Islamic Contribution to Library Movement

BY S. R. RANGANATHAN M.A., L.T., F.L.A.

(Librarian, Madras University Library; Secretary, Madras Library Association; and Member, International Library Committee)

While the Library movement, as we understand it today quite modern, some of the fundamental notions of the modern Library movement have been in existence even in the long Past. The Muhammadans of Western Asia should be said to have been pioneers in Library matters even as early as the 10th century. We are told that the city of Baghdad had as many as 36 public libraries about the end of the 10th century. About the same time Cairo had a famous library known as the House of Learning but we get some interesting details which have a peculiarly modern flavour from the Persian town–Ramhurmuz. The public library of this town not only had a rich collection of books but, what is more important, a learned librarian, well-versed in Philosophy. The other officers of that library were chosen from the elite of the town. It will be easily recognised that the notion, that some of libraries of today have about the kind of persons that should recruited as librarians, is so much at variance with the practice Ramhurmuz. It is not infrequently believed that the library is a place for ill-educated never-do-wells of all sorts. If a teacher is found to be incompetent, it is not unusual to send him to the library. Not long ago I received a pathetic letter from a high placed official asking whether I could not take on my staff a middle aged man who had failed in the School Final Class on a dozen occasions and hence could not get entry into any other office. When I myself was appointed Librarian of the University of Madras, seven years ago, some of my well-wishers keeping high positions in the educational world were sorry that I was so soon getting into a place which was only fit for a superannuated old man unfit for any hard work and incapable of any initiative. While such crude notions prevail even in the twentieth century, it is indeed very remarkable that the Muhammadans of Persia should have evaluated the functions of a librarian in such a different manner even in such far-off days.

Another noteworthy feature about this library of Ramhurmuz is that it not only allowed scholars to study in the libraries but it invited men of culture to meet in the library premises and carry on learned discussions. In other words they made the library a regular centre for learning. It is only in very recent years that libraries are beginning to realise the value of inviting the local learned societies to hold their meetings in their premises and of providing regular lecture halls and seminar rooms.

While in these matters the Muhammadan libraries of the middle appear to anticipate most of the latest developments of the modern library movement, the greatest contribution that the Islamic people made to the furtherance of libraries lies elsewhere. The contribution which they made is perhaps no less important than the contribution which Caxton and his countrymen made in the 15th century. This important and far-reaching contribution of Muslims consisted in the improvements made by them in the art of paper making in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Till that period, books had to be written on parchment or papyras and hence they were very expensive and beyond the reach of average men. It was the Muhammadans that introduced the use of cotton and linen as the basic materials for making paper. This made paper cheap, and Egypt and Arabia became the chief paper centres of the world about the end of the eleventh century. Most of the European countries had their paper supply from Muslim countries in those days.

This introduction of cheaper paper helped in learning and books ceasing to be a monopoly of the rich. Books were easily multiplied and rendered accessible to a much larger number of people. It widened the horizon of man and inaugurated a new age.

Another closely associated contribution of the Muhammadans of the 12th century was in the improvement introduced by them in Ink-making and binding. The technique, that the Muhammadans of the twelfth century had for tanning the leather in such a way that it acquired the finest finish without in any way injuring the paper with which it was brought into contact while used as covering material, seems to have been now lost. Modern tanned leather has been one of the banes of modern binding. They contain too much acid and that invariably eats into the paper of the books.

When books were made cheaper by these two contributions of the Muhammadans of the 12th century, a greater number of scholars gave themselves up to learning with absorbing passion. It became the fashion to found libraries in association with Madrasahs. Book trade gained a great impetus. The enormous proportions assumed by book auction in that period appear to be comparable only to the sensational dimensions which it seems to be assuming in present day America. Here is an interesting anecdote which throws a flood of light on the hold that the book-buying mania seems to have had even on laymen. In a certain book auction, a scholar who wanted a rare book for his studies found that he was far out bidden by a stranger. As soon as he found that the bid was going beyond his range, he asked his competitor to knock it off without any further bid in case he wanted it for actual use. But the competitor replied: "I am neither learned nor am I aware of the contents of the books; but I have just established a library and, cost what it will, I will make it as one of the notable things of my town. There is just an empty space there which this book will fill up. As it is beautifully written and tastefully bound, I am pleased with it and I don't care what it costs, for God has given me an immense income." The prevalence of such an extreme form of library mania in the Islamic countries of the 12th century is very remarkable.

Coming to the Islamic contribution to libraries in India, we have it recorded that Timur the Lame established many libraries as early as 1398. The Khilji dynasty showed great foresight in the administration of libraries. During its period the Imperial Library at Delhi seems to have risen to the level of the Persian library of Ramhurmuz of the 10th century in the choice of its librarian. The Sultan is said to have chosen Amir Khusrou, one of the most learned men of his Court, to be its librarian and, what is more interesting, he not only attached a handsome salary for the office but also raised the librarian to peerage. Many scholars also established libraries during the 14th century. The library of the poet Nizamuddin Auliya is said to have been a remarkable one.

