Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad Isma'il al-Bukhari, al-Jami' al-Sahih, vol.XV, North Africa, 15th century

Arabic manuscript on cream paper, 146 leaves plus 2 flyleaves, misbound between ff.101-139 without any leaves lacking, 15 lines to the page, written in Maghribi script in brown ink, the word 'Allah' picked out in gold throughout, the words 'hadathani' and 'hadathana' picked out in alternating blue and mulberry, f.1a with illuminated heading with work title in gold within a cartouche enclosed within gold strapwork borders outlined in blue, f.1b with en suite headpiece, f.146a with end piece in large black script against a ground of stylised blue palmettes, composite later brown morocco binding with circa 14th/15th-century boards with tooled geometric stellar medallions and knotted borders  

In good overall condition, pages cropped to fit binding, some minor water stains to corners, some worm holes to outer margins with associated repair, pages generally clean, ink bold and illumination bright, as viewed.
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Bukhari's al-Jami’ al-Sahih is considered one of the most comprehensive compilations of traditions (hadith) and is regarded as one of the major references in Islamic jurisprudence. Two illuminated copies of al-Sahih from the Bibliothèque Royale and the Bibliothèque Generale, Rabat, were included in the exhibition entitled 'Maroc les Tresor du Royaume', Paris, 1999, pp.120 & 125, nos.163 & 169. Two copies of this work dated 1033 AH/1623 AD and 1192 AH/1778 AD are in the John Rylands Library, Manchester (see A. Mingana, Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts, Manchester, 1934, pp.205-209, nos.125 & 126). 28 copies are in the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin (see Ursula Lyons, A Handlist of the Arabic Manuscripts, volume VIII. Indexes, Dublin, 1966, p.15). 27 copies of this work are in the British Library, London (see C. Baker (Ed.), Subject Guide to the Arabic Manuscripts, London, 2001, pp.30-31).