Issue One: Author's Prologue to the Breviario Sunni

The Breviario Sunni of Shaykh 'Isā of Segovia

The Spanish-Language Mudéjar and Morisco Manual of Islamic Doctrine and Practice Attributed to Shaykh 'Isā, the Alfaqui of the Moorish Community of Segovia

Interpretive English Translation by Abdessamad Bey

About Proyecto Breviario Sunni:

Proyecto Breviario Sunni is an ongoing not-for-profit effort, founded in 1414 A.H. (2013 C.E.) whose primary aim is the publication in “WebZine” format of an ongoing translation-in-progress of the Breviario Sunni (“Sunni Breviary”) of Shaykh 'Isā of Segovia (known variously throughout Spanish Islamic literature as Yça de Segovia, Iça el-Gidelli, Hiçe de Xebir, Iça de Jedih, etc.), the alfaqui (Imam or religious leader) of the Moorish community of Segovia, Spain. It is the goal of the Proyecto to bring to a wider readership European Islamic works such as the Breviario Sunni and to promote the teachings of traditionalist and mainstream Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah Islamic scholarship across the Muslim world.

The current WebZine-bashi of the Proyecto is Abdessamad Bey. Individuals wishing to contribute to the Proyecto through academic and/or general contributions or comment, provided demonstrated commitment to the Proyecto's non-profit character and general aesthetic principles as outlined in the Proyecto Breviario Sunni Charter (provided upon request) may reach Abdessamad Bey at abdessamadbey@gmail.com

A Note on Language:

The Breviario Sunni was composed and preserved in a unique language which was called by those who spoke it Aljamía, a word derived from the Arabic al-‘ajamiyyah, or non-Arabic vernacular. According to the author it was the dominant spoken language of the Moorish minority communities of Castilla by the mid-Fifteenth century. This language was notable for being essentially Castellano Spanish with the addition of several Arabic vocabulary words of religious importance. Perhaps more infamously it was also known for its tendancy to be transcribed using the letters of the Arabic alphabet (the so-called “aljamiado” manuscripts, etc.). In this way it resembled other Spanish dialects utilized by minority communities of the period, for example the Ladino spoken by the Iberian Jews with its use of the Hebrew alphabet. It has been the desire of the translator to attempt to preserve something of the flavor of the original Aljamía text by preserving several of the unique renderings of significant Arabic words and phrases that appear to have been part of the common language of the Moorish Spanish speakers of the period.

Acknowledgements:

Proyecto Breviario Sunni would like to humbly thank all of those who have contributed in any manner whatsoever through their inspiration and gracious assistance, such as Violeta Abitia, Ian Atallah, Julio Molina, Padre Angel and G.A. Wiegers, and to the Naqshbandi shaykhs: the late Maulana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani (ﻕ) and his representative in the Americas Maulana Shaykh Muhammad Hisham al-Kabbani and all the men and women of the Most Distinguished Naqshbandi Sufi Order, especially the members of the Naqshbandi zawiya of Orgiva, without whose inspiration and guidance this work would never have been possible.

A Note Regarding Traditional Islamic Abbreviations Used Throughout This Text:

Throughout the course of this text it has been decided to follow traditional Arabic convention with regards to the indication of salutations following mention of certain important Islamic personages such as:

(ﺹ): for sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam or “God's blessings and greetings of peace be upon him,” following mention of the name of the Prophet Muhammad.

(ع): for 'alayhissalam or “may peace be upon him” when mentioning the names of other prophets

(ﺭ): for radhiyallahu 'anh or rahmatullahi 'alayh for “may God be pleased with him,” or “may the mercy of God be upon him,” respectively, following mention of the name of a Companion (Sahabi) of the Prophet Muhammad (ﺹ), or mention of a respected Imam of the Islamic religion such as Imam Mālik.

(ﻕ): for qaddasallahu sirruh or “may God sanctify his secret” following mention of the name of an Islamic saint (wali).

The Author's Prologue to the Breviario Sunni

ﺑﺴﻢ ﷲ ﺍﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ ﺍﻟﺮﺣﻴﻢ

In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

ﻭ ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺳﻴﺪﻧﺎ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺍﻟﻜﻴﻢ ﻭ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺃﻟﻪ

May the blessings of Allah be upon our noble master Muhammad and upon his family¹

This work is a compilation of the principle commandments and obligations of our Holy Law and Açunnah.²

We begin in the name of Allah, our only Creator, who is without beginning, nor middle, nor end, Who created the world from nothing, and by Whose means and holy Providence sent his Prophets in succession, one after another, in conclusion sending His chosen and blessed Annabi³ Muhammad (ﺹ), the best of all creation.

