290 THE NATIVE MANUSCRIPTS IV. d 3.
It is curious that the author only gives the biography of two of the
five sons of Dafa'aila. The el Magdhub here mentioned must not be con-
fused with el Magdhub the father of No. 123. No. 123 was born in 1693 a.d., whereas the grandson (No. 84) of No. 86 died as early as 1683.
"//e was known as. .." is in the Arabic:
but I know of no tribe called Arak: the name Arakiyyun at present cer-
tainly only applies to the generations subsequent to No, 86. The whole of the text of this biography is given. 87. Muhamtnad Abu el Kaylak was the famous vizier of Sennar, who
died in 1776 a.d. after a career of king-making and conquest. Information concerning him will be found in MacMichael {Tribes..., pp. 10-13 and 211) and Jackson, pp. 50-59, and in MS. D 7 passim. 88. This is the author's great-grandfather. For " Urn Lahm" see No. 84. 89. This is the author's father: cp. No. 120. Contrast ABC, xi. 90. For the Arabic see Appendix 18: the whole biography is quoted.
This Dolib is a descendant of the Hag ibn 'Abdulla ibn Rikab men-
tioned in No. 222, but the exact degree of relationship is not specified by the author. The intermediate generations as given from memory by one of the DoALiB are given in MacMichael, Tn6^^...,p.93 ; but theymaybe inaccurate.
For " khalwa" see note to No. 11. For " dhikr" (pronounced ''zikr") see Hughes, pp. 703-710; and for "'ibdda" see Hughes, p. 612.
''A forty-days' -retreat" (Ar. Or*jj*i)l S^JLa.) is a common expres- sion for one of these retreats to which a recluse retires for meditation for
40 days. For this number 40 cp. No. 23 (note).
" O God, bless us. . ., etc." occurs again in No. 105. " Walad 'fsa" is probably No. 191. 91 . The Zaydab country is in Berber province, a little south of el Darner. 93. For these four judges see Nos. 23 and 69: the Arabic here is
s_,^Aa>.fr ^•^' y<r^^^^ O--^' ^^j'))^ dl.oA}t ^Ji.».l ^Aj Dekin reigned from 1570 to 1587 a.d. (Bruce).
There are two villages of " Dushaynat " and one called "Wad el Kadi," all about 15 miles south-south-west of el Manakil.
This No. 93 is grandfather of No. 193, the founder of Wad Medani. It is said that he was by race a Busaylabi from Upper Egypt.
The translation of the couplet is: "Son of Dushayn, the Just Judge, who does not err into error: his offspring are good men and true, who lit
the fire of apostleship." Cp. note to No. 117.
95. He belonged to the 'Abadla section of Batahin and his kitbba lies close to the east of Sennar (vide maps, " Sheikh Ferah"). The sons of Gabir are No. 17 and Ibrahim el Bulad and their two brothers. Many similar apothegms to that quoted are attributed by the Arabs to Ferah: such are the following:
I. (of the rain) JjUoJb U o-*" ^j^ ^^'i' O-^' ^•^- "if ^^ descend upon us what matter to us the houses [we have built]."