The crisis the whole world has been experiencing over the last year caused by the coronavirus (Covid-19) is not the first time a pandemic has threatened the lives and livelihoods of human beings. A collection of rare books and original manuscripts housed in Qatar National Library (QNL) reveals that the Muslim and Arab world knew the devastating damage plagues, epidemics and pandemics could inflict.
The library's manuscript specialist, Mahmoud Zaki, has been carrying out detailed research through the treasures of the Heritage Library and beyond and has unearthed some extraordinary facts about how past inhabitants of this region managed to survive through those terrible times and live to tell their tales.
"The history of mankind has witnessed many outbreaks of plagues, epidemics and pandemics," Zaki says. "In Islamic history, these outbreaks are generally referred to by the Arabic word Taun, meaning plague and to widespread outbreaks by the words 'Al Tuan Al Kabir', the big plague, or 'Al Jaref', the sweeping plague.
"The isolation imposed on or chosen by Arab and Muslim scholars and authors who witnessed these epidemics led to a large number of texts that are wholly devoted to the subject of epidemics and plagues. They discussed these calamities through medical and theological perspectives, socio-historical and literary narratives, and general books of 'Hadith' (Prophet's traditions), 'Fiqh' (Islamic jurisprudence) and medicine. The individual experiences of those who lived through these plagues were clearly present in their works, each according to their discipline and profession," he said.
Infection caused by plagues and precautions against them are among the earliest writings on the subject. Some date back to the ninth century CE and include an essay by Al-Kindi on 'Incenses Purging The Atmosphere Against Epidemics'; 'An Essay On Plagues' by Ibn Abi al-Dunya; and Ibn al-Jazzar's 'Causes Generating Epidemics In Egypt'. While all three texts were lost, a later extended text, 'Survival Material About Treating Air Spoilage And Avoiding Harms Of Epidemics' was published in 1999, from the latter part of the 10th century CE and attributed to Muhammad al-Tamimi, also sheds light on the matter.
Zaki's research has also uncovered other authors from the tumultuous time who wrote about the plague, including Syrian-born Ibn al-Wardi, Arabian biographer Assafadee and Egyptian scholar Taj al-Din al-Subki. All lost their lives due to the Black Death or associated causes.
Perhaps one of the most important and influential works of the century that followed the Black Death is by Cairo-born Islamic scholar Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani.
The work, 'An Offering Of Kindness On The Virtue Of The Plague', is one of the most famous Arabic works on plagues, and was used and drawn upon by many succeeding authors and scholars. Al-Asqalani was a renowned Muslim scholar of Hadith and a historian who lived during the time of plagues. Due to one plague, he lost two of his daughters, followed by his eldest daughter, who died while pregnant during the Black Death. Besides his devastating losses, al-Asqalani endured other plagues and became ill in one, though he recovered.
The library's extensive collection of manuscripts also includes 'The Shield From Plague And Epidemic', written by 16th-century CE Spanish-born Jewish scholar and physician, Elias Ben Ibrahim. The manuscript was written in 1558 CE/996 AH in Ottoman Budin Province (currently situated in Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia).
The library's manuscript specialist, Mahmoud Zaki, has been carrying out detailed research through the treasures of the Heritage Library and beyond and has unearthed some extraordinary facts about how past inhabitants of this region managed to survive through those terrible times and live to tell their tales.
"The history of mankind has witnessed many outbreaks of plagues, epidemics and pandemics," Zaki says. "In Islamic history, these outbreaks are generally referred to by the Arabic word Taun, meaning plague and to widespread outbreaks by the words 'Al Tuan Al Kabir', the big plague, or 'Al Jaref', the sweeping plague.
"The isolation imposed on or chosen by Arab and Muslim scholars and authors who witnessed these epidemics led to a large number of texts that are wholly devoted to the subject of epidemics and plagues. They discussed these calamities through medical and theological perspectives, socio-historical and literary narratives, and general books of 'Hadith' (Prophet's traditions), 'Fiqh' (Islamic jurisprudence) and medicine. The individual experiences of those who lived through these plagues were clearly present in their works, each according to their discipline and profession," he said.
Infection caused by plagues and precautions against them are among the earliest writings on the subject. Some date back to the ninth century CE and include an essay by Al-Kindi on 'Incenses Purging The Atmosphere Against Epidemics'; 'An Essay On Plagues' by Ibn Abi al-Dunya; and Ibn al-Jazzar's 'Causes Generating Epidemics In Egypt'. While all three texts were lost, a later extended text, 'Survival Material About Treating Air Spoilage And Avoiding Harms Of Epidemics' was published in 1999, from the latter part of the 10th century CE and attributed to Muhammad al-Tamimi, also sheds light on the matter.
Zaki's research has also uncovered other authors from the tumultuous time who wrote about the plague, including Syrian-born Ibn al-Wardi, Arabian biographer Assafadee and Egyptian scholar Taj al-Din al-Subki. All lost their lives due to the Black Death or associated causes.
Perhaps one of the most important and influential works of the century that followed the Black Death is by Cairo-born Islamic scholar Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani.
The work, 'An Offering Of Kindness On The Virtue Of The Plague', is one of the most famous Arabic works on plagues, and was used and drawn upon by many succeeding authors and scholars. Al-Asqalani was a renowned Muslim scholar of Hadith and a historian who lived during the time of plagues. Due to one plague, he lost two of his daughters, followed by his eldest daughter, who died while pregnant during the Black Death. Besides his devastating losses, al-Asqalani endured other plagues and became ill in one, though he recovered.
The library's extensive collection of manuscripts also includes 'The Shield From Plague And Epidemic', written by 16th-century CE Spanish-born Jewish scholar and physician, Elias Ben Ibrahim. The manuscript was written in 1558 CE/996 AH in Ottoman Budin Province (currently situated in Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia).
