manuscript, as the edition expressly states at its beginning, and reproduced many of its readings, both correct and incorrect. Subsequent editions relied on it, so this corruption appears in all of them. Yet this manuscript also uniquely preserves the correct reading in some places: at (66/a), “al-Hakam al-'Uranī” is vocalized with a u-vowel on the 'ayn and an a-vowel on the rā', whereas all the others have the corrupt reading “al-'Adanī,” with a d.
- The Chester Beatty manuscript [4045] (yā')
This manuscript contains the second part of the book in 148 folios. It begins with “An account of his guidance (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in his correspondence with kings and others” (3/ 871), and ends with the discussion of marriage to a woman who has committed fornication (5/ 152). Its colophon reads: “The book is complete, with Allah Most High’s help and gracious assistance. May Allah bless our master and patron Muhammad, his family and his Companions, and grant them peace, in the year of the year (sic) 949.” The scribe’s name is not given. A marginal note beside the colophon reads: “It has been collated and checked against the exemplar from which it was copied, and corrected to the extent possible. Allah is the One whose help is sought.” This is corroborated by the additions and corrections in the manuscript’s margins.
At the beginning is an index of the sections and chapters contained in this part, written in a different hand. It is preceded by three folios containing some fatwas and discussions of particular questions.
This manuscript is generally accurate and agrees with manuscript (mīm) and other copies. We consulted it for the fifth volume and noted its significant variants.
- The Yemeni manuscript (nūn)
This is a complete manuscript of the book. As stated in its colophon, it was copied for the library of “the Commander of the Faithful al-Mansūr bi-llāh al-Husayn ibn the Commander of the Faithful al-Mutawakkil 'alā