Papyrus Fragment

Inscription: Recto: in naskhi script:
1) بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
2) هذا الكتاب لابى النجم بدر الكبير مولى الامير اطال الله بقا الامير واخلد عزه كتبه له الحسن وعلى ابنى هلال من سكان هليه
3) ومزارعها من كوره اهناس انا سالنا القسم بن العباس السيفى عاملك اعزك الله على هذه الضيعه فطلبنا اليه ان اضمنا وجه
4) بعضا من بعض بوجه وماله وما يجب على كل واحد منا من العماره لسنه ثمان وثمانين ومايتين قضا له ضمانا صحيحا
5) لازما لنا واجبا علينا فى ذمتنا ومالنا على اصح الضمانات واحسنها واكدها وكل واحد منا كفيل
6) عن صاحبه بان صاحبه حيا بذلك غير ميتا ومليا غير مقدما وشاهد غير غايبا شهد على اقرار على والحسن
7) بجميع مافى هذا الكتاب بعد ان قرى عليهما فعرفا واقرا بفهمه وبمعرفه ما فيه حرفا حرفا وذلك فى شهر رمضان سنه
8) ثمان وثمنين ومايتين شهد مهدى بن ابراهيم الثمار على اقرار الحسن وعلى بن هلال بجميع مافى هذا الكتاب وكتب < بخطه لا اله الا الله >
9) شهد الحسين بن هرون كتب بيده
10) شهد هرون بن يحيى على اقرار الحسن وعلى ابنى هلال بجميع مافى هذا الكتاب وكتب بخطه
11) شهد موسى بن نمر على مافى الكتاب وكب بخطه شهد ابراهيم بن السيدى على < ا>قرار الحسن وعلى ابنى هلال
12) بجميع مافى هذا الكتاب وكتب بخطه
13) بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
14) هذا الكتاب لابى النجم بدر الكبير مولى الامير اطال الله بقا الامير واخلد عزه كتبه له الحسن وعلى ابنى هلال من سكان هليه
15) ومزارعها من كوره اهناس انا سالنا القسم بن العباس السيفى عاملك اعزك الله على هذه الضيعه لهذه السنه وطلبنا
16) اليه ان يضمننا وجه ابراهيم اخونا وعيسى بن هناس البياع من سكان سفط < من > ارشين من كوره اهناس بوجههما ومالهما
17) و ما يجب عليهما من العماره لسنه ثمان وثمنين ومايتين فان زاغ احد منهما او يغيب فعلينا جميع ما ستطلب بهما من خالص
18) اموالنا كاينا ما كان وبالغا ما بلغ والقول فى ذلك قول القسم بن العباس السيفى او من يقوم مقامه من وكلاه وكتابه
19) حتى يستوفى منا هذا الضمان شهد على اقرار الحسن وعلى ابنى هلال بجميع ما فى هذا الكتاب بعد ان قرى عليهما فعرفاه
20) واقرا بفهمه وبمعرفه ما فيه حرفا حرفا وذلك فى شهر رمضان سنه ثمان وثمنين ومايتين
21) شهد مهدى بن الثمار على اقرار الحسن وعلى ابنى هلال بجميع ما فى هذا الكتاب وكتب بخطه لا اله الا الله
22) شهد الحسين بن هرون وكتب بيده
23) شهد هرون بن يحيى على اقرار الحسن وعلى ابنى هلال بجميع مافى هذا الكتاب وكتب بخطه
24) شهد موسى بن نمر على مافى الكتاب وكب بخطه
25) شهد ابراهيم بن السيدى على اقرار الحسن وعلى ابنى هلال بجميع مافى هذا الكتاب وكتب بخطه

1) In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
2) This is the document addressed to Abi al-Najm Badr al-Kabir, freedman of the amir, May God prolong the Amir’s life and may He perpetuate his honor. Al-Hasan and ‘Ali, sons of Hilal, from among the residents of Hilya, wrote to him,
3) and its cultivated fields in the district (iqlim) of Ahnas, that we asked al-Qasm ibn al-‘Abbas al-Sayfi, your administration representative, May God honor you, about this piece of land. And we requested from him a guarantee of appearance (daman wajh)
4) Concerning our person and our property and whatever each one of us is obliged to pay from the (tax) assessment for the year 28; and he judged it a sound guarantee
5) Binding us, obligatory to us regarding our obligation to pay and our property as the most sound, best, and accurate guarantee; and each one of us is a guarantor
6) for his partner as long as he is alive and not dead, paying after sometime and not beforehand, present and not absent. Witnessed to this confirmation of ‘Ali and al-Hasan
7) to everything that is in this document after it was read to both of them and they knew and agreed to have understood and acknowledged what was in it, letter by letter, and this took place in the month of Ramadan of the year
8) 288. Mahdi ibn Ibrahim al-Tammar testified to the acknowledgment of Hasan and ‘Ali ibn Hilal to everything that is in this document and he wrote this [in his own hand. There is no God but Allah]
9) al-Husayn ibn Harun testified and wrote in his own hand
10) Harun ibn Yahya testified to the acknowledgment of al-Hasan and ‘Ali, the two sons of Hilal, to everything that is in this document and he wrote with his own hand
11) Musa ibn Nimr testified to what is in the document and he wrote this himself. Ibrahim ibn Sayyidi testified to the acknowledgment of al-Hasan and ‘Ali son of Hilal
12) to everything that is in this document and he wrote it in his handwriting
13) In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
14) this is the document addressed for Abi Najm Badr al-Kabir, freedman of the amir, May God prolong the amir’s life and perpetuate his honor. al-Hasan and ‘Ali, the sons of Hilal from the inhabitants of Hilya, wrote to him
15) and its cultivated fields in the district of Ahnas, hat we asked al-Qasm ibn ‘Abbas al-Sayfi, your administration representative, may God honor you, over this piece of land for this year’s tax assessment and we asked
16) him to give us a guarantee of appearance of Ibrahim our brother and Eissa ibn Hanas, the merchants from the inhabitants of Sift from Irsin in the district of Ahnas, in regards to their person and property
17) and whatever is obligatory for them from the assessment of the year 288. And if one of the two of them disappears or leaves, then we are obliged to pay all that you will ask from them from the entirety
18) of our money, being what it may and adding up to whatever amount. The decisive opinion in this matter will be the one of al-Qasm ibn al-Abbas al-Sayfi, or whoever will come in his place from among his representatives and secretaries
19) until he will have received from us this guarantee. Al-Hasan and ‘Ali, the sons of Hilal, testified to the acknowledgment of everything that was written in this document, after it was read to them and they both knew it
20) and they acknowledged having understood what it contains letter by letter. This took place in the month of Ramadan of the year 288.
21) Hamdi ibn Ibrahim al-Tammar testified to the acknowledgment of Hasan and ‘Ali the two sons of Hilal to everything that is in this document and he wrote this in his own hand. There is no God but Allah
22) al-Husayn ibn Harun testified and wrote in his own hand
23) Harun ibn Yahya testified to the acknowledgment of al-Hasan and ‘Ali, the two sons of Hila, to everything that is in this document and he wrote with his own hand
24) Musa ibn Nimr testified to what is in the document and he wrote this himself
25) Ibrahim ibn Sayyidi testified to the acknowledgment of al-Hasan and ‘Ali son of Hilal to everything that is in this document and he wrote it in his handwriting