Said the honored wise mufti and alfaqui⁴ of the Moorish community of the noble and loyal city of Segovia whose name is 'Isā de Jābir:

Compendious causes moved me to interpret the Divine Grace of the Arabic Holy Qur'an into Aljamía,⁵ regarding which some Cardinals told me that we used to keep it (i.e. the Holy Qur'an) hidden away as something we dare not share with outsiders, For it was not without great cause that I left my homeland for a time to go to parts of the East, for which I set about the task of rendering it in Aljamía, moved by that high authority that anyone who knows something of the Law ought to teach it to everyone in the world in a language that they can understand if possible, and in order to avoid the dishonor of that which is abhorrent placed against us, may God grant me his Divine Aid through His Immense Mercy and Divine Grace. Having the Holy Qur'an in front of me, for those amongst us who may be ignorant of Arabic, and those who are abroad, and indeed for greater declaration I shall make a translation of the articles which are in the Holy Qur'an and a summary of the judgments, ends and events which it describes, by whose governance so many great princes and innumerable lords and nations live in liberty in the Promised Land and the Holy House⁶ where is maintained truth and justice.

And because the Muslims of Spain have been placed under great subjugation, taxation, hardship and toil they have declined in wealth and lost their schools of Arabic, regarding the restoration of which many of my friends have enjoined upon me, especially the noble Repartidores,⁷ who with so much clemency enjoined me to compose a book in Spanish, instructing in our Law and Açunnah that which every good Muslim ought to know and practice. Regarding this I could not excuse myself from fulfilling the request, trusting indeed in the good Sovereign Lord Who is the aid of good intentions and knowing the difficulty of bringing forth works of divine ends, I seriously considered and thought about the instruction of those who are coming and our successors; regarding all this I brought to mind the articles and principal explanations and commandments of our faith, not forgetting the soon end of this present age, declaring in chapters how one ought to and must fulfill the obligations of our Law and Açunnah, how great the need is. Because prolixity should not be an excuse for those who would listen, nor should it exhaust the three capacities of the soul, and also because grandiose writings are for those who posses security of resources, and those days have come to an end here amongst the Muslims of Spain. And in order that I should be as brief as possible I have omitted listing in this prologue the books upon which this work will be based upon in order to avoid citing them all the time; in them noble scholars will find the authorities for what shall be said in this book, and they are the following: thirteen books of our Law and Açunnah from which I gathered together and compiled sixty chapters in which I summarized the Faith and the works which every man must observe, following that which was revealed to the blessed Annabi Muhammad (ص). The name which I shall consider titling this book is “Breviario Sunni”⁸ to which I shall sign my name, in order that I shall be blamed where there is fault to be found, as I am nothing compared to the masters of our Holy Law and Açunnah, to whom I implore to correct my work, on the condition that it is brief correction and amendments that are added, and I pray to our Lord to grant me His Grace and days in order to complete other good works in His holy service and be granted the blessing of everlasting glory. Amin ya rabbil-'alamina.⁹

1 These traditional invocations of Basmala and Salawāt are found on Fol. 1 of the J1 manuscript of the Breviario Sunni in the CSIC collection.

2 Arabic: Sunnah, the word from which the title of the work is derived, i.e. authenticated traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ص). For detailed explanation regarding traditionalist see Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine Vol. I-VII (As-Sunnah Foundation of America, 1998) by Shaykh Muhammad Hisham al-Kabbani.

3 “Prophet”

4 Mufti and alfaqui are religious titles from Arabic, indicating one authorized to issue fatwa or legal verdicts according to Holy Law, and one who is trained in fiqh (from al-fāqih) or Islamic jurisprudence, respectively, however, alfaqui may have taken on the more general meaning of Imam or religious leader of a Moorish community.

5 Aljamía: Romance dialects used by the Moors with the import of certain Arabic vocabulary or even the same dialect written using the letters of the Arabic alphabet, also known as the Aljamiado literature.

6 Las tierras de promisión in the original Aljamía.

7 See Islamic Literature in Spanish and Aljamiado: Yça of Segovia (fl. 1450) and His Antecedents and Successors (Brill, 1994) by G.A. Wiegers. Wiegers suggests that the Repartidores mentioned were likely the tax collecting officials appointed amongst the Mudéjares by the Spanish crown.

8 Literally: “A Sunni Breviary,” an interesting blend of Spanish and Arabic.

9“Amen, Oh Lord of all the worlds,” a traditional Arabic invocation.