954

Cf. also pp. 267 ff., below.

955

"Hair" is added in C and D.

956

Cf. p. 268, below.

957

Tasid and taqtir are differentiated by the material subjected to the chemical process. Cf. al-Khuwarizmi, Mafatih al-'ulum, p. 149.

958

Al-iksir, from Greek xhrion.

959

Literally, "thrown," corresponding to Greek epiballein.

960

Cf. P. Kraus, Jabir Ibn Hayyan, I, 41 ff. Cf. p. 157, above, and p. 269, below.

961

Or rather: "He thought"?

962

Cf. Bombaci, p. 461.

963

Al-Hasan (al-Husayn) b. 'Ali, ca. 453 [1061] to 515 [i 121]. Cf. GAL, I, 247 f.; Suppl., I, 439 f.

964

Cf. Ibn Khaldun's opinion below, p. 246.

965

Cf. p. 246, below.

966

He is mentioned again as al-Mughayribi, p. 269, below. A Mughayribi family is mentioned, in the fifteenth century, in as-Sakhawi, ad-Daw' al-lami' (Cairo, 1353-55/1934-36), VIII, 164, but in spite of the rarity of the name, there is no information to connect the above-mentioned author with the later family.

967

Cf. the list of titles in GAL, I, 426; Suppl., I, 755 f. The MS. Nuru Osmaniye, 3634, in Istanbul, also contains two short works on the elixir, ascribed to al-Ghazzali, one without a title, and the other entitled at-Taqrib fi ma'rifat at-tarkib.

968

The legendary first Muslim scientist and translator of Greek literature into Arabic, who is said to have died between 84 and 90 [703 and 708/91. Cf. GAL, 1, 67; Suppl., I, 106; Ibn an-Nadim, Fihrist, pp. 242, 354 (ed. Flugel); pp. 338, 497 (Cairo, 1348/1929-30); al-Bukhari, Ta'rikh, III, 166; Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib, III, 128 f. The historical Khalid aspired to the caliphate for a short time. Marwan married his mother, Yazid's wife, for political reasons.

969

Ibn Bishrun's lifetime is fixed at ca. A.D. 1000 through his relationship to Maslamah and Ibn as-Samb. Cf. pp. 126 f., above. On the title page of the Rutbah in the Istanbul MS. Ragib Pasa, 963, fol. 90a, there is a biography of Maslamah which mentions Abu Bakr Ibn Bishrun among his pupils and as authority for the statement that an estrangement had taken place between Ibn as-Samh and Maslamah.

It may be mentioned that there is no information that Ibn as-Samh wrote works on alchemy, nor is the historical Maslamah considered an author on alchemy or magic. Thus, Ibn Bishrun's treatise may be pseudepigraphical. Hajji Khalifah, Kashf az-zunun, III, 595 f., refers to a work on alchemy, Sirr al-kimiya', by a certain Ibn Bishrun al-Maghribi, who may be identical with our Ibn Bishrun. Identification with the Sicilian poet 'Uthman b.'Abd­ar-Rahim b. Bashrim, implied by E. Griffini in Centenario delta nascita di M. Amari (Palermo, 1910), I, 445, i_s almost certainly wrong. *A different but related work by Ibn Bishrun in MS. Beshir Agha 505, 86a-91b (Fuat Sezgin).

970

The MSS read adhhabu (the vocalization is indicated in C). Bulaq corrects to dhahaba, which would mean "his attitude." At first glance this might appear the more natural idea, but the text as transmitted cannot be understood that way, since a reading udhhiba is not possible.

971

Lit., "luncheon and dinner."

972

Referring to the statement that body and soul can be separated but not reunited after separation?

973

For "pulse" in alchemical literature, cf. P. Kraus, Jabir Ibn Hayyan, textes choisis (Paris & Cairo, 1354/1935), pp. 51 ff., and Jabir Ibn Hayyan, II, 236.

974

That is, the transformation of the alchemical operation, or of the stone.

975

That is, the operation, or the stone.

