390 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [N.S., XVIII, 
were devoted to the criticism, correction and amplification of 
Tabaqatw’s-sufiyya, an earlier hagiological treatise, in Arabic, 
by Aba ‘Abdi’r-Rahman Sulami, a divine and a Sufi of Nisha- 
pur, who died in 412 A.H./1021 A.D. It is still accessible in 
several MSS. in various European libraries.' 
The MS. of the Tabagat belonging to the Asiatic Society 
of Bengal (marked D 232, formerly 536) was transcribed just 
before 1015: A.H./1606 A.D. (the date of collation), and is 
phical notices, i.e. Nos. 1-19, 22-30, 32, 33, 35, 36, 39, 40, 42- 
71, 73-76, 78, 80-128, 130, 132-153, 155-170, 172-184, 186- 
204, 206-235, 237-317 (3187), 319, 324-352, 355, 356, 358, 359, 
373, 381, 382, 386, 394-422, 425,” which are entirely or chiefly 
based on the T'abagat. 
Ansari’s work the saints are arranged by generations 
In 
(tabaga), six in all,’ but occasionally the biographies of the _ 
members of one tabaga are inserted in the section containing 
the stories of the shaykhs of a quite different period, especially 
pletely disregards their original, as well as chronological, order. 
To be fair, he pays at the same time great attention to dates 
other hagiologists. He inserts into Ansari’s narrative a num- 
ber of additional anecdotes, and even entire biographies, 


conjecture from the plural forms in various references to these lectures, 
ef. (fol. 2.) «5S smog ley grb (fol. 4.) F455 Wot be yp wis (f. 99v) 
£ up by g Kaetg) yw gy! BS y oS sy Pcceaal e* 
1 See C. Brockelmann, Gesch d. Arab. Litteratur, vol. I, pp. 200-201. 
His Tabaga@t is described in Ahlwardt’s Catalogue, No. 9972 (Vol. IX, 
p. 408 sq.); another copy is found in the British Museum, Add. 18520. 
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twenty biographies. In Ansari’s book the r of notices in each 
tabaqa is different, sometimes more than twenty, sometimes less, and @ 
sixth generation is added. 
Ree A eT Ta a thes ee atl eee eo, pe ee 
i pias Ot sis Sai tls al i ea 

