Al-Brn Commemoration Volume A.H. 362-A.H. 1362 Review by: O. Spies Oriens, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jun.

30, 1954), pp. 218-220 Published by: BRILL Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1579117 . Accessed: 01/08/2013 16:18
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218

Kitablar: Hindistan

difficult enterprise has been accomplished, but also, and in the first place, on account of its wide scope and rich contents. This edition, indeed, distinguishes itself by the extensive use made of various readings found in all the available Mimamrsa treatises and commentaries, such as the Bhasya of Sabarasvamin, the Varttika of Kumarilabhatta, and many other works, part of which are unpublished or were not yet utilized by former scholars. In this connection a rare manuscript including sitras not found in the traditional version, but quoted by gafikara, proved to be of special importance. The editor has spared no pains to provide the reader, in copious critical notes, with all particulars which may be of importance to form an opinion on the tradition of the text. From this large compilation of materials it appears that the divergences (variants, displacements, etc.) shown by the different Jaimini texts are considerable. This book, moreover, contains two extensive indexes, one giving an enumeration of the sutras in alphabetical order, the other being a complete glossary, in which all divergences noted in the apparatus criticus have been collected.-It is much to be hoped that this work, which has been very ably printed, should serve as a model for those who might be willing to preparesimilar editions of other scientific, ritual, or philosophical Sanskrit texts. Another voluminous publication of the same Institute, likewise carefully prepared by gri Kevalanandasaraswati, is the first part of the Mimaimskosah, which is to be followed by another five volumes of the same size (600 pages). This work forms an encyclopaedic collection of PfrvamImamsa texts in alphabetical and chronological order, giving an exhaustive survey of the rules and tenets, interpretations, definitions and terminology of the school. When completed, it will no doubt prove an indispensable instrument for all those working in the particular field of Indian ritual, dharma, and philosophy. The zeal, patience, and devotion of the scholars who succeeded in producing these comprehensive volumes are worthy of our gratitude and admiration. Utrecht J. Gonda

FRYE, RICHARD N., The 'Abbasid Conspiracy' and Modern RevolutionaryTheory. In: IndoIranica 5, S. 9-14, Calcutta 1952. Interessanter versuch, vier von Crane Brinton in seinem buch ,,The Anatomy of Revolution" aufgestellte historische gesetze, die den ablauf aller revolutionen bestimmen sollen, auf ihre giiltigkeit an dem sturz der Omajjadendynastie nachzupriifen. Diese gesetze sind, in gekiirzter form: . . . the danger point occurs when the members of the ruling class begin to confess the justice of the attacks and to doubt the validity of their established position. 2. The old government which is destroyed is characterized not by tyranny but by weakness. 3. As the pre-revolutionary period reaches its climax the citizens of the state... withdraw their loyalty and support until power ceases to exist. 4. There is not in all history a single instance of a successful revolution which began as a spontaneous rising of lower classes. Revolutions are led by men with the leisure... to engage in political activity-men for whom the existing society... provides no outlet or opportunities for the realization of their ordinary ambitions. Frye findet, dass diese vier gesetze sich im falle der Omajjaden bewahren. Diese art der geschichtsbetrachtung ist bei uns neu. Sie beriihrt sehr prinzipielle fragen und sei hier lediglich zur diskussion gestellt. Frankfurt a. M. Al-Birini CommemorationVolume A.H. 362-A.H. I59-B Dharamtala Street. XXVIII + 303.
1362. -

H. Ritter Calcutta 1951, Iran Society,

On the occasion of the millenary-accord ing to Hegira years-of the birth of the eminent scholar of Khwarizm Abf Raihan al-Birfini, known in mediaeval Europe as Aliboron, the Iran Society of Calcutta has published this Commemoration Volume containing contributions from Oriental and

