Miftāḥ al-Saʿāda wa Miṣbāḥ al-Siyyāda fī Mawḍūʿāt al-ʿUlūm

Summary

This book is considered one of the most important Arab bibliographic sources. Its author proved extraordinarily adept at elegantly classifying Arab sciences by topic, based on the concept of gradually progressing from the general to the specific. He excelled in identifying and branching disciplines, identifying well over 320. The author introduced each science, defining its scope of specialty, outlining its principles, benefits and purposes, and indeed, going further to present the origin and historical evolution of many disciplines. He would mention the most important books authored in each domain, beginning with the large comprehensive works, followed by the medium texts, and then summaries, as well as any associated commentaries and glosses, if found. He would then present the authors’ biographies, their life journeys and reported events, as well as the titles of their works in other disciplines.

Despite this book’s huge significance in the history of Arab heritage, it was only ever published in two commercial prints; both full of errors, interpolation and metathesis, and additions and omissions. These two prints remained the only recourse for researchers in their books, studies, and researches for a long period of time.

Given the book’s huge scientific stature, Al-Furqān Foundation commissioned the critical editors to re-examine the text, and perform a robust scientific critical edition. They retrieved most of the book’s extant manuscript copies, and proceeded to study, classify, and collate these exemplars. They exerted praiseworthy effort in emending, critically editing, and properly documenting the text. They decorated it with beneficial commentaries, appending detailed technical indexes easing access to its content. They prefaced their critical edition with an extensive study covering the personal biography and scientific trajectory of Taşköprüzade (Ṭāsh Kubrī Zādah), with an expansive introduction to his book, “Miftāḥ al-saʿādah”, elucidating its scientific value, and the approach taken in its compilation. They highlighted the influence of prior works on it, and its effect on works that followed, shedding light on some of its benefits, and examples of some of its mistakes. They provided commendable expanded treatment of the manuscript copies, explaining their importance, and connection to the author. Furthermore, they fully explained the planned approach and steps in undertaking their work. In closing, they presented examples of the manuscript copies adopted in the critical edition.