975a

Hawa'iyah? The MSS have hw'yh. The meaning is doubtful. Perhaps, huwiyah is meant: "a substance similar to fire."

976

Bulaq has a simpler, perhaps correct text: "when they notice the approach of fire."

977

"Through fire" belongs here, rather than after the second "annihilated."

978

The suffix used in Arabic seems to refer to "treatment," but one would expect it to refer to "the mixtures." Cf. below. This, however, would require too much of a correction. Is the suffix meant to refer to "substance"?

979

The complete text as translated, to the end of the paragraph, is found in Bulaq, and not in A, B, C, or D.

980

Leg.: hallan <mithla hadha l-halli wa-> hadha.

981

Taghusu, as in C and D, which would be intransitive, or perhaps, rather, transitive tughawwisu. Cf. p. 241, 1. 7, below.

982

"Through itself" (min dhatihi) is the correct addition of Bulaq.

983

I.e., its own tendency toward destruction and the destructive action of fire.

984

Cf. p. 231, above.

985

None of the many Harranis of the ninth and tenth centuries is known as an outstanding authority on alchemy. He might possibly be Silim, the "Syrian" alchemical authority from liarran, mentioned by ar-Razi. Cf. J. Ruska in Der Islam, XXII (1935), 289. * MS. Beshir Agha, 505, 149b.

986

From Greek bafh.

987

Used for the preparation of alkali.

988

As it stands, the Arabic suffix has no antecedent except "animals."

989

I.e., the pure essence of earth. The text must be corrected in this sense. As it stands, the Arabic suffix can refer only to "plants."

990

Here the reading nafs, and not nafas "breath," is indicated.

991

Mustajinnah, as in Bulaq and the MSS.

992

This seems the most likely meaning of tamshiyah in this context, al­though the word is not known to me as a technical term of alchemy. It might have a meaning close to "digestion," which is always associated with putrefaction.

993

Ikhtilat usually means "mixture," but this meaning would not seem to make sense in the context. Bulaq corrects to ikhtilat "disagreement."

994

One would expect, rather, "annihilation, nonbeing" (al farad'), and possibly the text should be corrected in this sense.

995

Ajza'uha.

996

On the "egg" of the alchemists, originally intended to be an alloy of copper, lead, iron, and tin, but also considered as the alchemical "stone," cf., esp., M. Berthelot and C. E. Ruelle, Collection des anciens alchimistes grecs (Paris, 1888), pp. 18 ff. (text), pp. 18 ff. (tr.).

What follows is a characteristic device of esoteric literature, namely, the pupil asking the teacher for an explanation. Cf., for instance, P. Kraus, Jabir Ibn Hayyan, testes choisis, p. 79; Jabir Ibn Hayyan, I, xxxvi (n. 6).

997

In our letters, EGFH. The plane of the "egg" EGFH is said to be similar to the plane of the "stone AJBD (in our letters, ACBD), and, therefore, the "stone" is called "egg."

998

Leg. taba'i`, as in Bulaq, or, perhaps, al-taba'i' < fi>.

999

The MSS seem to have AHJ, but apparently the sides AJ and AD of the plane AJBD are meant.

1000

Or "breath"?

1001

For "Holy Land" as a cover name for mercury, cf. A. Siggel, Decknamen in der arabischen alchemistischen Literatur (Berlin, 1951), p. 34.

1002

Bulaq: nukhasiyan "like copper."

1003

The "Magnesia" of the alchemists is some undetermined kind of alloy. Cf. E. 0. von Lippmann, Entstehung and Ausbreitung der Akhemie (Berlin, 1919), Index, s.v. "Magnesia."

1004

According to the vocalization indicated in D, one would have to translate, "he has turned all the expressions into secret hints . . ."

1005

Cf. p. 167, above.

1006

Cf. p. 157, above.

1007

Cf. p. 168, above.

1008

Cf. pp. 161 f., above.

1009

Cf. pp. 267 ff., below.

1010

Qur'an 66.3 (3).