Overview

This work contains Sufi maxims for travelers on the path to God and consists mainly of a translation of Bidayāt al-Nāṣiḥ (Beginnings of Intuition), by Sayyidi Ahmad al-Zahid.

Authorship

Completed “Jumada al-akhir 12, 1244” [December 20, 1828] by Shaykh Daud b. ‘Abd Allah al-Fatani, in Mecca.

Manuscripts

This text experienced moderate popularity in the Patani scholarly network from the 1830s to its peak in the 1880s, though it was rarely printed in the publishing centers in succeeding decades. This text was occasionally included in compilations including Shaykh Daud al-Fatani’s other works Kashf al-Ghummah, Al-Sayd wa al-Zaba’i, as well as with works by other scholars of the network.

12 known manuscript copies

Manuscripts with dated colophons (5):

1. 1833, Jan 7. Copied “pada waktu duha, hari Isnin, 15 Sha’ban 1248 AH” mentioned as source for IAM 149B and IAM 589; no longer extant.
2. 1878, Apr/May. Copied by ‘Abd al-Rahman b. al-Samad, “pada waktu sudah sembahyang ‘asar, hari Juma, Rabi al-akhir 1295 AH,” in Mecca. IAM 49D: 97 pp.
3. c. 1879. Bound together withan untitled work on tajwid, author unknown, dated 1296 AH. IAM 382B: 31 pp., incomplete.
   
4. 1883, Dec 18. Copiedby Muhammad Hussain ibn Abdul Latif dari negeri Kelaba Kampung Beris, “waktu duha hari Sabtu, 17 Safar 1301 AH” in “negeri Patani daerah Sena Jancar.” PNM 2146: 398 pp., double maroon frame (except last page which has a triple frame of maroon, black, black).
   
5. 1886, Dec 6. Copied by Muhammad Zayn, “waktu duha hari Ahad, tahun ‘ha,’ 9 Rabi al-awwal 1304 AH,” in “di daerah Kampung Sena Patani.” PNM 2145: 431 pp.

Manuscripts with undated or partially-dated colophons (3):

1. Copied by Ibrahim b. Ismail, “hari Sabtu, 3 Jumada al-akhir.” IAM 149B: 11 pp.
2. Copied by Mustafa b. Haji Muhammad Hasan b. Tuan ‘Abd al-Rahman Gandani, 3 Jumada al-akhir. IAM 589: 394 pp., manuscript has gone missing.
3. Copied by Muhammad Hasan ibn Tuan Haji Abdul Rahman Cendanai, “hari Sabtu, 3 Jumada al-akhir.” PNM 2770: 197 ff.

Manuscripts without colophons (4):

1. IAM 482B: 19 pp., incomplete.
2. IAM 775: 17 pp., incomplete.
3. PNM 485: 262 ff.
4. PNM 2751: 126 ff., incomplete.

Published Editions

1. 1894/5. Mecca: Matbaah al-Miriyya al-Kayna, 1312 AH. Holding: PNM.