while others contain 22 lines, and its multiple titles have already been noted (1). After the basmala, the praise of Allah, and the invocation of blessings and peace upon the Prophet—Allah bless him and grant him peace—the manuscript opens with the following words:

“A question concerning the refutation of those who claim that Paradise and Hell will come to an end, and of those who hold that annihilation (2) will occur, such as the Farābiyyah maintained; together with a mention of people’s divergent views regarding the Abode of Requital with punishment and the Abode of Reward with bliss—for which there are three opinions….”

The copy does not name the author, nor does it record the date of transcription. Nevertheless, I found other indications in the manuscript that attest to its reliability and the soundness of its contents. Several marginal notes correct what appears in the main text, and the word “balagha” (“collated and found complete”) is written in both the right-hand margin and the lower margin of folio 3/a. Both features show that this copy was checked against the exemplar from which it was transcribed, a fact explicitly stated at the end, as will be seen. Likewise, the margin of the first page records the title of the epistle followed by the note, “Thus in another copy.” The margins also contain a number of phrases whose wording differs slightly from the corresponding phrases in the body of the text; above those phrases the letter kh has been placed to indicate that the wording occurs in another copy.

This demonstrates that the manuscript was collated not only with its exemplar but also with a second copy of the book (3). Accordingly, one may regard it as equivalent to two independent witnesses, a circumstance that lends it considerable authority and renders it suitable to serve as the primary basis for establishing the text. The manuscript is moreover complete, distinguishing it from the foregoing copy, which ran to only three pages, as noted earlier. At its conclusion one reads:

“Balagha—collated and corrected to the extent possible. Written by Ahmad ibn Saʿd Allah al-Harrani—may Allah pardon him by His mercy. Its end; and praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah bless Muhammad, his family, and his Companions. Allah is sufficient for us and the best Trustee.”