Fath al-Da'im bi-Sharh Wasilat ibn al-Ha'im [A commentary on Ibn Ha'im's Means in the Science of Arithmetic].

4to (158 x 217 mm). 77 ff. Arabic manuscript on paper. Alternating sections of black and reddish-orange naskh script. Blindstamped modern full leather. A mathematical commentary by the foremost scholar in Egypt. Zakariyya al-Ansari (ca. 1420-1520 CE) was a polymath, the headmaster of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, and the mujaddid of the 9th century Hijri, establishing without question his theological and scholarly credentials. - Al-Ansari wrote many commentaries, of which this is one. Its subject is a mathematical treatise by Shihab-ad-Din ibn Haim al-Faradi, itself the abridged version of Ibn Haim's larger work "al-Wasila fi sina'at al-hawa'i". Ibn Haim is famous for his contributions to mathematics, especially in the field of early algebra, for which he likely came to al-Ansari's attention. The work itself is interesting, as it uses solely math described in written language - that is, no charts, no numerals, and no geometrical proofs, in both the original text and the commentary. It is nevertheless packed with calculations, equations, and what a modern reader might call word problems, all composed in tidy naskh script by the scribe, who identifies himself as Ibrahim ibn Ubayd al-Bayat. - Faint marginal dampstain; some late marginal notes and doodles, a few in a child's hand. In good condition. - Listed in the collection of Mr K.N. (Paris, 1997), and later sold privately to a European collector. - For Ibn Haim's work (the subject of the commentary) see GAL II, 153-155; S II, 154f.