Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML) is a renowned institution dedicated to preserving and digitizing manuscripts from around the world, founded in 1964 in Collegeville, one of its main objectives is to focus on protecting manuscripts from regions that face a threat of losing their heritage for more info pls visit the library’s website [ https://hmml.org/ ]
I have recently spent a lot of time reading in this library with great interest and wondering why I have not seen Somali researchers talking about it, especially since the digitized content is very useful in understanding the history of the region ... this thread provides a brief overview of the two valuable collection Addis Ababa University. Institute of Ethiopian Studies & Sherif Harar Museum and highlighting some of its significant contents
Trying to divide these books into organized sections I have put this classification, which is unofficial and may be inaccurate on some level but it give a broader picture and will serve its purpose well
1 - Overview of the Digitized Works
2 - Examples of manuscripts whose copyist/owners are Somali
3 - Some interesting information that I found in margins
:this unique Qur'anic manuscripts show great care in the organization of texts and the layout of pages, with beautiful inks, Black used to write the main text while other colors such as red and green were used for decoration and writing titles It can also be used in the margins as interpretive writingsthe calligraphy style reflects a rich history and traditions what made expert researcher like Sana Mirza write an article about the similarity of the handwriting & style with neighboring Islamic civilizations in Yemen, Egypt and India [ https://journals.openedition.org/afriques/2052 ]
The oldest known dated harari mushaf 30 jiz was completed in 1120/1708 by haji khalifa bin kabiir haamid preserved today in the Sherif Harar Museum .
these Qur'anic manuscripts hold unique features along side its sacred text like the names of nobles who endowed them and the specific locations they left it in Some quick examples :
- Endowment note from Emir Hashim bin Emir Ali in the shrine of emir Nuur bin emir Mujahid [ https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/527146 ]
- Endowment note from Emir Abu Bakr bin Emir Abdullah on his free and pure wife Kalthouma daughter of emir Hashim
[https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/527135 ]
- Endowment note from Emir Talha bin Emir Abdullah to the shrine of emir Nuur bin Emir Mujahid[https://w3id.org/vhmml/readingRoom/view/520402 ]
- Endowment note from Emir Al-mūminīn Emir yusuf ibn Emir Abu Bakr for his father Emir Abu Bakr in Harar
[https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/520404 ]
- Endowment note from Emir Ahmed bin Emir Talha to the shrine of emir Abdullah the fighter in the way of God in Harar
[https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/520400 ]
- Endowment note from Emir Abdul Shakoor bin Emir yusuf to his father Emir yusuf bin Emir Abu Bakr the mujahid in the way of God Almighty [https://w3id.org/vhmml/readingRoom/view/520406 ]
- Endowment note from Princess Fatima bint Emir Muhammad to her husband Garaad Abdul Fattah bin Garaad Bashiir
[https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/527424 ]
- Endowment Note from Emir Abdullah bin Emir Mohammed - Copied by Omar bin Abdul Aziz bin Emir Hashim
[https://w3id.org/vhmml/readingRoom/view/608634 ]
- Endowment note from Kalthūma bint kawsham Garaad to her husband Emir Abdul Manan bin Emir Abu Bakr
[https://w3id.org/vhmml/readingRoom/view/520401 ]
- Endowment note from Ja'ast Zainab wife of Imam/Emir Ahmad
[https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/530019 ]
- Haji Idris bin Haji Jama endowment for Bab Al-Rahma Mosque dated 1367 AH
[https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/527320 ]
- Endowment note from Mominat bint Saeed Khalaf on the shrine of Sheikh Abadir
[https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/527312 ]
- Endowment note from Sayyid Alawi bin Sayyid Muhammad Al-Bār (Pasha of Zeila) On the shrine of his honorable grandmother Fatima bin Sayyid Ali
[https://w3id.org/vhmml/readingRoom/view/527411 ]
- Endowment note from Qasim Ibn Jack made the reward of it On behalf of all Muslims
[https://w3id.org/vhmml/readingRoom/view/520579 ]
As for the other digitized books, the majority are Ad'iyah & salawat books which show a great spiritual and religious traditions, these texts recited on Sufi gatherings and holidays in harar and holy shrine sites in Somaliland like Sheikh ysusf Barkhadli and sheikh madar shrinesتنبيه الأنام في بيان علو مقام نبينا محمد ﷺ
Copied by magan ibn warsame ibn sugaal ibn guuleed
العنوان الشريف بالمولد الشريف
by Ali ibn Nasir al-Hijazi, commonly recited at mawlid celebrations
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the library holds a number of rare poems, on saints like Sheikh Abadir Omar Al-Rida Sheikh Ahmed bin Omar Al-Zayla’i Imam Hashim and others who are considered respected in all the Islamic communities in HOA .
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A poem in praising the Prophet by sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Ahmed Al-zayla'i titled :
بهجة الأفراح في مدح سيد المداح محمد ﷺ
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A Sufi poem on Nur ibn Hussein ibn Malakāy and another one on Abadir Omar Al-rida
.
The religious books showed a dominance of Shafi'i writings, which is expected since the Shafi'i school is the main one followed in HOA .. Books like Minhaj al-Talibin, Irshad al-Ghawi fi Masalik al-Hawi, Umdat al-Salik wa Uddat al-Nasik, Tuhfat al-Muhtaj Sharh al-Minhaj, Fath al-Jawad Sharh al-Irshad, Minhaj al-Tullab, Mukhtasar Abi Shujaʿ fi al-Fiqh al-Shafi'i was the most copied, some of them are related works either Sharh or mukhtasar .. these books hold a valuable place within our Somali society, students are taught these mutūn texts from an earlier age [ ] - The oldest book in the library is A Hanafi fiqh book named Al-Ikhtiyar fi Ta'lil al-Mukhtar written 1346 May 27
[https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/527267 ]
- While the latest digitized item was A Biography of Professor Zaki Abdullahi Sherif
[https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/527534 ]
Unfortunately, there was few books on history, most of the digitized material was a copy of an inaccurate and invalid book called The Conquest of the City of Harar (futuh madinat harar) @/hornaristocrat on X show some of the texts that prove forgery in it [ https://x.com/hornaristocrat/status/1783229446587064549t=Ub4Vx8yTxfS1DO6rkWfBYg&s=19Apart from that here are some rare books and documents that I recommend checking out :
A brief history of the Mujahideen in Abyssinia, and this is the most accurate copy that can be accessed online of Abu Bakr bin Muhammad Shanbal Ba’alawi book
[https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/527455 ]
A Blessed Journey, although its author is unknown, it provides valuable information about cities, regions and tribes
[https://www.vhmml.org/readingRoom/view/527280 ]
wait till the end
List of judicial records in Harar & Jijiga :
/ Somali copyists and books owners :
/ Found in the Margins