Verso: in Nashkhi script:
1) بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
2) هذا كتاب لابى النجم بدر الكبير مولى الامير اطال الله بقا الامير واخلد عزه كتبه له ابو خير بن عبد الناصر
3) واسمعيل بن عبدالله من سكان سفط ارشين ومزارعها انا سالنا القسم بن العباس
4) السيفى عاملك اعزك الله وطلبنا اليه ان يضمننا وجه بعضا من بعض بوجه وماله
5) وما يجب على كل واحد منا من العماره لسنه ثمان وثمنين ومايتين قضا له ضمانا صحيحا لازما لنا واجبا علينا
6) فى ذمتنا ومالنا وكل واحد منا كفيل ضمان عن صاحبه بان صاحبه حيا غير ميتا مليا
7) غير مقدما وشاهدا غير غايبا شهد على اقرار ابو خير بن عبد الناصر واسمعيل بن عبدالله
8) بجميع ما فى هذا الكتاب بعد ان قرى عيهما فعرفوا واقروا بفهمه وبمعرفه ما فيه حرفا حرفا
9) وصحه عقولهم وابدانهم وجواز امورهم طايعين طالبن وغير مكرين ولا مجبرين وذلك فى شهر
10) رمضان سنه ثمان وثمنين ومايتين
11) شهد احمد بن اسمعيل على اقرار ابو خير واسمعيل بن عبدالله بما تسمر فى هذا الكتاب وكتب بخطه
12) شهد هرون بن يحيى على اقرار ابو خير واسمعيل بن عبدالله بجميع مافى هذا الكتاب وكتب بخطه
13) شهد حمدى بن ابراهيم التمار على اقرار ابو خير واسمعيل بن عبدالله بجميع مافى هذا الكتاب وكب بخطه لا اله الا الله

1) In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
2) this is the document addressed for Abi al-Najm Badr al-Kabir, freedman of the amir, may God prolong the amir’s life and perpetuate his honor. Abu Khayr ibn ‘Abd al-Nasir
3) and Ismail ibn Abdullah, from the inhabitants of Sift Irsin and its cultivated lands, wrote to him, that we asked al-Qasm ibn al-‘Abbas
4) al-Sayfi, your administration representative, may God honor you, and we asked him that he give us a guarantee of appearance the one for the other concerning his obligation to pay and his property
5) and whatever each one of us is obliged to pay from the assessment for the year 288 and that he judge it a sound guarantee, binding us obligatory to us
6) in regards to our obligation to pay and our property and each one of us is a guarantee for his partner as long as he is alive and not dead, paying after sometime
7) and not beforehand, present and not absent, testified is it to the acknowledgement of Abu Khayr ibn ‘Abd al-Nasir and Isma‘il ibn Abdullah
8) of everything that is recorded in this document after it was read to them they knew and agreed to have understood and acknowledged what was in it letter by letter
9) and they were in a state of sound mind and body, being legally capable of conducting their affairs, acting voluntarily, out of their free will, without being forced or compelled. And this took place in the month of
10) Ramadan of the year 288
11) Ahmad ibn Ismail testified to the acknowledgement of Abu Khayr ibn ‘Abd al-Nasir and Isma‘il ibn Abdullah to what is mentioned in this document and he wrote it himself
12) Harun ibn Yahya testified to the acknowledgment of Abu Khayr ibn ‘Abd al-Nasir and Isma‘il ibn ‘Adullah to all that this document contains and he wrote it with his own hand
13) Hamdi ibn Ibrahim al-Tammar testified to the acknowledgement of Abu Khayr Khayr ibn ‘Abd al-Nasir and Ismail ibn ‘Abdullah to all that is in this document and he wrote it in his own hand. There is no God but Allah

Florence E. and Horace L. Mayer, Williamstown, MA (by 1967–78; gifted to MMA)

Sijpesteijn, Petra. "Profit Following Responsibilty. A Leaf from the Records of a Third/Ninth Century Tax Collecting Agent." The Journal of Juristic Papyrology vol. 31 (2001). pp. 91–132, Ill. pls. I-II, pp. 115–16.