqaf manuscript library preserves Islamic history and learning" - Yemen Times - Sana'a, Yemen
Issue: (1176), Volume 16 , From 28 July 2008 to 30 July 2008

The Al-Ahqaf Manuscript library is a unique jewel for us, carrying a reflection of the learned people that have come before us.

It is upon us to work and to re-establish the organization of this inheritance so that it might become clear in the hearts and in the books, according to Abu Bakr Ibn Ali Al-Mashhur, Islamic scholar and founder of numerous Islamic institutions.

This library was named Al-Ahqaf in reference to the old name of the Hadramout valley, as it was called in the Holy Quran in the Sura of the same name. It was established in 1972 by the Endowment for Private Libraries by the following individuals and their families: Umar Ibn Ali Al-Junaid and his brother Ahmed, Abdullah Ibn Umar Ibn Yahya, Hussein Ibn Abdul Rahman Ibn Sahl and Al-Kaf family.

The Al-Kaf library comprised the collections of Al-Kaf and Al-Husseini libraries, which originally belonged to the literary scholar and historian Saleh Ibn Ali Al-Hamed. The administrator of these libraries thought to make them one in order to facilitate reading and research while simultaneously easing maintenance and care.

The Ministry of Culture took charge of the administration and upkeep of this library. They later passed this task on to the Yemeni Center for Cultural Research, Museums and Archeology. In the early stages of setting up the library, there were some printed materials mixed in with the manuscripts and it was deemed necessary to separate one from the other.

To accommodate these, the Al-Ahqaf Library for Printed Matter was established. Subsequently, the decision to make the Al-Ahqaf library the main library for manuscripts in the country was thought of by the Minister of Culture for the government of South Yemen before the unification. About 200 manuscripts were added to the Al-Ahqaf library. Most of these came from two places; 80 came from the Sultani library in Al-Mukalla, and another 50 came from the library of Sheikh Al-Amoudi Ibn Shubat Ba Muhammad of the Amd valley. The remainder came from a number of different sources.

The Al-Ahqaf library has several departments, including the department of manuscripts that contains some 6,200 manuscripts arranged in cupboards according to subject: Qur’anic exegesis, Prophetic traditions, jurisprudence, Sufism, biographies and history, language and literature, medicine, and assorted collections (manuscripts containing more than one subject). Most of these manuscripts go back to the 10th and 11th century after Hijrah.

Among them are rarities like an edition of the Qur’anic exegesis by Al-Bayaan by Abu Jafar Ibn Muhammad Ibn Al-Hassan Al-Tusi and the second part of a medical text by Ibn Sina (Avicenna). This edition was copied in 633A.H. and contains margin notes that were copied from the author's edition.

Other departments include the Department of Printed Materials, which contains references related to the manuscripts and indexes for some world libraries, the Department of Computers and Photocopying and the Department of Maintenance, which has materials and equipment for bookbinding and restoration. Due to the great cultural inheritance it comprises, the Al-Ahqaf library must serve researchers and students coming from different foundations and governments as well as private and foreign universities who come to check manuscripts or do research.

Ahmed Al-Jifry, a student at Dar Al-Mustafa, an international center for Islamic studies, came to the library to check a manuscript on jurisprudence. "I always come to the library to see what our predecessors handed down to us. I am very proud to find a library like this in my country," he said.

Dr. Linda Bexberger is a historian who has visited the library and expressed her pleasure about the services that the library offers. "I am very pleased to see the good condition of the Al-Ahqaf Manuscript library these days and to see that catalogues and access are available to researchers and scholars," Bexberger added.

There are also visits from government officials and tourists and a considerable number of students and local visitors who come to visit the library on a regular basis. Dr. Abdul Rahim Seyid Bakr, the Minister of Higher Education, Academic Research and Culture in the Comor Islands, visited the library and wished to increase youth interest in the treasures held there.

"This is a rich heritage, so we hope that future generations protect it for those who will follow us," said Seyid Bakr. Despite the services that the library offers its visitors, there are still some obstacles that hinder their performance. The administrator of the library, Hussein Al-Hadi, said that the library faces some difficulties due to the low number of employees and the lack of courses to qualify those employees.

"The library still does not draw sufficient interest or support from the government or have sufficient financial supplies, even though it is a one of the most unique intellectual establishments in Yemen," said Al-Hadi. He added that there have been many manuscripts that came up for sale, but the library is not able to buy them because they do not have financial allocations for this purpose.

"The opportunity to acquire these manuscripts passes us by and we do not know where they end up," said Al-Hadi. Another problem is that the library is restricted in size. However, recently there have been talks to find a place for the library in the restored Al-Renad palace.

The task of preserving this inheritance is not specific to any one particular group, but rather everyone is responsible to do what they can to keep these rich Islamic texts well-cared for and held in high esteem.

