8vo. 68 pp., Arabic text, introduced by Ahmad Zaki Pasha, black modern hard back binding, original wrappers preserved with small tear to front wrapper, otherwise copy in very good condition, Matba’at al-Rahmaniyya, Cairo, 1931.

Synopsis

The Sabians of Middle Eastern tradition were a religious group mentioned three times in the Qur’an as People of the Book, “the Jews, the Sabians, and the Christians”. In the hadith, they were described simply as converts to Islam. Overtime, interest in the identity and history of the group increased. Discussions and investigations on the Sabians began to appear in later Islamic literature. Many scholars have identified the Sabians to be the Mandaeans, a group of individuals adhering to a form of ancient Gnosticism.
In this work the prominent Iraqi historian ‘Abd al-Razzaq al-Husni (1903-1997), presents a history of the Sabians from the beginning until the present time. Ahmad Zaki Pasha, the leading Egyptian scholar of the period, introduces the work.