66 THE NATIVE MANUSCRIPTS iv. ab. xxix.

Adam the father of mankind, God bless him, but I am not permitted

to recount it beyond 'Adnan because of the saying of the Prophet as related by the genealogists, "Trace not pedigrees beyond 'Adnan"; and in truth my only desire in giving this record is to show the honour that accrues to me from my connection with the Prophet, for to him

[only] do 'Adnan and the rest owe the honour [in which they are held],

XXX Thus the poet has said: "How many a father owes the nobility (which he possesses) to his son even as 'Adnan owes his to the Prophet of God."

XXXI By way of explanation I tell you also that when the Ga'aliy- YUN, that is Ga'al el Dufar, were shown to be descended from

el Sayyid el Fadl son of el Sayyid 'AbduUa son of 'Abbas, and when each one of them began enumerating his ancestors one by one until

he reached el Sayyid el 'Abbas, some of the genealogists [were found to] differ in the course of the enumeration owing to inaccuracies of the copyists in altering the spelling of some of the names and omitting others and transposing the position of others.

XXXII But, after making most minute investigations, I adopted [in each case] the version that most often occurred, [and then too] after hearing [the names] from the mouths of them that knew them. Thus my enumeration became authoritative, as you shall shortly see, please

God, both in prose and verse.

XXXIII And if the list of ancestors of anyone who claims to be of

Ga'al el Dufar does not include Salah, his pedigree is incorrect, for Salah was ancestor of Ga'al el Dufar, and he had seven sons, and his father was Musa el Kebi'r, who was known as Masu.

XXXIV Then the list proceeds from Salah [upwards] to Serrar ibn

Kerdam, the ancestor of all the Ga'al, and if any list does not in-

clude him its owner is no Ga'ali. XXXV Now there is a variant account wherein it is said that Salah was son of Muhammad el Dahmashi son of Bedayr son of Samra, and this is utterly wrong.

XXXVI Another variant says that Salah was son of Muhammad el Dahmashi son of Bedayr son of Turki son of Bedayr son of Samra, and this also is incorrect.

XXXVII Yet another variant gives Salah as son of Musa el Kebir, who was known as Masu, son of Muhammad son of Salah son of

Bedayr son of Samra, and this account is nearer the truth.

XXXVIII The real reliable version is that Salah was son of Musa,

who was nicknamed Masu el Kebi'r son of Muhammad son of Salah son of Aluhammad son of Dahmash son of Bedayr son of Samra son of Serrar.