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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
compiler, Abu Bakr, must take precedence of the copyist Othmân, as is likewise opined by al Harith al Mahâsibi." "Othman is," al Hârith says, "commonly credited with the collection of the Qordn. But it is not so. Othmân merely guided the people to the acceptance of a uniform reading, which was selected by him in co-operation with old companions about him, because he was afraid of possible schisms between the Babylonian and the Syrian, on account of the divers readings of the vowels. But Abu Bakr merits pre-eminence as the compiler of the Qoranic Sections which were current.
[MARCH, 1905.
The rest of the history of Qoranio text is briefly told. Its early compilation, its character as the most sacred heirloom from God and Muhammad, of necessity led to such anxious assiduity bestowed on its immaculate perpetuation as has been devoted to few other books in the world. Every zeal was shown for Othman's canonic redaction, the unrivalled excellence of which asserted itself without any undue extraneous compulsion. If in private redactions one or two varia lestiones kept their ground for a time, before the first century of Islam was out they disappeared for want of public interest. The editions of Obay ibn Kab and that of Ibn Masûd would appear to have lingered the longest.
At least the exegetes still notice their sequence of Saras and other textual peculiarities. But soon Othman's redaction came into universal vogue and the readings of this family of manuscripts alone commanded respect. Out of it was evolved the art of reading the Qoran, the principal representatives of which lived at the close of the first and the commencement of the second century after the Flight.20
In the third century men set themselves to glean the prescription and commandments, and with this presage of methodic treatment of the Holy Writ were joined, in interminable succession, the works of commentators, starting with the fundamental production of Tabari,37 who mainly kept in view the elucidation of the text, and continued with more formal grammatical explana tion by Zamakshari, in whose wake the erudite of the Orient move on to this day.
(To be continued.)
EXTRACTS FROM THE BENGAL CONSULTATIONS OF THE XVIIITH CENTURY RELATING TO THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS.
BY SIR RICHARD C. TEMPLE. (Continued from p. 96.)
1796. No. XIV.
Fort William the 10th October 1796. Extract from the Proceedings of the Governor General in Council of the 3rd October in the Secret Department.
Agreed that an Order be issued in favor of the Marine Paymaster for Sioca Rupees 5500 to enable him to discharge the Freight of the Ship Peggy.
1797.- No. I.
Fort William, 6th January 1797. Secretary Marine Board, 2nd January. To G. Barlow Baqr. Secretary to Government.
Sir, I am directed to transmit you the accompanying Copys of Letters from the Owner and Commander of the Brig Peggy stationed at the Andamans, and as she is at present taken up For details, see Geich, des Qordne, p. 287 seq.
28 Itkan, I. 69.
Itkan, I. 68. 27 [It is interesting to notice incidentally that this great exegete and historian, like the best exponents of all other sciences of the Arabs, was of Iranian descent. The superiority of the Aryan to the Semite is nowhere more emphatically proved than in the history of the so-called Arab civilisation- Cf. Prof. Browne, J. R. A. 8., 1899, P. 49; also Horn's History of Persian Literature, -TB.]
