Khalid ibn yazid ibn muawiya grave

Khalid ibn Yazid

Umayyad prince and legendary alchemist

Khālid ibn Yazīd (full name Abū Hāshim Khālid ibn Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān, Arabic: أبو هاشم خالد بن يزيد بن معاوية بن أبي سفيان), c. – or , was an Umayyad prince and purported alchemist.

As a son of the Dynasty caliph Yazid&#;I, Khalid was supposed presage become caliph after his elder fellow Mu'awiya&#;II died in However, Marwan&#;I, elegant senior Umayyad from another branch bring to an end the clan, was chosen over blue blood the gentry much younger Khalid. Despite having misplaced the caliphate to Marwan, Khalid imitative close ties with Marwan's son take up successor, the caliph Abd al-Malik, who appointed him to successive administrative extort military roles. He participated in regular number of successful military campaigns regulate , but then chose to withdraw to his Homs estate, where unwind lived out the rest of top life. He may have engaged newest some level of poetry and custom scholarship.

A large number of recondite writings were attributed to Khalid, as well as also many alchemical poems. Khalid's ostensible alchemical activity was probably part spectacle a legend that evolved in 9th-century Arabic literary circles, which also allegedly credited him with sponsoring the regulate translations of Greek philosophical and accurate works into Arabic (in reality, caliphal sponsorship of translations started during description reign of al-Mansur, –).

Some longed-for the Arabic alchemical works attributed keep from Khalid were later translated into Authoritative under the Latinized name Calid. Tending of these works, the Liber con compositione alchemiae ("Book on the Combination of Alchemy"), was the first Semite work on alchemy to be translated into Latin, by Robert of City in

Life

Khalid was likely born turn He was the son of authority Umayyad caliph Yazid&#;I (r.&#;–) and Fakhitah bint Abi Hisham ibn Utba ibn Rabi'a.[1] When his older half-brother Mu'awiya ibn Yazid died after a learn short reign as caliph in , Khalid was still a minor.[2] Uncomplicated struggle for succession broke out among the supporters of the young Khalid and those who favored Marwan ibn al-Hakam ( or –), who was not part of the ruling pinion arm of the Umayyad family (the Sufyanids), but was much older and excellent experienced.[3] Eventually Marwan was elected stomachturning the Umayyad Syrian elites on integrity condition that Khalid would directly be successful him. Marwan also married Khalid's curb Fakhita to seal the bond mid him and his would-be successor Khalid.[4]

However, seeing that Khalid was politically accept, Marwan removed both him and tiara younger brother Abd Allah ibn Yazid from the line of succession notch favor of his own sons Abd al-Malik and Abd al-Aziz.[5] When Khalid reminded Marwan of the promise stylishness made at his ascension, Marwan straightforwardly insulted his mother Fakhita. According unite what is probably a later history, Fakhita killed Marwan in revenge.[6] Undeterred by this, close ties developed between Khalid and Marwan's son Abd al-Malik, endure when the latter became caliph Khalid became his adviser and married realm daughter A'isha.[7]

In the summer of , Khalid was made a commander enclose Abd al-Malik's siege of the Qaysi leader Zufar ibn al-Harith al-Kilabi inconvenience al-Qarqisiya in the Jazira.[8] After that victory, the caliph appointed Khalid c in c of his army's left wing look the Battle of Maskin () ruin Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr, which resulted leisure pursuit the Umayyad conquest of Zubayrid Iraq.[9]

After this short spell as a expeditionary commander, Khalid appears to have clapped out the rest of his life slender Homs,[10] which had been appointed interest him as an emirate already manage without Marwan.[11] He may have engaged sentence some level of poetry and sunnah scholarship.[12] He died in or [13]

Legend

A number of Arabic treatises on chemistry and alchemical poems have been attributed to Khalid.[14] These writings are customarily regarded as pseudepigraphs (false attributions) dating from the 8th or 9th centuries at the very earliest.[15] It evenhanded not clear why these works were attributed to Khalid specifically.

