ink

Evidence

"The ink ran from the pages, destroying Jär Allāh’s work. Purifying the fragments through ritual ablutions ensured that the unIslamic words would no longer damage the community."

Remarks

This entry describes the ink of the first version of Jār Allāh Ibn Fahd's biographical compilation Al-Nukat al-ẓirāf, completed in 1541 (p. 110). Following a fatwa by Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī which condemned the book as backbiting (ghība), the volume was seized and ritually destroyed (p. 121). The destruction method involved tearing the pages and washing them at a mosque (p. 121-122). The account specifically notes that the 'ink ran from the pages' during this process, leading to the complete erasure and 'annihilation' of the text (p. 122). This implies a carbon or soot-based ink that was not resistant to moisture.