ash, mix it with water

Ingredients

ash, water

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The author of a sexual advice manuscript advises a husband who does not want his wife to love another man to perform a ritual: dig a hole, kindle a fire with coal, and sit over it whilst naked, followed by two units of prayer. The husband must then write the specific Qur'anic verse (56:33) twenty-seven times 'over the ash', subsequently mix this 'ash' ink with water, and have his wife wash with it (p. 184).

Evidence

"The husband must then write the verse ‘have you pondered over, and seen the fire that you kindle’ (Qur’an 56: 33) 27 times over the ash, mix it with water and then get his wife to wash with it."

Remarks

This entry describes a ritualized use of 'ink' made from carbonized material (ash) and water, where the efficacy of the material is linked to the repeated transcription (27 times) of a specific sacred text. While not a conventional manuscript ink, it demonstrates a specific material technology described within the Timbuktu manuscript corpus (p. 184).