Babar brought with him several books from Persia to enrich the Imperial Library at Delhi. During his reign, book illustration is said to have become a prominent feature of book production. Akbar's library is the most famous of all the Mughul libraries. The Aini-Akbari gives many interesting details about his library. It is said to have been in three sections viz: -

1. Poetry, Medicine, Astrology and Music.

2. Philology, Philosophy, Logic, Geometry and Astronomy.

3. Theology and Law.

Another famous Muhammadan library of the 16th century is of Abdur Rahim Khan Khanan, the first Prime Minister of Akbar. He located his library at Ahmedabad in Gujarat. It contained a large number of original manuscripts. In later years they were found scattered in several of the libraries of Northern India such as those at Calcutta, Rampur, Hyderabad and Bankipore. It has been possible to identify the volumes of Abdur Rahim on account of the fact that he invariably put down his signature in each book.

The Delhi Imperial Library was added to by successive Emperors until it was carried away by Nadir Shah early in the 18th Century. The volumes thus removed by Nadir Shah are said to be now lying scattered in the different villages and towns of Persia. It is probable, however, that some of the books brought by Babar might have gone to Persia as a result of this action of Nadir shah. Till early in the 19th century, Shah Alam II kept up the library tradition of his dynasty and tried to re-build the Imperial library.

Before making, mention of a remarkable contribution made by a distinguished Indian Mussalman to the library provision of modern India, we may devote a few minutes to the position that libraries occupied, in another Islamic country-Turkey.

The Turkish University system was one that required extensive collections of books. Hence many Sultans established libraries. But these Turkish libraries were different from modern ones in as much as addition of new books was forbidden in them. A Sultan, in founding a library, secured same valuable manuscripts in each of which his name was inscribed. A catalogue was carefully made and the library was complete. The library buildings of Turkey were also very different from modern ones. They were simply built with a dome over the reading room. Through the picturesque irregular windows in the domes the light fell directly upon those who were reading below. Under the dome were cushions to sit upon and low stools upon which to rest the books. The floors were always covered with valuable rugs. The books which were usually manuscripts were kept in cases to protect them from dust.

As in Arabia, there were in Turkey also libraries attached to Mosques where visitors, after praying in the mosque, could linger over the ancient books in the same supreme calm and silence as that found in the mosque. There was a great democracy both in prayer and the libraries, and no distinction between the rich and the poor or between the high and the low was observed. Women, however were not permitted to visit the libraries even as they were not allowed to pray with men in the mosques.

There were at one time, according to the old records, nearly 1,000 mosques in Constantinople and each mosque had a library. In 1913 a census of the libraries was taken and it was found that there were 40 regularly-established libraries, in addition to 500 smaller collections of old books. The Turk has been always famous for his polished manners. This is reflected in an interesting collection of the Sereglio library. This collection consisted of thirty books that dealt exclusively with courtesy and its rules. The title of one of them was "The Fragrant Garden of Civility."

Coming to India, the greatest Islamic contribution modern times is that of Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh who flourished in Patna in the later half of the last century. He was born of a middle-Class lawyer of Bankipur. His father, though not very rich, had a passion for Persian and Arabic books and he accumulated nearly 1,000 manuscripts. On his death-bed he charged his young son to improve the collection and build a library for the free use of the public. Khuda Bakhsh, who himself became an advocate, carried out this mandate faithfully. He erected a two-storied building at a cost of 80,000 rupees and housed in it several thousands of Oriental manuscripts and a big collection of English printed books as well. Khuda Bakhsh's fame as a great book-collector spread throughout India and he was given the first choice of every manuscript for sale in any part of the country. It was his practice to pay the to and fro railway charges to every manuscript seller who visited Bankipur. He engaged for eighteen years a famous book-hunter at a monthly salary of 50 rupees and sent him to Assyria, Arabia, Egypt and Persia in search of rare manuscripts.

In his Anecdotes of Aurangazeb and Historical Essays, Jadunath Sarkar gives many interesting library anecdotes about Khuda Bakhsh, It would appear that Bakhsh's library was broken into by a former book-binder and some of the best manuscripts stolen. A Lahore merchant, to whom the thief sent them, is said to have offered them to Khuda Bakhsh as the likeliest person to buy them. So in the end, the honest Bakhsh came by his own and the thief was punished. Another interesting anecdote is associated with one Mr. J. B. Eliot, a judge of Patna. Mr. Eliot was accustomed to collect Indian manuscripts for the Bodleian Library. He borrowed unique manuscript of the Odes of Kamaluddin Ismail Isfatuni from Bakhsh's father and afterwards refused to return it–but offered a large price in return, which was indignantly refused by the son, When Mr. Eliot retired, he shipped the rare manuscripts to England and left behind a case of what he deemed worthless books to be auctioned at Patna. It was found that by the irony of fate is volume of Odes had got into the wrong case and Bakhsh's library knocked it down.

It is not a little significant that one of the greatest library builders of modern India should have been a Mussalman. The example of Khuda Bakhsh should be a source of inspiration for others. The vicious habits either of hoarding the manuscripts without allowing them to see the light of day, as well as the avaricious habit of selling them away to foreigners in return for money or for titular honours, are equally unfortunate. Many of the most valuable of Indian manuscripts are now known to be housed in several of the European libraries. At least thereafter the who are in possession of manuscripts, should take a more patriotic view and try to conserve them in some of the biggest libraries the country, which have got the necessary administrative machinery not only to look after them but also to arrange for their being used by competent research workers. Whatever might be the value of Islamic contribution to libraries in the medieval days, the contribution made by Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh in modern India is an outstanding, feature of modern Islamic contribution to libraries and library movement.¹

1 A paper read on 1^st March 1931, at one of the social gatherings of the Islamic Culture Society, at the Lawley Hall, Mount Road, Madras. (Copyrights Reserved)