Top of page

Manuscript/Mixed Material Kitāb Anwār al-tanzīl wa-asrār al-tāwīl كتاب انوار التنزيل واسرار التاويل

About this Item

Title

  • Kitāb Anwār al-tanzīl wa-asrār al-tāwīl

Other Title

  • كتاب انوار التنزيل واسرار التاويل

Summary

  • Kitāb Anwār al-Tanzīl wa Asrār al-Ta'wīl (The radiances of revelation and the mysteries of exegesis) is the best-known work of the 13th century savant, ʻAbdallāh ibn ʻUmar al-Bayḍāwī (died circa 1286). As the title indicates, the subject of the work is Qurʼanic exegesis. After an introduction in which al-Bayḍāwī praises the science of al-tafsīr (exegesis) as the principal religious science and the basis for sharia (Islamic law), the text of the Qurʼan follows, with each ayah (verse) appearing in red ink accompanied by an explanatory passage in black ink. In the present illuminated copy, the main text opens with a richly colored panel of arabesque scrolls, cartouches, and a medallion containing the basmala (the invocation of God's name), the opening words of the Qurʼan. The design of this panel, as well as that of an illuminated band containing the name of the first sura (chapter) on the same page, reflect the Islamic tradition of sumptuously illuminated Qurʼanic manuscripts. Subsequent chapters also are set off by their titles, each appearing in a band containing the name of the sura, the place in which it was revealed (generally Mecca or Medina), as well as the number of verses contained within it. The subsequent chapter headings are also striking, but generally simpler than the first, and consist of gold letters on an unpainted background. In at least one place the interpretive text spills over into the area reserved for the subsequent chapter title. Also noteworthy is how the names of the suras occasionally differ from the titles usually given to them, offering an interesting glimpse of the canonical variation present in these titles. The title for sura 45, al-Jāthīyah (The kneeling), for example, appears under a variant title, al-Sharīʻa (The clear path). The text, generally of 33 lines to a page, appears within blue and gold borders on the pages, some of which have sustained heavy insect damage. The manuscript was completed on Jumādā al-'ūlā 18, 970 A.H. (January 13, 1563). It is signed by Aḥmad ibn ʻAlī ibn ʻAbdallāh al-Bānūbī al-Azharī, indicating Banub in the Nile delta as the nisba (provenance) of the scribe. al-Bayḍāwī was a native of Bayḍā, Fars (present-day Iran) who wrote on many topics, including fiqh (jurisprudence), history, grammar, and theology. Although most of his vast scholarly output was composed in Arabic, he wrote his historical work Niẓām al-Tavārīkh (The order of history) in his native Persian. Numerous commentaries have been written on the Kitāb Anwār al-Tanzīl wa Asrār al-Ta'wīl. The work was for many centuries part of the standard curriculum in religious schools and was one of the first such tafsir works to be translated into English. World Digital Library.

Names

  • Bayḍāwī, ʻAbd Allāh ibn ʻUmar, -1286?
  • Azharī, Aḥmad ibn ʻAlī ibn ʻAbd Allāh al-Bānūbī, scribe

Created / Published

  • Jumādá al-awwal 970 [Dec./Jan. 1562/1563]

Headings

  • -  Qurʼan--Commentaries
  • -  Manuscripts, Arabic--Washington (D.C.)

Notes

  • -  "Katabahu ... Aḥmad ibn ʻAlī ibn ʻAbd Allāh al-Bānūbī al-Azharī"--Colophon.
  • -  Folio 1b-417b
  • -  Later reddish polished leather envelope binding with gold medallions front and back, missing flap of envelope.
  • -  Library of Congress. Arabic manuscript, SM-32.
  • -  Manuscript.
  • -  Naskhī script; 33 lines in written area 18.3 x 10.3 cm.
  • -  Paper; cream-color laid paper without visible chain-lines or water-marks; elaborate ʻunwān and colophon; text has thin blue and wider gold borders; Qurʼanic verses in red; Surah titles in gold; catchwords on rectos. Frontispiece contains index of surahs in a later hand.
  • -  Probably written in Egypt.
  • -  Title from colophon.
  • -  Fihris al-makhṭūṭāt al-ʻArabīyah fi Maktabat al-Kūnghris, 26
  • -  Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site.
  • -  Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
  • -  Arabic.

Medium

  • 418 leaves (33 lines) bound : paper ; 25.5 x 17 cm

Call Number/Physical Location

  • BP130.4 .B3 1562

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2013415523

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Bayḍāwī, ʻAbd Allāh Ibn ʻUmar, -1286?, and Aḥmad Ibn ʻAlī Ibn ʻAbd Allāh Al-Bānūbī Azharī. Kitāb Anwār al-tanzīl wa-asrār al-tāwīl. [Jumādá al-awwal 970 Dec./Jan. /1563, 1562] Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013415523/.

APA citation style:

Bayḍāwī, ʻ. A. I. ʻ. & Azharī, A. I. ʻ. I. ʻ. A. A. (1562) Kitāb Anwār al-tanzīl wa-asrār al-tāwīl. [Jumādá al-awwal 970 Dec./Jan. /1563] [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2013415523/.

MLA citation style:

Bayḍāwī, ʻAbd Allāh Ibn ʻUmar, -1286?, and Aḥmad Ibn ʻAlī Ibn ʻAbd Allāh Al-Bānūbī Azharī. Kitāb Anwār al-tanzīl wa-asrār al-tāwīl. [Jumādá al-awwal 970 Dec./Jan. /1563, 1562] Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2013415523/>.