Table Of ContentPublic Documents from Sinnar
African Historical Sources
Number 1
Public Documents from Sinnar
Jay Spaulding and Muhammad Ibrahim Abu SalIm
Editors
Michigan State University Press
East Lansing, Michigan
1989
Michigan State University Press
East Lansing, Michigan 48823-5202
Printed in the United States of America
All Michigan State University Press books are produced on paper
which meets the requirements of American National Standard for
Information Sciences-Permanence of paper for printed materials.
ANSI 239.48-1984 §
Published on the recommendation of the International Council
for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies and with the financial
assistance of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
UNION ACADEMIQUE
FONTES HISTORIAE AFRICANAE,
SERIES ARABICA XI
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Public documents from Sinnar.
(African historical sources; no. 1)
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Sudan - Charters, grants, privileges. 2. Law - Sudan -
Sources. I. Spaulding, J. L. (Jay L.) II. Abu SalIm, Muhammad
Ibrahim. III. Series.
LAW 348.624'025 89-12896
346.240825
ISBN 0-87013-280-6
This book is respectfully dedicated to the memory
of the founders of Sudanese historical
writing in Arabic,
among them:
Mul}.ammad al-Sayyid b. DOlib
Al}.mad, sid al-qum to Sultan Isma'H b. Badi
Al}.mad b. 'lsa al-An~ariyabi
Mul}.ammad al-Niir b. I;>ayf Allah
AQ.mad b. al-I;Iaii Abu 'Ali
CONTENTS
Acknowledgement xii
A Note on Conventions xiv
Introduction
THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
Document 1: laissez-passer of Badj b. Unsa 33
Document 2: charter of Badj b. Nol 37
Document 3: charter of Badj b. Nol 42
Document 4: charter of'Abd al-'Azjz b. Mu!)ammad al-Mahm 44
Document 5: charter of Badj b. Nol 48
Document 6: charter of Ra!)ma b. Yiinus 52
Document 7: charter of Badj b. Nol 56
Document 8: charter of Badj b. Nol 60
Document 9: charter of Bad! b. Nol 66
Document 10: charter of Badj b. Nol 71
Document 11: Qur'an colophon from the court of Badj b. Nol 76
Document 12: charter of Badj b. Nol 80
Document 13: kettledrum inscription of Badj b. Nol 89
Document 14: charter of Nii$ir b. Bam 90
Document IS: charter of Nii$ir b. Bam 102
Document 16: charter of Nii$ir b. Bam 109
Document 17: letter of Mu!)ammad Abii Likaylik 116
Document 18: charter ofIsma'i/ b. Bam 119
Document 19: laissez-passer of Isma'jJ b. Badj 129
Document 20: laissez-passer of' Adlan b. ~uba!)j 131
Document 21: laissez-passer of' Adlan b. ~ uba!)j 134
Document 22: charter ofIsma'jJ b. Bam 136
Document 23: charter of Bam b. Rajab 141
ix
x CONTENTS
Document 24: charter of 'A<lliin b. Ismifil 146
Document 25: charterof'Adllin b. Ismifil 157
Document 26: charter of Ibrahim b. Mul)ammad Abu Likaylik 168
Document 27: charter of Nii~ir b. Mul)ammad Abu Likaylik (?) 170
Document 28: charter of Biidi b. Dakin 175
Document 29: letter of N~ir b. Mul)ammad Abu Likaylik 180
Document 30: charter of' Adliin b. Mul)ammad Abu Likaylik 184
Document 31: letter of N~ir b. Mul)ammad Abu Likaylik 190
Document 32: charter of Ranfii b. Biidi 192
Document 33: charter of 'Umar b. Ibrahim 197
Document 34: letter of Idris b. MUQammad Abii Likaylik 203
Document 35: charter of MUQammad b. 'Adllin b. MuQammad Abii Likaylik 205
Document 36: charter of Mul)ammad b. 'Adllin b. MuQammad Abii Likaylik 212
Document 37: seal of Wiiwrit b. Hiiriin 213
Document 38: charter of Mul)ammad b. 'A<lliin b. Mul)ammad Abii Likaylik 214
Document 39: charter of l:Iusayn b. MUQammad Abii Likaylik 220
Document 40: charter of Biidi b. Tabl 226
Document 41: charter of Biidi b. Tabl 232
Document 42: charter of l:Iusayn b. MUQammad Abii Likaylik 234
Document 43: letter of MUQammad b. 'Adliin b. MUQammad Abii Likaylik 239
THE NORTHERN PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
Document 44: charter of J:lammad b. 'Ali 242
Document 45: letter of I:Iammiid b. 'Ajib 247
Document 46: charter of l;>ayf Allah b. Mul)ammad 251
Document 47: charter of' Ajib b. 'Abd Alliih 262
Document 48: charter of l:Iammiid b. 'Arabi 267
Document 49: charter of 'Ajib b. 'Abd Alliih 271
Document 50: charter of Mul)ammad al-Amin b. Mismiir 274
CONTENTS xi
Document 51: charterofBadib.~smar 281
Document 52: charter of Abu Bakr b. Sulayman 287
Document 53: charter of' Abd Allah b. 'Ajib 290
Document 54: charter of' Abd Allah b. 'Ajib 296
Document 55: charter of Mw,ammad a1-Niir b. I;>ayf Allah 307
Document 56: charter of Ibrahim b. Nayil 313
Document 57: letter of Na$ir b. Mul).ammad al-Amin 318
Document 58: charter of Nii$ir b. Mw,ammad a1-Amin 321
Document 59: charter of Nii$ir b. Mw,ammad a1-Amin 326
Document 60: charter of Nii$ir b. Mul).ammad a1-Amin 333
Document 61: charter of Daf Allah b. I;>ayf Allah 344
OTHER
Document 62: charter of Qasim b. Mul).ammad 350
Document 63: charter of Idris b. Mul).ammad ai-Fai).l 353
Document 64: charter of Mw,ammacl b. Nimr 357
Document 65: charter of Na$f ai-Din b. a1-Siidiq 362
Document 66: charter of Musa'ad b. Sa'd 365
Document 67: charter of Nimr b. Mul).ammacl 369
Register of Fixed Dates 375
The Court of Sinnar 377
Glossary 391
References 396
Index of Names 401
