318 Origin and progress of writing down historical facts. [No. 4. 



'Amr b. Aby Sofyan heard 'Omar b. al-Kha^ab saying: "Fix 

 knowledge by writing it down." 



47. :Tariq relates : " I saw 'Alyy, the son of Abu Tilib on the 

 pulpit, and he said, I have no book to read to you except the 

 Qoran and this volume (roll) *£jp=*°. It was attached to the sword 

 which was provided with a ring of iron, and the rings, by which the 

 sword was suspended were equally of iron. tJU-Jl^ «&U*/o ifljjs^. 

 jj^^h. (sic) <Mj£jj ^-^ A&La. AjJ-p The roll contained the laws 

 regarding the alms, as 'Alyy had received them from the prophet." 



According to another version of this story, which rests on the 

 testimony of another eye-witness, it contained the laws regarding 

 the sacredness of the territory of Makkah. In this version the 

 roll is described: ^ ^j JjVt oti-»| 1$jJ &fix«» Js a&U* SJ^sr 

 i»>Lu\jsr\. "The roll was attached to his sword, and there were 

 wrapped up in it camel's teeth, and some implements for surgery." 



48. 'Alyy said, " Fix knowledge by writing it down." 



He also said, " Who will sell me knowledge for money" or accord- 

 ing to others, " "Who will sell me a roll ^s^ to write knowledge in 

 it, for money." 



49. Shora&byl Abu (Ibn ?) Sa'd relates : iZasan, the son of 'Alyy 

 addressed his sous and nephews, and said, " You are now small, but 

 you will soon be big, do therefore learn knowledge (i. e. Aadythes) 

 and if any of you is unable to repeat them (from memory) let him 

 write them down and keep them in his house." 



50. Uj Jju? g\j L| ^b ^U* ^j| o!£ [ gffj j^jf eH *U| *#* ] Jls 



1«jJ «_*!& ^ | 



* Obayd Allah b. Aby Eafy' relates : " Ibn Abbas came to Abu 



Kan' and said, ' Did not the prophet one day like this ? Did not 



the prophet one day like this ?' Whilst he was saying so, he wrote 



on tablets which he had." 



51. Ibn 'Abbas said : " The best mode of fixing knowledge 

 (^adythes) is writing." 



52. Abu Sa'yd Khodry says : that they used to write nothing else 

 but the Qoran, and the Tashahhud (a prayer). 



53. 'Itban b. Malik (died under the Khalifat of Mo'awiyah) 

 relates : " I had a sore-eye, and I wished that the prophet might 