No comments:

Saturday, August 02, 2008

To Keep These Rich Islamic Texts Well-Cared

By Mohamed Ahmed Bin Shihab, "Al-Ahqaf manuscript library preserves Islamic history and learning" - Yemen Times - Sana'a, Yemen
Issue: (1176), Volume 16 , From 28 July 2008 to 30 July 2008

The Al-Ahqaf Manuscript library is a unique jewel for us, carrying a reflection of the learned people that have come before us.

It is upon us to work and to re-establish the organization of this inheritance so that it might become clear in the hearts and in the books, according to Abu Bakr Ibn Ali Al-Mashhur, Islamic scholar and founder of numerous Islamic institutions.

This library was named Al-Ahqaf in reference to the old name of the Hadramout valley, as it was called in the Holy Quran in the Sura of the same name. It was established in 1972 by the Endowment for Private Libraries by the following individuals and their families: Umar Ibn Ali Al-Junaid and his brother Ahmed, Abdullah Ibn Umar Ibn Yahya, Hussein Ibn Abdul Rahman Ibn Sahl and Al-Kaf family.

The Al-Kaf library comprised the collections of Al-Kaf and Al-Husseini libraries, which originally belonged to the literary scholar and historian Saleh Ibn Ali Al-Hamed. The administrator of these libraries thought to make them one in order to facilitate reading and research while simultaneously easing maintenance and care.

The Ministry of Culture took charge of the administration and upkeep of this library. They later passed this task on to the Yemeni Center for Cultural Research, Museums and Archeology. In the early stages of setting up the library, there were some printed materials mixed in with the manuscripts and it was deemed necessary to separate one from the other.

To accommodate these, the Al-Ahqaf Library for Printed Matter was established. Subsequently, the decision to make the Al-Ahqaf library the main library for manuscripts in the country was thought of by the Minister of Culture for the government of South Yemen before the unification. About 200 manuscripts were added to the Al-Ahqaf library. Most of these came from two places; 80 came from the Sultani library in Al-Mukalla, and another 50 came from the library of Sheikh Al-Amoudi Ibn Shubat Ba Muhammad of the Amd valley. The remainder came from a number of different sources.

The Al-Ahqaf library has several departments, including the department of manuscripts that contains some 6,200 manuscripts arranged in cupboards according to subject: Qur’anic exegesis, Prophetic traditions, jurisprudence, Sufism, biographies and history, language and literature, medicine, and assorted collections (manuscripts containing more than one subject). Most of these manuscripts go back to the 10th and 11th century after Hijrah.

Among them are rarities like an edition of the Qur’anic exegesis by Al-Bayaan by Abu Jafar Ibn Muhammad Ibn Al-Hassan Al-Tusi and the second part of a medical text by Ibn Sina (Avicenna). This edition was copied in 633A.H. and contains margin notes that were copied from the author's edition.

Other departments include the Department of Printed Materials, which contains references related to the manuscripts and indexes for some world libraries, the Department of Computers and Photocopying and the Department of Maintenance, which has materials and equipment for bookbinding and restoration. Due to the great cultural inheritance it comprises, the Al-Ahqaf library must serve researchers and students coming from different foundations and governments as well as private and foreign universities who come to check manuscripts or do research.

Ahmed Al-Jifry, a student at Dar Al-Mustafa, an international center for Islamic studies, came to the library to check a manuscript on jurisprudence. "I always come to the library to see what our predecessors handed down to us. I am very proud to find a library like this in my country," he said.

Dr. Linda Bexberger is a historian who has visited the library and expressed her pleasure about the services that the library offers. "I am very pleased to see the good condition of the Al-Ahqaf Manuscript library these days and to see that catalogues and access are available to researchers and scholars," Bexberger added.

There are also visits from government officials and tourists and a considerable number of students and local visitors who come to visit the library on a regular basis. Dr. Abdul Rahim Seyid Bakr, the Minister of Higher Education, Academic Research and Culture in the Comor Islands, visited the library and wished to increase youth interest in the treasures held there.

"This is a rich heritage, so we hope that future generations protect it for those who will follow us," said Seyid Bakr. Despite the services that the library offers its visitors, there are still some obstacles that hinder their performance. The administrator of the library, Hussein Al-Hadi, said that the library faces some difficulties due to the low number of employees and the lack of courses to qualify those employees.

"The library still does not draw sufficient interest or support from the government or have sufficient financial supplies, even though it is a one of the most unique intellectual establishments in Yemen," said Al-Hadi. He added that there have been many manuscripts that came up for sale, but the library is not able to buy them because they do not have financial allocations for this purpose.

"The opportunity to acquire these manuscripts passes us by and we do not know where they end up," said Al-Hadi. Another problem is that the library is restricted in size. However, recently there have been talks to find a place for the library in the restored Al-Renad palace.

The task of preserving this inheritance is not specific to any one particular group, but rather everyone is responsible to do what they can to keep these rich Islamic texts well-cared for and held in high esteem.

No comments: