The Definitive Work Regarding Shaykh 'Isa of Segovia:

The definitive work on the subject of Shaykh 'Isa of Segovia and a brilliant, masterful work of research and scholarship in its own right:

Islamic Literature in Spanish and Aljamiado:

Yça of Segovia (fl. 1450), His Antecendents and Successors

of G.A. Wiegers; read about it here:

http://books.google.com/books/about/Islamic_Literature_in_Spanish_and_Aljami.html?id=Z2A55_kw3F4C

Communiqué IV: RAZON DE SER

786

Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahimi wa sallallahu 'ala Sidina Muhammadin al-Karim wa 'ala alihi

It is with great humility that the contributors to the Proyecto Breviario Sunni here express the razón de ser of this work, the proposed task of translating this work into English (or any other of the major European languages) at this point in time.

The Breviario Sunni of Shaykh 'Isa of Segovia is indeed one of the unique literary treasures of European Islamic literature.  The self-stated purpose of the work, according to the author in his prologue, was to present to the reader, both Muslim and non-Muslim, a brief guide (breviario) to the essential aspects of the faith and practice of Sunni Islam in the contemporary language of his Moorish countrymen. For this reason the work was composed in Spanish (Castillian), which at that point was indeed the mother tongue of the Moors of Castille, as the use of Arabic had fallen into disuse. It is important to note that the intent of the work, aside from basic religious instruction according to the Maliki madhhab for the common believer, was also to some degree to provide certain information to both the Muslim and non-Muslim readership regarding the author's convictions, perhaps influenced by Almohad (Al-Muwwahdun) ideology, regarding certain Messianic interpretations of contemporary events within the context of Islamic prophecies regarding events predicted "at the end of the present age" (al fin de este presente siglo).

For many years the Breviario Sunni has attracted the attention of innumerable scholars and authorities in the specialized fields of the Spanish Inquisition, Iberian Islamic studies, Spanish linguistics, etc.  A most wondrous and exquisite scholarly work regarding the life and works of our author, Shaykh 'Isa of Segovia, by Gerard Wiegers entitled Islamic Literature in Spanish and Aljamiado: Yça of Segovia (fl. 1450), His Antecendents and Successors was published in 1994 and is truly the standard text in the field (GoogleBooks link here: http://books.google.com/books/about/Islamic_Literature_in_Spanish_and_Aljami.html?id=Z2A55_kw3F4C) which includes some portions of the Breviario Sunni translated into English.  L.P. Harvey in his Islamic Spain, 1250 to 1500 (GoogleBooks link here:http://books.google.com/books/about/Islamic_Spain_1250_to_1500.html?id=td3tcLWvSNkC) also translated certain portions of interest into English.  However, up to this present time, no one that we are aware of has attempted to translate this work in its entirety into English.  That the Breviario Sunni ought to be considered one of the treasures of European Islamic literature is evident and in our view it deserves our full attention and consideration in and of itself.  Moreover, we are not aware of any translation attempts of the Breviario Sunni that feature extensive consultation of any of the other Morisco texts which survive up to the present day, such as are available in the most wondrous and extraordinary libraries of the Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales of Spain.  Therefore, it is with this desire to bring the Breviaro Sunni to a wider readership, outside the realm of specialists, that we make our intention to publish, in a "Web-zine" format, the contents of the Breviario Sunni in English translation to the Muslim and non-Muslim Web readership.

It is the hope of the contributors to Proyecto Breviario Sunni that the work of bringing this and other related traditional Islamic texts to greater readership, both Muslim and non-Muslim, that an appreciation will be made of the sophisticated relationship between Islam and other religions, as opposed to those who monotonously declare a perpetual "clash of civilizations" between the Islamic and so-called "Western" worlds, etc.   Here we present a work composed in the European vernacular for his fellow countrymen who could no longer read or understand Arabic, so fundamentally Europeanized they indeed had become, a work which, as shall be seen (insha'Allah) casts a more sophisticated interpretation of the relationship between Islam and Christendom, especially within the context of the traditional Islamic interpretation of Messianic events.

- Abdessamad Bey (writing in America)

Communiqué III: DEDICATION

DEDICATION:

Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahimi wa sallallahu 'ala Sidina Muhammadin al-Karim wa 'ala alihi

In memory of Florence, the original Hispanophile and world traveler amongst us.

This work is also dedicated to Maulana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani ar-Rabbani (qaddasallahu sirruh) and his representative in the Americas, Maulana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani (qaddasallahu sirruh), the guides of so many innumerable souls in so many innumerable lands, under whose feet we are but dust, and to whom we look to for loving guidance and support.  May Allah Almighty grant them long life and heavenly support!

Finally, this work is also dedicated to the members of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani and Halveti-Jerrahi zawaya of Spain, without whose inspiration and hospitality this work would have been unthinkable.

Wa min Allah at-taufiq.  Al-Fatihah.

Communiqué II: BREVIARIO SUNNI IN THE AMERICAS

Recently, a previously overlooked copy of the Breviario Sunni of Shaykh 'Isa of Segovia was discovered in the Branch Inquisition archives of Mexico.  This discovery raises a series of questions regarding the role of the text as a reference for the Inquisition, and perhaps even implies that Inquisition officials were concerned about the immigration of Moriscos to the Spanish colonies of the New World.

Quoting from M. Judith Feliciano Chaves' article (published on www.arabismo.com):

"Si bien existen múltiples copias de la obra de Yça Gidelli en varias bibliotecas en España, hasta ahora no se tenía noticia de una copia del Breviario Sunní en el contexto americano. La presencia de dicho texto en México tiene importantes implicaciones que lo vinculan con el complicado proceso de reproducción cultural española en América. El temor a la infiltración del Islam en el Nuevo Mundo, patente desde el comienzo de la empresa colonial, implicó una mayor sujección de los súbditos de los nuevos territorios...El descubrimiento del Breviario Sunní en el Archivo General de la Nación nos provee de una importante eslabón para el estudio interdisciplinario de la historia de la mentalidad española en torno al Islam."

Read the full article (thanks to the Way Back Machine!) at:
http://web.archive.org/web/20090109193911/http://www.arabismo.com/biblioteca/almonacid/a2/breviario_sunni.html

Communiqué I: PROPOSAL

Blog Communiqué: Rabi'al-Awwal 1424 (February, 2013):

Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahimi wa sallahu 'ala Sidina Muhammadin al-Karim wa 'ala alihi

Proyecto Breviario Sunni is a proposed non-commercial research and translation project (with a penchant for a bit of amateur travelogue photography) established in Rabi'al-Awwal 1424 (February 2013), in the spirit of Creative Commons principles, with the intent of promoting broader understanding and appreciation of the unique contribution of European Muslim authors to the greater heritage of mainstream, traditionalist Islam, or Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, and indeed to the cultural heritage of Europe itself.  Our proposed debut project therefore, is the long-overdue first complete English translation (from Aljamiado/Castellano) of the Breviario Sunni (Sunni Breviary) of Shaykh 'Isa of Segovia, the 15th-Century Imam and alfaqui of the Moorish Quarter of Segovia, as the rightful heritage of the Islamic world.

One of the principle aims of the Proyecto is the promotion of extraordinary research materials on the subject of European Islamic literature, to mention a few within the field of Iberian Islamic studies: the invaluable research contributions of G. A. Wiegers in his work entitled, Islamic Literature in Spanish and Aljamiado: Yca of Segovia (fl. 1450), His Antecedents and Sucessors, the veritable treasure trove of Iberian Islamic manuscripts as preserved in the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and the Biblioteca Almonacid collection, and many other collections that abound worldwide.

The broadest possible aim of the Proyecto is the promotion of understanding of mainstream, traditionalist Islam (Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah), in contrast and opposition to all forms of religious extremism and modernist/reformist Islamic movements which in reality have extraordinarily small numbers of adherents worldwide (including the Salafi/Wahhabi ideology and the great harm that it has done to the reputation of Islam and the violence that many of its adherents have inflicted upon the world), which are opposed to mainstream, traditionalist Islamic scholarship and indeed opposed to the very cultural heritage and values of the Islamic world itself.  It is the belief of the contributing members of the Proyecto that through the enabling of access to traditional Islamic works of historical interest in English translation the values of mainstream, traditionalist Islam (Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah) can be illustrated in a informative and meaningful manner, perhaps even preparing readers for further research and study in the field, and to go even further in the building of bridges of understanding between all faith traditions and reviving the spirit of the convivencia within and amongst ourselves.

Moreover, it is hoped that interested readers will appreciate the very unique historical contexts and literary contributions of European Muslim writers to the voluminous corpus of Islamic literature, and their unique contribution to the cultural heritage of Europe as well.  Unfortunately, up to the present day, the attention of the general public has largely overlooked the unique character of the European contribution to cultural and religious heritage of the Muslim world, and the subject has remained the domain of academic specialists almost exclusively.  It is sincerely hoped that the readers of the work presented herein by the members of the Proyecto will be helpful and of service in this regard.

The current Blogbashi of the Proyecto is Abdessamad Bey.  Interested individuals who wish to contribute in some manner through research and/or translation or other means of support may contact  the current Blogbashi at: abdessamadbey@gmail.com.  Prospective contributors must be willing to sign and abide according to the principles outlined within the Proyecto Breviario Sunni Charter (furnished upon request), demonstrating commitment to the non-profit, non-commercial aims and principles of the Proyecto.

The Torre del Oro tower on the banks of the Guadalquivir river at sunset; an extraordinary example of Almohad (al-Muwwahidun) architecture in Sevilla (Spring 2002).