Al-Shajarah al-Nabawiyyah

coloured inks and opaque watercolour on paper; modern binding

text copied in a maghribi naskh script; varying number of lines to the page

15 folios; 29.7 x 26.5cm

The text is a biography of the Prophet Muhammad, written by Yusuf ibn Hasan ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi al-Fuwi. It has details of the Prophet’s immediate family, as well as his servants, followers and the first four Caliphs. It also contains descriptions of his weapons and personal possessions. The manuscript is composed of tables and diagrams and includes simple schematic drawings of the tombs of the Prophet and the Caliphs Abu Bakr and ‘Umar in Medina and of the Prophet’s sandals.

J.M. Rogers, The Arts of Islam. Masterpieces from the Khalili Collection, London 2010, cat.271, pp.236–7.