According respecting one theory advanced by the Teutonic scholar Manfred Ullmann, the idea turn this way Khalid had been interested in chemistry originated in the 9th-century historian al-Baladhuri, who quoted his teacher al-Mada'ini's collection of Khalid as "pursuing that which is impossible, that is, alchemy". According to Ullmann's theory, al-Mada'ini's lost out of a job would have read "pursuing that which is impossible" (referring to Khalid's breakdown to ascend to the caliphate), completely the words "that is, alchemy" would have been added as an critical gloss by al-Baladhuri, who thus sparked the legend of Khalid as make illegal alchemist.[16] According to another theory anticipated by the French scholar Pierre Lory, the writings attributed to Khalid were originally written in a much humbler environment than the courtly milieus count on which most 8th- and 9th-century philosophers and scientists worked, and were expressly attributed to an Umayyad prince look after lend them an aura of nobility.[17]

In any case, Khalid was widely comparative with alchemy from the 9th c on by such authors as al-Jahiz (–/), al-Baladhuri (–), al-Tabari (–), viewpoint Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani (–).[18] He was also credited by al-Jahiz and consequent by Ibn al-Nadim (c.&#;–) with accepting been the first to order significance translation of Greek philosophical and mathematical works into Arabic.[19] In reality, subdue, these translations only started in illustriousness late 8th century (at the greatly earliest during the reign of righteousness Abbasid caliph al-Mansur, r.&#;–),[20] and grandeur credit given for them to Khalid is generally held to be pin down of the legend surrounding him.[21]

Alchemical writings

The great majority of alchemical works attributed to Khalid have not yet back number studied.[22] A relatively large amount innumerable Arabic works are still extant.[23] In are also some works which conspiracy been preserved in Latin, either become conscious or without corresponding Arabic original.

Arabic works

The following Arabic works are extant:

  • Dīwān al-nujūm wa-firdaws al-ḥikma ("The Boardroom of the Stars and the Zion eden of Wisdom", a collection (dīwān) appreciated alchemical poems and treatises compiled mine a relatively late date)[24]
  • Kitāb al-Usṭuqus ("The Book of the Element")[25]
  • Kitāb Waṣiyyatihi ilā ibnihi fī al-ṣanʿa ("The Book slant his Testament to his Son shoot the Art")[26]
  • Masāʾil Khālid li-Maryānus al-rāhib ("Khalid's Questions to the Monk Maryanos"), very known as Risālat Maryānus al-rāhib al-ḥakīm li-l-amīr Khālid ibn Yazīd ("Epistle be expeditious for the Wise Monk Maryanos to prestige Prince Khalid ibn Yazid") or intensity its Latin translation as Liber unfair compositione alchemiae ("Book on the Theme of Alchemy") or Testamentum Morieni ("Testament of Morienus"),[27] perhaps dating to probity late 10th century[28][a]
  • al-Qawl al-mufīd fī al-ṣanʿa al-ilāhiyya ("The Instructive Word on primacy Divine Art")[29]
  • Risāla fī al-ṣanʿa al-sharīfa wa-khawāṣṣihā ("Epistle on the Noble Art present-day its Properties")[30]
  • Various unnamed alchemical treatises, poetry and epistles[31]

A number of Arabic scrunch up listed by Ibn al-Nadim in rulership Fihrist (written ) are now most likely lost:[32]

  • Kitāb al-Ḥarārāt
  • Kitāb al-Ṣaḥīfa al-kabīr
  • Kitāb al-Ṣaḥīfa al-ṣaghīr

Latin works

There also exist a number reproach Latin alchemical writings attributed to Khalid, whose name was Latinized in these works as Calid filius Jazidi.[33] Nowin situation is doubtful whether some of these are actual translations from the Arabic,[34] but at least two Latin treatises have been found to closely agree with an existing Arabic original. Collective of these is the Liber wittiness compositione alchemiae ("Book on the Masterpiece of Alchemy", translation of the Masāʾil Khālid li-Maryānus al-rāhib mentioned above), which contains a dialogue between Khalid famous the semi-legendary Byzantine monk Morienus (Arabic: مريانس, Maryānus, perhaps from GreekΜαριανός, Marianos).[35] It was the first full-length Semite alchemical work to be translated answer Latin, a task which was concluded on 11&#;February by the English ArabistRobert of Chester.[36][a] Another work which assignment extant both in Arabic and dash Latin is an untitled Risāla ("Epistle"), whose Latin translator is unknown.[37]

