82 THE NATIVE MANUSCRIPTS iv. abc. i.

sumption is thus created that the authors of some at least of the works to which he referred for his information proceeded on analogous Hnes.

Secondly, various items of definite fact, otherwise unknown, are to be gleaned as to matters with which Sadik is personally conversant. These sometimes help to explain obscure points in the other nisbas.

Thirdly, even allowing for inaccuracies and a certain degree of imagination, we get sidelights on native tradition drawn from sources which have been available to Sadik in the course of a long life of

enquiry, but which do not happen to have come within our ken through any other channel.

It may be added that, though in many cases where ABC differs from other nisbas, e.g. in the spelling of a proper name, ABC is certainly the less accurate, it is yet quite likely that in some other cases ABC may happen to provide a correct copy of some more accurate MS. than any I have seen.

The appendix is by a different author, for whom see the first note thereto.

I 'Agam was son of Zaid son of . . . {as in Tree i). . .son of Ka'ab el Khazragi el Ansari, who died at el Medina the Glorious in 19 a.h.

in the Khalifate of 'Omar ibn el Khattab, God bless him.

II Sheikh Idris, whose kuhba is at el 'Ayl Fung, was son of

el Arbab Muhammad son of. . .{as in tree, to 'Agam). He was born near Shanbat at a place called Shuhat lying between the railway [and

the river], north of Shanbat, opposite the experimental pumping- station. He was born in 910 a.h., and on the death of his parents he

moved to 'Aylat el Fung and lived there until his death. He died and was buried there, after a life of about 149 Arabic years, in 1059 a.h. His mother was Fatima, the daughter of the Sherif Hammad Abu

Denana^, who is buried at Abu Delayk and was descended from el Husayn ibn 'Ali ibn Abu Talib.

On his father's side Sheikh Idris was a Khazragi Ansari descended from Ubi ibn Ka'ab ; and [Khazrag] are originally Arabs of Yemen

descended from Kahtan ibn 'Abir, that is the prophet Hud, upon whom be peace.

Sheikh Idris 's descendants are [mostly] at el 'Ayl Fung, and some are in other places.

III El Hag Idris was son of 'Abd el Daim son of. . .{as in tree, to 'Agam) and was born at the Shuhat mentioned above in 959 a.h. He lived 99 years and died in 1058 a.h. He had seven sons, namely

. . .{as in tree, which gives their names and descendants).

1 reading ajU> for «lJi.