JALAL AL-DIN AL-SUYUTI (1445-1505)

Egypt, mid-late 15th century. MS 002

Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, also known as al-Suyuti, was a prolific Sufi Egyptian scholar of multiple disciplines during the Mamluk period: Quranic commentary, hadith, philology, Sufism, history, biography, theology, geography, and law.

A maqama (pl. Maqamat) is a fictional, episodic genre written in a highly ornate rhymed pose called a saj’ (سجء). The stories usually feature a narrator who is consistently tricked by a rogue protagonist. In this maqama, the narrator is Hashim ibn al-Qasim, the emir of Mecca from 1155 to 1161, and Abu Bishr al-’Ulabi as the protagonist. According to a dissertation by Hussam Almujalli, al-Suyuti’s maqama is “considered a bridge between post-classical and pre-modern maqamat” (36). Magic in this context means action-based rituals that are performed outside the boundaries of established religions. There are two kinds of magic in Islam: the hadiths (accounts of the words, deeds, or silent approval of Muhammad during the period of his preaching) see magic as power distinct from God, while the magic in the Qur’an is a power subject to God’s will. The “Permissible Magic” is magic specifically revealed to humans from celestial beings, following the magic as told in the Qu’ran, rather than the hadiths.

This acquisition, prior to belonging to the Burgesses, belonged to Revered Edward Payson Roe (1838-1888) who was an American Presbyterian chaplain, historian, horticulturist, and novelist.

Bibliography

Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti. Maqamat al-Sihr al-Halal (Maqama of Permissible Magic). Egypt, mid-late 15th century. University of Oregon Special Collections & University Archives, MS 002. https://alliance-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/3uoa1r/CP71269187630001451

Almuajalli, Hussam. The Function of Poetry in the Maqamat al-Hariri. Doctoral dissertation for Louisiana State University. Feb. 24, 2020.

Esposito, John L. “Suyuti, Abu al-Fadl Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad Jalal al-Din al-Khudayri al” in Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford University Press, 2003.

Hammond, Marlé. “Maqama” in A Dictionary of Arabic Literary Terms and Devices. Oxford University Press, Feb. 15, 2018.

Perho, Irmeli. “Magic in the hadiths.” Orientalia Suecana LXI. Supplement. 2012. 183-193.