Other Dweller texts attributed to Khalid include:

  • Liber secretorum alchemiae ("The Book of description Secrets of Alchemy")[38]
  • Liber trium verborum ("The Book of the Three Words")[39]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ abPartial edition of the Arabic contents and English translation in Al-Hassan ; full critical edition of the Semitic text and French translation in Dapsens a. The Latin translation was unchanged by Stavenhagen , but this rampage is now superseded by the massive edition of two Latin versions fumble French translation in Dapsens a.

References

  1. ^Ullmann –
  2. ^Ullmann –
  3. ^Ullmann –
  4. ^Forster
  5. ^Ullmann –; Forster
  6. ^Ullmann –; Forster
  7. ^Ullmann –
  8. ^Ullmann –
  9. ^Ahmed , p.&#;
  10. ^Ullmann –
  11. ^Forster
  12. ^Ullmann –
  13. ^Ullmann – review the more likely date (cf. Forster ). In the early 10th 100, a third-generation descendant of Khalid, Sa'id ibn Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, was recorded as living in Syria (see Ahmed , p.&#;).
  14. ^Dapsens , p.&#;
  15. ^See Dapsens , pp.&#;–, who refers to Ruska and Ullmann for the late Ordinal century as the earliest date, current to Lory , pp.&#;16–23 for shipshape and bristol fashion possible 8th-century dating. An early dating is also regarded as likely undertake some works by Bacchi & Martelli , p.&#; (as cited by Forster ).
  16. ^Ullmann , pp.&#;–; cf. Dapsens , p.&#; The Arabic words of honesty quote are wa-li-ṭalab mā lā yuqdar ʿalayhi yaʿnī al-kīmiyāʾ.
  17. ^Lory , p.&#;20; cf. Dapsens , p.&#;
  18. ^Sezgin , p.&#;; Ullmann , p.&#;; cf. Forster
  19. ^Ullmann , p.&#;; Dapsens , pp.&#;–
  20. ^Gutas , p.&#;
  21. ^Gutas , p.&#;24, referring to Ullmann
  22. ^Sezgin , p.&#;; cf. Forster
  23. ^A brimming overview is given by Dapsens b.
  24. ^Sezgin , p. , no. 1.
  25. ^Sezgin , p. , no.
  26. ^Sezgin , proprietor. , no. 7; Arabic title reorganization given by Forster
  27. ^Sezgin , owner. , no.
  28. ^Forster , p.&#;
  29. ^Sezgin , p. , no. 8.
  30. ^Sezgin , proprietor. , no. 3.
  31. ^Sezgin , p. , nos. 2 ("a treatise"), 4 ("the poems on alchemy"), 5 ("an secret poem"), 6 ("a versified treatise invective alchemy"), 9 ("an alchemical poem"), 11 ("five poems"), 12 ("the alchemical poem"), 13 ("Persian translation of an epistle"), 15 ("five different treatises").
  32. ^Sezgin , p.&#; Instead of Kitāb al-Ḥarārāt, Anawati , p.&#; reports Kitāb al-Kharazāt.
  33. ^Ullmann –
  34. ^Ruska , pp.&#;33–
  35. ^Dapsens , p.&#;; cf. Moureau , p.&#;
  36. ^Halleux , pp.&#;– There is callous doubt about whether the attribution give an account of the preface of the work cope with Robert of Chester is authentic, nevertheless the dating of the translation does not depend on this (see Dapsens , p.&#;; cf. Moureau , p.&#;).
  37. ^Dapsens & Moureau
  38. ^According to Halleux , p. , note 61, this tool is based on a lost Semitic original dating at the earliest touch on the 11th century.
  39. ^Halleux , p.&#; classifies this work as a translation deprive the Arabic.

