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Document 6: Charter of Rahma b. Yunus
- Michigan State University Press
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DOCUMENT 6 Document 6 is an originating charter issued by the amin aI-sultan RaQma b. Yiinus for Shaykh Ya'qiib b. al-Shaykh Mul.lammad Zayn on 23 Dhu'I-J:Iijja 1146/27 May 1734; Sultan Badi IV subsequently confirmed this grant (Doc. 7). The text is based upon a copy preserved in the papers of A.J. Arken.! The beneficiary was a member of the community ofJuqara' of the Ya'qiibab living near "Huggag" (al-J:Iujjaj), about five miles west of the Blue Nile near Wad el Haddad Station.2 This document gives a glimpse of the procedure through which a grant was implemented; an emissary of the donor demarcated the boundaries in the presence of the steward of the land. The witnesses are not titled courtiers but the personal entourage of the amin, consisting largely of his kinsmen and slave soldiers. J ~..,.::.. 1..0 J~ JJI ~I ~I t....~1 .J~ ~).. ~J J I ~ .~ "';J~I ul..~1 JJ..I.:...o u4-!J1&1 J uL...yiJl u-'...J ~ L..; ~J;! I ~6J1 I 0::-1 ~J;! ~I jr.J1 Vii '--.J ~I u hll .ill.J.~ ~I}I uL-....~1 J I ~~ ~I.i -'"'! I 1..1 0::-1 uGlJI .;:J~I J .J..,...J~ ~J> J ui$' ~ JJI ui$' uLbWI ~Ir I jl u"o) ~ )-'-1 ..,...~ ~I ~ J..I...Al ~J;! ~I jr.J1 Vii '--.J ~ J JI.. ~ I ~ ~ j.r.1 o?-~I )..01 ..,...1.rJ l:l1 J J~ JJI ~J ~~~ ..:i~ c:--JI ~ 0- :i..u..)~1 I .;:J~I 0- ')J..I.>.11 ~J.... J r:L ~ JJI bl 0- ~I ur; ~ 0- J ~ ..0J ~ J I •.JJ?" jly ~I ~ 0- J ~.ra .;;:, J ~I ~ ~ -..,J.b...1 """.J.) if JI I Jl-. afo. Jl-. ..1.>.11 ~ ~Ir jl ..,...yiJl Vii '--.J ~I JL...J'" J 1.Sy;:.:J1 ..,...~ I ~I v:-1 JJ.i :;$..)'1. J ~I ..)o~ ..0J .4- J "-!~ if ~ ~ J I ~..I; ~ J "-!yO: ~I ~ 3( Jl:i) ~J;! ~I )..01 ~ ~ ~ )..01 ~i.> .Jl:-> 52 DOCUMENT 6 / 53 ~I.r-t &11 ~1l.i.:S' J ~I ..::...;~ J ~I u.ulA J ~I~J 4 (.;~ J) .)y.- ~lu'il J jJ.,j> ..\.IJ ~ J >'...,... ..\.IJ ..\.IJ .l..- ~ lu'i1J / o..\.lJ ~ J ~..J!Jll1 i..u.. ~~ J ~J.uJ1 ..,.UJI J ~J.uJ1rJ> J ~I .)!"i U-- J V" i.J>.l1 / "':!Ij J UI.)..,...JI~J ~!).I ~ J ........ ~.~ll ·1 I·L.-I .J c;;- J> u-:- J ~I/~I • J ~I J!r- J uL.:......; J o..\.lJ ~ J Wil..J ~G."s- J / jooWI ~ J ~J..I..f ..\.IJ j-"1r,1 ~lu'il J V'~ J ~)(j ~I t-:.. J..Al.!. J "=,,,IS' / ",-I ~I ~I .l..- ....ir'il).-... J ~ / ~I i~1 0" ~I ~ 0" 0:""".) J ~ J ~L. ~ / ~I ~~ ..} ~I ~jI J a)LJ1 J-Ail ~L... [3.85.211.2] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 14:59 GMT) 54 DOCUMENT 6 This is a charter and royal document [issued] in Sinnar, the divinely guarded and protected, may God Most High exalt her, in the presence of her warden, the governor at the present time of what is in her, the chief of knights, bravest of the brave, the repository of trust, known for kindness and good deeds, he who trusts in the King, the Benefactor, Shaykh Ra~ma, son of the late Shaykh Yunus, amfn al-sul[an. May God be with him wherever he is, and protect him with chapters and verses of the Qur'an. Amen. Thereafter: Shaykh Ra~ma, son of the late Shaykh Yunus, has bestowed as alms upon Shaykh Ya'qub an estate in the land of Umm Mara~lk, alms for the sake of God Most High, asking for reward in the life to come, for a day in which neither wealth nor sons suffice, unless one comes to God with a secure heart. The boundaries are known on the four sides: on the eastern side al-Tun<;laba and Naqr Hantula; on the southern side 'Azzaz Jarura and the reservoir ofWalad Biliil; on the western side Umm Mara~lk; the boundary runs in a northward direction as far as the path of Umm Tal~a, and nms eastward in the direction of al-Tun<;laba above the cultivable land Shaykh Ya'qub purchased. The messenger of Shaykh Ra~ma b. al-Shaykh Yunus [said], "Let no one draw near to him or approach him, or stop at his gate." I:Iammad walad Khayyar, guardian of the estate, was present for the delimitation of the estate. There were present and witnessed to that: Shaykh Bashar, his [Ra~ma's] brother Kitfa, his brother Warit, his brother Harun, his brother Na~r, his brother (Man~ur )4 Arbab Mas'ud 'An walad Nuwayyir Arbiib Mu~arnrnad walad Walad l;)uyu DOCUMENT 6 'Ali, his son Ma<,iuwi, muqaddam al-qawiiwid al-Tahir al-Ghadawi 'Umar al-Ghadawi J:Iasan, qawwiid al-shaykh Z3.yid al-J:Iurriis Mu~J:afii al-Siidiin Sa'id al-Muriijina Ismii'il, brother of Shaykh Rai).ma Anqala, his brother Shawwiil, his brother Rama<;liin 'Ali, his son ~iibiin K6riib 'Abdal-'Atii Arbiib Ibriihim walad Baduwi 55 The writer of the letters is Muqammad b. al-Faqih Ai).mad, scribe and witness, on the morning of Tuesday, 23 Dhu'I-I:Iijja in the year 1146 from the hijra of the prophet, upon whom the best of prayers and purest peace. ISchool of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Arkell Papers, Box 1, File 5, Piece 82. A photocopy and translation have been published in Holt, "Land-Charters," Plate I and p. 105. 2Holt, "Land-Charters," p. 104. For an introduction to the Ya'qubab see H.C. Jackson, Notes on the Yacubabi Tribes of Sennar (Khartoum: 1912), and McHugh, "Holymen." 3lnserted by the editors. 4Crossed out by the copyist. ...