The Five [Khams] in the Abbas Pasha Manuscript
The Abbas Pasha Manuscript was completed in 1853 and is a compilation of accounts dating ca. 1850. Its Kuhaylan section has three short but interesting accounts about the “Five, the Mares of the [Prophet’s] Companions [al-Sahabah].
Account of ‘Arar Ibn Hunaydi, an elderly man, in a Ruwalah majliss of more than thirty people: “one Ma’naqiyah Hudrujiyah, one Jilfah Istanbalutiyah, one Saqlawiyah, and two that slipped my mind“
Account of ‘Ali ibn Daham, aged around seventy or eighty years or more, and Hamdan ibn Sani’, aged around seventy years or more, in a Bani Sakhr majliss of around fourty people: “one Ma’naqiyah Hudrujiyah, one Jilfah Istanbalutiyah, one Mukhalladiyah, one Kubayshah [uncertain reading], and one Saqlawiyah”
Account of Tariq Ibn Dalmaz, owner of al-Saqlawiyah, of the Arabs of al-Sardiyah: “one Ma’naqiyah Hudrujiyah, one Jilfah Istanbalutiyah, one Saqlawiyah, one Mukhalladiyah, and one that’s not on my mind”
A few quick observations on these accounts:
1/ Nowhere are the Five referred to as being the Five mares of the Prophet Muhammad [khams al-Rasul]; rather, they are referred to as the Five of his Companions [khams al-Sahabah]; it’s an important difference. In this regard, the Mukhalladiyah, which is listed in two of the three accounts, was reckoned to trace back to the horses of Khalid Ibn al-Walid, one of the Companions of the Prophet;
2/ The accounts are lumped under the title: “Accounts of the Five Kuhaylat, the Horses of the Companions“, but that’s probably the work of the Manuscript’s editors; they also figure in the Kuhaylan section of the Manuscript, but it’s probably for the lack of a another place to record them. Nevertheless, the Kuhaylah is not mentioned as one of the Five. It would seem that the Kuhaylah belonged to another historical/mythical body of oral traditions.
3/ Three strains appear in all three accounts: Ma’naqi Hudruji, Jilfan Istanbaluti, and Saqlawi; one strain appears in two of the three: Mukhalladi; one strain is illegible and could either read Kubayshah or Ju’aithiniyah.
4/ The fact that two elders did not remember the remaining strains could mean that remembering them was not considered very important.
In this context, one should recall the report of Lady Anne Blunt during her February 1881 visit to the Tarabin Bedouins of the Sinai and Naqab deserts: “from him (a certain horse) 5 mares, the originals of the strains of (1) Kebeyshan, (2) Seglawi, (3) Makludi, (4) Jaythani (Jeytani) (5) Tueyfi […]; Ma’naqi and Jilfan are by themselves“. Here instead of “Makludi”, read Mukhalladi; instead of “Tueyfi” read Trayfi.
Oh, that is interesting! Early to mid-nineteenth century European sources agree that the Saqlawi, Jilfan and Ma’naqi were a regular part of the Five. Closest to the Abbas Pasha Manuscript lists, as far as I can remember, must be Guarmani, who lists the Gilfi, Manaki, Makladi and Saklaui under the khams al-Rasul, and the Kebescian under the Kamsat el Mascecur. Thank you for providing an Arabic language primary source. Also, to the compilers of the APM, my gratitude for including the details of the people they spoke to – it makes the testimony even more informative.
Hi Kate, the “Kamsat el Mascecur” of Guarmani are likely the same as the five strains tracing to “Mash-hur” the horse of ‘Arar Ibn Shahwan, as recorded by Lady Anne in her visit to the Tarabin Bedouins in 1881. It’s the first time this comes to mind. See here:
https://daughterofthewind.org/arar-ibn-shahwan-and-his-dahman-stallion-from-lady-annes-visit-to-the-tarabin-bedouins/
Do you happen to have the relevant passage in Guarmani handy? This is significant because Lady Anne does not connect these five strains to the Prophet or his Companions but only cites them in connection to the horse of Arar Ibn Shahwan. That will make for an interesting keynote talk at the Al Khamsa Convention
Pp. 62f.:
Il Kamsa si trova attualmente diviso in due categorie. Il Kamsat el Ressul, i cinque dell’inviato di Dio, il Profeta Mohammed, o Maometto: cioè Gilfi, Manaki, Makladi, Suklaui, e Koheilan. Il nome di Edregi si trova mutato in Makladi, in onore di Kaled, e ciò dal maggior numero degli Arabi; e le razze Trefi, e Hedban restano escluse dalla nuova nomenclatura, benchè altrettanto pure e nobili. La seconda categoria del Kamsat, è il Kamsat el Mascecur, i cinque del rinomato; Abeian, Gedran, Sueti, Daageni, e Kebescian: derivati dal Kamsat el Ressul, hanno la medesima purezza di sangue e di razza, altro non essendo che un incrociamento di quelle razze nobili del Nord, col mezzo degli stalloni delle medesime razze del Sud; incrociamento il quale rimonta solo a tre secoli circa, e che i Beduini sempre creduli, e per spiegarne l’ottimo risultato, attribuiscono all’intervenzione miracolosa del cavallo marino, che avrebbe montato, nelle arene del deserto di Gaza, vicino ad un accampamento dei Terabin, la cavalla di un Anazi, che in seguito si sarebbe poi sgravata di un puledro cosi rimarchevole fino dalla nascita, da meritare il nome di Mascecur in predizione dei futuri destini de’ suoi discendenti, le razze dei quali furono fin d’allora distinte dalle altre ed assai ricercate nel Nord.