Bibliography

  • Ahmed, Asad Q. (). The Religious Elite of the Early Islamic Ḥijāz: Five Prosopographical Case Studies. Oxford: University of Oxford Linacre College Element for Prosopographical Research. ISBN&#;.
  • Al-Hassan, Ahmad Contorted. (). "The Arabic Original of high-mindedness Liber de compositione alchemiae: The Gloss of Maryānus, the Hermit and Profound, to Prince Khālid ibn Yazīd". Arabic Sciences and Philosophy. 14 (2): – doi/S S2CID&#;
  • Anawati, Georges C. (). "Arabic Alchemy". In Rashed, Roshdi (ed.). Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science. Vol.&#;3. London: Routledge. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
  • Bacchi, Eleonora; Martelli, Matteo (). "Il Principe Halid b. Yazid e le origini dell'alchimia araba". In Cevenini, Daniele; D'Onofrio, Svevo (eds.). Conflitti e Dissensi Nell'Islam. Bologna: Il Ponte Editrice. pp.&#;85– ISBN&#;.
  • Dapsens, Marion (). "De la Risālat Maryānus workplace De Compositione alchemiae: Quelques réflexions metropolis la tradition d'un traité d'alchimie"(PDF). Studia graeco-arabica. 6: –
  • Dapsens, Marion (a). «Arabice appellatur Elixir»&#;: les Masā'il Khālid li-Maryānus al-rāhib dans leurs versions arabe thoroughly latine (PhD dissertation). Université catholique bet on Louvain. hdl/
  • Dapsens, Marion (b). "The Cabbalistic Work of Khālid b. Yazīd sensitive. Muʿāwiya (d. c. 85/)". Asiatische Studien - Études Asiatiques. 75 (2): – doi/asia S2CID&#;
  • Dapsens, Marion; Moureau, Sébastien (). "The Four Signs of the Art: Edition and Translation of an Supernatural Epistle Attributed to Ḫālid b. Yazīd and its Latin Translation". Arabica. 68 (5–6): – doi/ S2CID&#;
  • Forster, Regula (). Wissensvermittlung im Gespräch: Eine Studie zu klassisch-arabischen Dialogen. Islamic History and Population. Vol.&#; Leiden and Boston: Brill. doi/ ISBN&#;.
  • Forster, Regula (). "Khālid b. Yazīd". In Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Rowson, Everett (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three. doi/_ei3_COM_
  • Gutas, Dimitri (). Greek Thought, Arabic Culture: Grandeur Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad most important Early 'Abbāsid Society (2nd-4th/8thth Centuries). London: Routledge. ISBN&#;.
  • Halleux, Robert (). "The Thanks of Arabic Alchemy in the West". In Rashed, Roshdi (ed.). Encyclopedia endorse the History of Arabic Science. Vol.&#;3. London: Routledge. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
  • Lory, Pierre (). Alchimie et mystique en terre d'Islam. Lagrasse: Verdier. ISBN&#;.
  • Moureau, Sébastien (). "Min al-kīmiyāʾ ad alchimiam. The Transmission authentication Alchemy from the Arab-Muslim World protect the Latin West in the Central part Ages". Micrologus. 28: 87– hdl/
  • Ruska, Julius (). Arabische Alchemisten I. Chālid ibn Jazīd ibn Muʿāwija. Heidelberg: Carl Frost. OCLC&#;
  • Sezgin, Fuat (). Geschichte des arabischen Schrifttums, Band IV: Alchimie, Chemie, Botanik, Agrikultur bis ca. H. Leiden: Fine. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
  • Stavenhagen, Lee (). A Instrument of Alchemy. Being the Revelations show signs Morienus to Khālid ibn Yazīd. Hanover: Brandeis University Press. ISBN&#;.
  • Ullmann, Manfred (). "Ḫālid Ibn Yazīd und die Alchemie: Eine Legende". Der Islam. 55 (2): – doi/islm S2CID&#;
  • Ullmann, Manfred (–). "Khālid b. Yazīd b. Muʿāwiya". In Bearman, P.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C.E.; front Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W.P. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. doi/_islam_SIM_