[RA’S AL-GHOUL / CONQUEST OF YEMEN / YA KABIKAJ] كتاب فتوح اليمن المعرف برأس الغول/ Kitâb futûh al-Yaman al-ma’ruf bi-Ra’s al-ghûl [i.e., The book of the conquests of Yemen, known as the Head of the Ghoul]

ABU AL-HASAN BAKRÎ (Ahmad ibn ‘Abd Allah) (13th-14th centuries).

Jurnal Kevakib al-Misrî / Matbaat al-Kastiliyah, Cairo, AH 1297 Jumada I [= 30 April 1880 CE].

Contemporary burgundy quarter calf. Roy. 8vo. (24 x 16 cm). In Arabic. 144 p. Occasionally browned and foxed on pages and edges, fading on the boards. Marginal manuscript notes in Arabic on the first four pages. On the colophon page, the phrase “Yâ Kabîkaj” is handwritten. In Islamic culture, this name refers both to a jinn believed to be the protector of books and paper, and to the bookworm itself. Traditionally, writing this invocation inside a book was believed to protect it from worms and other pests. Overall, a very good copy.

Scarce second Castel edition (third in the literature) of this book attributed to Hasan al-Bakrî, featuring popular historical and legendary tales of a highly romanticized and mythologized account of the Islamic expansion into Yemen. The work recounts early Muslim warriors' Islamic conquests and heroic exploits, often blending historical events with folklore and imaginative embellishments. This edition is also known for referencing Raʾs al-Ghul (the Head of the Ghoul), possibly including encounters with fantastical creatures such as this Ghoul in Arabic folklore and mythology. The first edition was published in 1865 by Castel Printing House, and the second edition was published in al-Mabna (Yemen?) in AH 1295 = 1877 CE.

Al-Bakrî is the purported author of several Islamic works in Arabic, most notably a biography of Muhammad entitled Kitâb al-anwâr ('Book of Lights'). There is no consensus regarding his historicity (whether he lived) or his floruit (when he lived). Little is known of Hasan al-Bakrî, which may explain his absence from early dictionaries. He may have been from or active in Baṣra, since he is sometimes called the "Baṣran preacher". Ibn Taymiyya calls him an Ashʿarî. (Wikipedia).

As of May 2025, OCLC does not list this edition. For the 1865 edition, see OCLC 1391728943; for the 1881 edition, see OCLC 27481810.