Skip to main content

English Translation of al-Jahshiyari’s Kitab al-Wuzaraʾ wa al-Kuttab: 1

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad b. ʿAbdūs al-Jahshiyārī said in the book in compiled on The Accounts of Viziers and Scribes:  

It has been narrated that Kaʿb al-Aḥbār said:

The first to devise the Syriac script—and all other scripts—was Ādam (pbuh), three hundred years before his death. He inscribed them onto clay and then baked it. When the great flood that had afflicted the earth came to an end, every people found their script and wrote in it. Thus, Ismāʿīl (Ishmael) found the book of the Arabs.

And it is also narrated: Idrīs (Enoch) was the first to write with a pen after Ādam.

Devising the Arabic Script

And it has also been narrated: The first to devise Arabic script was Ismāʿīl b. Ibrāhīm. He was also the first to speak Arabic, and he composed the script based on his pronunciation and speech.

In another report it is said: The first to write in Arabic were three men from the tribe of Bawlān. One was named Marāmir b. Murrah, the second Aslam b. Sidrah, and the third ʿĀmir b. Jadrah.

It has also been stated [by some]: The first of the Arabs to write in Arabic script was Ḥarb b. Umayyah b. ʿAbd Shams.

The Classification of Social Classes and Scribes.

The first to categorize (rattaba) people into classes, compile the ranks of scribes, and define their statuses was Jamshīd b. Unjahān.

The Compilation of State Registers (tadwīn al-dawāwīn)

And it was Luhrāsb b. Fanūkhā b. Kīmanish who was the first to organize administrative registers (dawwana al-dawāwīn), oversee (ḥaḍḍara) official functions and accounts, select military forces, exert himself in cultivating the lands and collecting revenues for the army’s provisions, and who founded the city of Balkh.

The Letters Of The Sasanian Kings (Akāsirah) To Their Governors

ʿAbd al-Wāḥid b. Muḥammad informed me that he heard Muḥammad b. Wāḍiḥ say:

I saw in Iṣbahān ancient documents of the Sasanian kings addressed to their officials, concerning taxation (kharāj) and land development (ᶜammārah). The openings of these documents, if addressed to a group, would begin: Long may you live (khullidtum)", and if to an individual: " Long may you live (khullidta)", followed by whatever they wished to convey.

What Was Written On The Seals Of The Sasanian Kings

The Sasanians had four official seals (khawātīm): the seal of war and police bore the inscription “al-Inārah” (illumination); the seal of taxation and development bore “al-Taʾyīd” (support); the seal of the postal service bore “al-Waḥāʾ”(haste); and the seal of grievances bore “al-ʿAdl” (justice).

The Registers of the Persians

The kings of Persia maintained two principal registers: one for revenue (dīwān al-kharāj) and one for expenditures (dīwān al-nafaqāt). Everything that came in was recorded in the revenue register, and all expenditures—whether military or otherwise—were recorded (fa fī) in the expenditures register.

Distinguishing Social Classes By Their Attire

It was also customary for the Persian kings that every class of people in their service wore distinct attire (libsah) not shared by anyone outside that class. Thus, when a man appeared before the king, his occupation and social rank would be recognized immediately by his dress.

So the scribes, while in settled lands, wore their customary garb, but if the king went on campaign, they dressed in the attire (bi zayy) of warriors.

***



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

English Translation of al-Jahshiyari’s Kitab al-Wuzaraʾ wa al-Kuttab: 2

The Scribes Among The Persians The kings of Persia were exceedingly strict with anyone who forged or engraved a seal resembling the royal seal. They considered such a crime equal to the gravest offenses and punished it accordingly. The Persian kings referred to the letter-writers as “the interpreters ( tarājimah ) of kings.” They used to say to them: “Do not let your desire to make speech concise lead you to omit meanings, abandon proper structure and clarity ( al-iblāgh ) in it or weaken the strength of argument.” It was the established practice in the days of the Persians that the younger generation ( aḥdāth al-kuttāb ) of scribes, and those newly emerging among them, would gather at the palace gates seeking employment. The king would then command the heads of his chancery to test them and examine their intellects. Those found worthy would have their names presented to the king and would be instructed to remain at the gate so they could be called upon when needed. The king w...
Post a Comment
Read more

English Translation of al-Jahshiyari’s Kitab al-Wuzaraʾ wa al-Kuttab: 5: Scribes During the time of Muʿawiyah b. Abu Sufyan

  During the time of Mu ʿ ā wiyah b. Ab ī Sufy ā n ʿUbayd Allāh b. Aws al-Ghassānī used to write Muʿāwiyah’s correspondence, and Sarjūn b. Manṣūr al-Rūmī handled the tax bureau ( dīwān al-kharāj ) for him. ʿAmr b. Saʿīd b. al-ʿĀṣ wrote on behalf of the military register ( dīwān al-jund ).  Mu ʿ ā wiyah also had a scribe named ʿ Abd al-Ra ḥ mān b. Darrāj, whose brother was ʿ Ubayd All ā h b. Darr ā j — both were his freedmen ( mawālī ). He appointed [ ʿ Ubayd All ā h] over the tax administration   ( kharāj ) of Iraq, taking the responsibility from al-Mughīrah, who had been in charge of military affairs there. ʿ Ubayd All ā h asked the villagers to offer gifts during Nawr ū z and Mihrj ā n, and they did so. The total of these offerings reached ten million dirhams in a single year. Muʿāwiyah was the first to establish the seal register ( dīwān al-khātam ). The reason for this was that he once wrote a letter to ʿAmr b. al-Zubayr authorizing a payment of o...
Post a Comment
Read more

1. Kitāb al-Tawḥīd: Introduction by the Author

Introduction by the Author بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم مقدمة المؤلف (رحمه الله): الحمد الله العلي العظيم؛ السميع البصير؛ الحكيم الكريم اللطيف الخبير ذى النعم السوابغ؛ والفضل الواسع؛ والحجج البوالغ؛ (تعالى) ربنا عن صفات المحددين؛ وتقدس عن شبه المخلوقين؛ وتنزه عن ما قالة المعطلين؛ علا ربنا فكان فوق سبع سمواتة عاليا؛ ثم على عرشه استوى؛ يعلم السر واخفى؛ ويسمع الكلام والنجوى؛ لا يخفى عليه خافية في الأرض ولا في السماء؛ ولا في لجج البحار؛ ولا في الهواء. All gratitude is due to Allah the Most High, the Supreme, the Hearer and the Seer, the Wise, the bountiful, and source of the affluent blessings, vast benedictions and conclusive proofs. The Lord is beyond the grasp of and is incomparable to those of limited qualities. He cannot be compared to the created things. He is pure of what the mu‘aṭṭilūn [1] attribute to Him. He transcends high above the seven heavens. He sits firmly on His throne (‘ arsh ). He knows the hidden secrets. He hears audible speech as well as wh...
Post a Comment
Read more