CALA V. The Pure Pearl - Ad-Durra an-naqiya and other texts by Muhammad Ibn Umail..

The here presented four texts by Muhammad Ibn Umail at-Tamimi: The Pure Pearl (ad-Durra an-naqiya), The Pure Conduct of Life (as-Sira an-naqiya), A Poem Rhyming on the Letter M (Mim; al-Qasida al-Mimiya) and The Seven Planting-lots (al-Mabaqil as-saba’a) are all an editio princeps. These texts are published together with an English translation. The Pure Pearl and The Pure Conduct of Life are based on the same original text, representing however two different traditions or stemmas. For this reason, they are published separately. The next text, A Poem Rhyming on the Letter Mim is an explanation of these aforementioned two texts. By direct references to them, it further explains the theme of The Pure Pearl and The Pure Conduct of Life: the creation of a single pearl out of an egg. From the point of view of depth psychology this means the creation of the unified personality. Thus, these three texts belong together. The Seven Planting-Lots, the fourth treatise by the same author, focuses on the relationship of the seven planets to their corresponding metals on earth, all with regard to the alchemical work. Repeatedly we read that the first three texts were written at the end of Ibn Umail’s life. As A Poem Rhyming on the Letter Mim came after having written The Pure Pearl – respectively The Pure Conduct of Life – this al-Qasida al-Mimiya is therefore most probably the last text of our author, written before he passed away. Thus, we may consider these three texts to be the last words of this outstanding master of the Art. They seem to be Ibn Umail’s summa.

Introduction 7 Manuscripts Used in This Edition 11 The Pure Pearl about the Science of Alchemy 15 The 1st chapter 19 The 2nd chapter About the burning of the stone which is the shell 29 The 3rd chapter About the cooking of the white to the red 31 The recipe for the clay of wisdom 33 The 4th chapter It is about the building of the oven (tann…r) and the placing of the retorts (qir¡1) for the distillation 35 The 5th chapter About the explanation of the construction of the oven (tann…r) for the rotting, which is named the belly of the horse for its moderate heat, which is like the heat of the bird, hatching its egg, whose fire does not ruin anything 39 The 6th chapter About the operation (tadb?r) of a subtle coagulation 45 The 7th chapter About the second operation, and it is a dissolving and a coagulation 47 The 8th chapter About the third operation 49 The 9th chapter About the big operation 53 The Pure Course of Life (S?ra) with Regard to the honourable Work by Ibn Umail In the name of the merciful, compassionate God 69 The 1st chapter About the explanation of the first stone 73 The 2nd chapter About the burning of the stone which is the shell 83 The 3rd chapter About the cooking of the whiteness into the redness 85 The 4th chapter about the building of the oven and the placing of the retort for the distillation on it 89 The 5th chapter About how to construct the oven for the rotting process 91 The 6th chapter about the operation of a subtle coagulation 99 The 7th chapter about the second operation: coagulation and dissolving 101 The 9th chapter about the great operation 109 The Description of the Coagulation of the Red Mercury for this Chapter 129 The Description of the Making Red of the Scorpion for this Chapter 131 Poem rhyming on m?m 135 A Chapter in which the Second Operation is mentioned, the Exalted God Willing 147 The Operation of the Third Work 165 Chapter in which I mention the Fourth Operation and how to Make it, in Order that you Understand 175 The Seven Planting-lots 185 The 1st Chapter: The Planting-lot of the Sun 185 The 2nd Chapter: The Planting-lot of the Moon 189 The 3rd Chapter: The Planting-lot of Mercury 193 The 4th Chapter: The Planting-lot of Venus 195 The 5th Chapter: The Planting-lot of Mars 197 The 6th Chapter: The Planting-lot of Jupiter 203 The 7th Chapter: The Planting-lot of Saturn, the Highest above the Sun and the Moon 205 1. Bibliography 235 2. Index 236