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Books: India

2I9

European scholars. This international collaboration proves the high estimation and admiration of al-Biruni as mathematician, astronomer, geographer, philosopher and historian who may be called a "savant" in the moder sense of the word. In this volume the editors, V. Courtois, S. J., President, and M. Ishaque, Honorary Secretary, Iran Society, have collected 2I papers of different standard and arranged them in alphabetical order of the names of the authors, not according to the subject matter. As this volume deserves to become known in the learned world and as it may not be available to everyone I am giving the names of the papers and their authors. 1-52 Syed Hasan Barani (Bulandshahr): Muslim Researches in Geodesy (working out the entire length of the radius and the circumferenceof the earth al-Birini arrived to most accurate results). 53-76 Alessandro Bausani (Rome) L'India vista da due grandi Personalita Musulmane: Baber e Biruni (comparison ot the description of things Indian: Baber describes and reproduces, Biruni goes to the depth and enquires into the 'why'). - 77-81 C. Bulcke, S. J., (Ranchi): Alberuni and the Rama-Katha (al-Birfini's knowledge of the Rama story). - 83-100 Suniti Kumar Chatterji (Calcutta): Al-Birfun and Sanskrit (Sanskrit words quoted by al-Biruni from the point of view of Indian phonetics and philology, al-B. as translator of Arabic terms into Sanskrit). - IOI-I05 Jean Filliozat (Paris): Al-Birini et l'Alchimie Indienne (al-B.'s informations about Indian alchemy). - 107-11o Francesco Gabrieli (Rome): Le Citazioni delle leggi platoniche in Al-BirfnI (seven quotations from Plato's De Legibus prove that al-B. used not a paraphrase but a real translation of the text perhaps made by IHunainibn Ishaq or by Yahya ibn 'Adi). - IIx-ii8 J. Gonda (Utrecht): Remarks on Al-Biruni's quotations from Sanskrit Texts (a study especially of the names and number of Hells mentioned in the Visnu Purana and quoted by al-B.): - 119-I23 H. Heras, S. J., (Bombay): The Advaita Doctrine in Alberuni (al-B. never mentions Vedantic authors, yet while delving into the nature of God he clearly explains the foundation of the Advaita School). - I25-160 A. Jeffery (New York): Al-Birfni's contribution to comparative religion (an exhaustive study on the great religions of the world and sects as presented by al-B. in his works; Jeffery concludes "It is rare until modern times to find so fair and unprejudiced a statement of the views of other religions, so earnest an attempt to study them in the best sources, and such care to find a method which for this branch of study would be both rigorous and just. Might it be after all that his greatest contribution to learning was not in the field of the more exact sciences but in this field of the sciences of the spirit?"). - 161-170 M. A. Kazim (Aligarh): Al-Biruni and Trigonometry (the trigonometry of al-B. according to the 3rd book of his Qanun; the author has overlooked the work of CarlSchoy: Die trigonometrischen Lehren des persischen Astronomen Abu'l Raihan Muh. Ibn Ahmad al-Birfini, which deals with this 3rd book of the Qanun). - 171-175 Mohd. Abdur Rahman Khan (Hyderabad): On the minor tracts of Abu-Raih.an Muhammad bin Ahmad al- 177-193 J. H. Kramers Beruni (the title of the tracts published by the Dairat ul-MaCarif). (Leiden): Al-Biruni's Determination of geographical longitude by measuring the distances (revision of C. Schoy's German translation of the 2nd chapter of the VIth Book of the Qanun and a new translation of it into English). - 195-208 F. Krenkow (Cambridge):Berfini and the MS. Sultan Fatih No. 3386 (correctpronounciationof al-Birfin's name is Brfini, English translation of passages on the importance of geographical knowledge from Kitab fi tahdid nihayat al-amakin). - 209215 Martino Mario Moreno (Rome): L'Arte dell' esporre in al-Birfni (al-B.'s gift of exposition and communication, his method is the one of comparison). - 217-219 Louis Massignon (Paris): AlBeruni et la valeur internationale de la science arabe (al-B. wrote in Arabic, not in his mother tongue, because of its being the international medium for scientific thought). - 221-23I Giuseppe Messina, S. J., (Vatican City): Al-Biruni sugli inizi del Cristianesimo a Merv ("le notizie che abbiamo delle condizioni in cui vivevano i Cristiani[a]quel tempo nell'imperopersianoe dello sviluppo dell'apostolato cristiano non solo non contrastano con l'affermazione di Al-Biruni, ma depongono in suo favore"). - 233-236 V. Minorsky (Cambridge):On some of Birfini's informants (informations

