Asās al-Quz̤āt (The basis for judges) is a lithographic book on Islamic jurisprudence, published in the late 19th century by the royal publishing house in Kabul. It was intended as a source for judges charged with applying the law on the basis of Islamic jurisprudence. The fine quality of the book and the binding reflect the importance given to law books in Afghanistan and other Islamic countries. Lithographic printing was invented in Europe in the late 18th century and spread widely on the Indian subcontinent from the early 19th century onward, its popularity stemming from the relative ease with which it could be used to reproduce different scripts not based on the Latin alphabet. By the 1860s, lithographic printing had spread to Afghanistan, including Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat. World Digital Library.
Manuscript. Persian and Arabic. Caption title. Scribe not identified. Gift of A.A. Kachif, Nov. 20, 1930. Written in Iran. Paper; thick, polished light cream color paper with no watermarks; elaborate floral unwan in gold, blue, red, and white with wide borders of a similar floral pattern and similar colors of fol. 1b and 2a; an outer border of two very thin lines accompanies all the text on facing pages; the text itself is enclosed in a border of black, white, gold, and red; floral section headings in gold, red and blue; lines of the text are separated by a cloud design in gold; text in black ink with small red overlining of some letters; catchwords. Nastaʻliq; in written area 13 x 7.5 cm. Fol. 1b-24a. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M100. Binding; dark brown half leather with lacquered papier-mâché floral design on a copper colored background surrounded by contrasting green, red and green borders also with floral designs; inner sides of cover also lacquered with a paintings of dark pink roses on a brown background. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
Collection of memorable sayings, witticisms, anecdotes, etc., in prose and poetry in 8 books; concerning (book 1) Sufis and saints, 2) sayings of the philosophers, 3) justice of kings, 4) generosity, 5) love, 6) jokes and witticisms, 7) poets, and 8) on animals; the text is incompete and breaks off shortly after the beginning of book 7.
Poems. Manuscript. In Persian. Title from fol. 1a. Date from cover. Written by Ghulām Ismāʻīl. Written in Afghanistan. Paper; modern cream color paper; black ink; some sections written diagonally; no catchwords. Nastaʻliq; 15 lines, with some pages of fewer lines written diagonally. Binding is marbled paper over cardboard; light tan leather spine; text block separated from binding.
Manuscript. Persian. Title from fol. 1a. Scribe not identified. Possibly written in India. Date on fol. 1a; manuscript may be older. Paper; medium cream color paper with no visible watermarks; fol. 1b has floral unwan in gold, blue, red and white contains the Basmalah; text block enclosed in ruled border of one thin blue and one wide gold line; text itself is set off by single gold line on either side; hemistichs and sections are also separated by a thin gold line; black ink, section titles in red; catchwords. Nastaʻliq; 19 lines in written area 16.5 x 6.3 cm. Fol. 1b-114a. Library of Congress. Persian manuscript, M76. Binding is tan paper over boards with black cloth spine and corners. Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
In Persian. Preface signed: M. Youness. Label pasted on back cover: "Khayr Allāh Afandī kih az Masīḥīyat va baʻd az ʻAbd al-Bahāʼ murtadd shud". Probably written in Iran.
