The Qurra Papyrus - An Admonition Addressed To Basil About His Duties & Instruction To Come To Headquarters - Egyptian National Library Inv. No. 341, 91 AH / 710 CE

Islamic Awareness

First Composed: 9th September 2000

Last Modified: 3rd January 2006

Assalamu ʿalaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:

Figure: (left) Picture of the papyrus and (right) its contents.

[] encloses letters supplied to fill a lacuna.

Date

Shawwāl, 91 AH / August 710 CE.

Size

74.7 cm. x 21.1 cm.

It is a light brown, fine papyrus. The letter is written by a scribe called ʿUmair in black ink on recto, verso is blank; diacritical points are but sparingly added. Words are freely divided at the end of a line. Three selis-joints are visible. On the folded margin, below the text, a clay seal was originally affixed which unfortunately has disappeared.

Accession No.

Inv. No. 341.

Contents

The translation of the document is:

[] what has been brought together
of these articles. But verily
if I find with thee what I should like to find respecting re-
gular remittance and satisfactory consignment, I shall do good unto thee
and do thee favour and strengthen
for thee thy business and thy administration, and I ho-
pe, God willing, that it may be so.
But if I find thy administration otherwise, then
- as the man is only rewarded acoording to his works - blame
only thyself. Do not remain in arrears after (the date) which
I have named, and I do not wish to learn
of thy insufficiency or unpunctuality nor that thou comest
to me leaving any part of the (tax-) money behind.
For indeed, by God, nobody acts thus
without learning when he comes to me that
what he has done is wrong, and faulty the discharge of his official duties, and I should not
wish that anybody should see in thy administration
anything of which he disapproves, any insufficiency, withholding
or annulling. For when I sent thee
to thy post, it was with the expectation
that thou shouldest show trustworthiness,
efficiency and promptness in thy office. Mayest thou then be near to
the good opinion, I would fain hold of thee. By God,
if thou actest well and honestly and art trustworthy
and estimable, then I should prefer that, and it would please me more
than if thou wert otherwise.
Do not burden thyself with ignominy nor corrupt thy administration,
and ask God's aid; for if anyone really
cares for the well-being (of affairs) and show trustworthiness,
God will also help him and further his work.
Then present thyself to me with any (account) book
about which thou thinkest I might question thee respecting the administrative sphere
of thy country and of its clerks. And peace be upon
him who follows the guidance. And ʿUmair has written (it)
in Shawwāl of the year ninety one.

Location

Egyptian National Library, Cairo, Egypt.

References

[1] Adolf Grohmann, Arabic Papyri In The Egyptian Library, Volume III (Administrative Texts), 1938, Egyptian Library Press: Cairo, No. 146, Plate I, pp. 3-7.

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