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220

Kitablar: fin

about China and Mongolia as well as those about the Polar Regions were obtained by al-B. through the ambassadorsof the rulers of Qitay and Yughur resp. those of the padishah of the Bulghars). 237-49 Mohammad Moin (Teheran): Bacz-i Fawa'id-i lughawiy-i Kitab al-Jamahir-i-Birfni (a philological study of some terms used by al-B. which are of Pahlavi or Avestic origin). - 251-279 MaulanaAbdus Salam Nadvi (Azamgarh):Al-Biruni (life and literary activities of al-B.-written in Urdu-based on the biographical works of Arabic literature). - 287-291 Arthur Upham Pope (New York): Al-Beruni as a thinker (al-B.'s attitude in his scientific researches). - 287-29I J. C. Tavadia (Santiniketan): Al-Birfni and Orientalistics (al-B. was a worker in the modern sense guided by the desire of knowledge to find the truth). Bonn a. Rh. O. Spies

Ta'rikh-i-Jurjdn or Kitdb-u-MaCrifat-iCulamd-i-ahl-i-Jurjdn by IHamzab. Yisuf b. Ibrahim AS-SAHMid. 427 A.H. = 1036 A.D. Based on the Unique Arabic Ms. [Laud No 276] in the Bodleian Library Oxford. Edited and published by the Dairatul-MaC'rifqil-Osmania (Osmania Oriental Publications Bureau). - Hyderabad-Deccan I950, 36, 518, 219 pp. Die riihrige Da'irat-ul-MaCarifin Haidarabad legt hier in einer recht sorgfaltigen ausgabe eine stadtgeschichte des bekannten, biographisch orientierten typus vor. Nach einer kurzen einleitung iiber die eroberung der stadt durch die muslime, iiber die profetengenossen und nachfolger, welche sie besucht haben, werden die gelehrten, d.h. die muhadditiin, die aus Curcan und Astarabad stammen oder dort gewirkt haben, in alfabetischer ordnung aufgefiihrt. Man erfihrt, welches ihre scheiche, welches ihre schiiler und tradenten waren, 6fters auch die lebensdaten, und ein oder einige hadlte, die von ihnen iiberliefert werden. Das buch ist als biografisches nachschlagewerkvon wert, ist aber, wie mir scheint, ein besonders trockenes specimen der gattung. Lokalkolorit darf man natiirlich darin ebenso wenig suchen wie personlichkeitsschilderung. Die 'ulama Curcan's unterscheiden sich in nichts von ihren standesgenossen in einer beliebigen anderen islamischen stadt. Sie stellen auch unter sich einen ganz einheitlichen menschentypus dar, innerhalb dessen individuell interessantes kaum hervortritt. Die herausgeber 'Abdarrahman al-Yamani und Nizamuddin haben ihr m6glichstes getan, durch heranziehung anderer biografischer werke die in dem unicum der Bodleiana oft fehlerhaft iiberlieferten namen zu verbessern. Frankfurt a. M. tIN / CHINA Lou TSE-KU'ANG (ed.), Hsin-niang hsin-lang. Chung-kuohun-su chih (Bride and Groom;Chinese marriage customs). - Taipei I953, 76 pp. (Vol. I4 of the Publ. of the Orient Cultural Service). This small monography offers descriptions of the marriage customs of many parts of China, including Mongolia, Tibet and some of the aboriginal tribes of South China, Formosa and overseas Chinese. In general, the descriptions are too short and omit many details; those reporting on non-Chinese groups are, however, better in this respect. The value of this publication is found mainly in a series of songs sung in connection with the wedding, a description of a marriage with a deceased girl (cf. J. J. M. de Groot, Relig. System, vol. 2, p. 804) and reports on the occurrenceof marriage by abduction under certain, mainly economic conditions (in Kiangsu and Chekiang). An interesting chapter describes marriage by time and contract as it occurs in Chekiang and Kiangsu. The first text is reprinted from the journal Min-chien yiieh-k'an,vol. 2, no. I, p. 67-70, Hang-chou H. Ritter

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