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{{DISPLAYTITLE: ''al-Khibā' al-Shamī'', ''al-Ḫibāʾ al-Šamī'' (الْخِبَاء الشَّآمِي)}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb}}
 
{{See also|Al-Ṯurayyā_al-Raʾs_wa_al-Yadān}}


Authors: {{PAGEAUTHORS}}
Authors: {{PAGEAUTHORS}}
----
----
{{Distinguish|الخباء اليماني}}
''This page is about Alkhiba as an asterism in the northern sky, corresponding to the so‑called Northern Tent (الخباء الشآمي). For the similarly named asterism in Corvus, see [[الخباء اليماني]] (Southern Tent).''


'''Headword (Arabic):''' الْخِبَاء الشَّآمِي
[[File:alkaffalhadib.png|thumb|The Arabic asterism ''al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb'' (<span dir="rtl">الكَفّ الخَضِيب</span>), ‘the Henna-Dyed Hand’. CC BY, Khalid Al-Ajaji, 2026.]]


'''Transliteration:''' ''al-Ḫibāʾ''
''al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb'' (<span dir="rtl">الكَفّ الخَضِيب</span>), ‘the Henna-Dyed Hand’, is the northern hand of the larger Arabic constellation ''al-Ṯurayyā'', represented by five bright stars in Cassiopeia.<ref name="qutayba"/><ref name="khalid2021sufi"/>


'''English:''' ''al-Khibā' al-Shamī''
==Concordance, Etymology, History==
''al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb'' is recorded in the accounts of the larger figure in the ''anwāʾ'' works of Ibn Qutayba, Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī, and al-Marzūqī, and in al-Ṣūfī’s ''Kitāb al-kawākib''. The relevant passages are reproduced below with their surrounding anatomical context.


'''IPA:''' /al.xɪ.baːʔ/
'''Variants''' Arabic


'''Alkhiba''' (Arabic: الخباء, "the small tent") is an area or an asterism of four stars forming a quadrilateral shape in the northern sky. Its name is Arabic and is reported by both astronomers and ''anwāʾ'' authors of the 9th and 10th century.
* ''Sanām al-Nāqa'' (سَنَام النَّاقَة) “the Camel's Hump”
== Modern Authors ==
=== Danielle Adams ===


=== Khalid AlAjaji ===
==== Etymology ====
''Alkhiba'' (Arabic: الخباء, from the Arabic root خبي) denotes a small tent.
Lisān al-ʿArab defines ''al-Ḫibāʾ'' as:<ref>Lisān al-ʿarab, لسان العرب، باب الواو والياء المعتل فصل الخاء المعجمة</ref>
<blockquote>.الخِباءُ مِنَ الأَبنية: وَاحِدُ الأَخْبية، وَهُوَ مَا كَانَ مِنْ وَبَر أَو صُوفٍ وَلَا يَكُونُ مِنْ شَعَر، وَهُوَ عَلَى عَمُودَيْنِ أَو ثَلَاثَةٍ، وَمَا فوقَ ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ بَيْت </blockquote>


<blockquote>''Al-Ḫibāʾ'' (الخِبَاء) is a tent made of camel wool or sheep’s wool, never of goat hair. It usually stands on two or three poles; anything larger than that is called a ''bayt'' (large tent).</blockquote>
'''Variants''' Latin / European


==== Concordance ====
. Hyde (1665)<ref name="hyde"/>
. Ideler (1809)<ref name="ideler"/>
. Schjellerup (1874)<ref name="Schjellerup"/>
. Allen (1963)<ref name="Hinckley"/>
. Kunitzsch (1961)<ref name="Kunitzsch1961"/>
* ''Caph AlChadib'', Hyde (1665)<ref name="hyde"/> (p. 19)
* ''El-khaf el-chadîb'', Ideler (1809)<ref name="ideler"/> (p. 81)
* ''al-kaff al-chadhîb'', Schjellerup (1874)<ref name="Schjellerup"/> (p. 83)
* ''Kaff al Ḣadib'', Allen (1963)<ref name="Hinckley"/> pp. (143–144)
* ''al-kaff al-ḫaḍīb'', Kunitzsch (1961)<ref name="Kunitzsch1961"/> (no. 136b, p. 72)


''Alkhiba'' is an asterism of the quadrilateral ζ, ε, π, η Her corresponding exactly to the stars of the Hercules Keystone. It should not be confused with another similar asterism carrying the same name in the constellation Corvus, formed by γ, ε, β, δ, distinguished by Ibn Qutayba as the ''Southern Tent'' (Arabic: الخباء اليماني, ''al-Ḫibāʾ al-Yamānī''). Therefore, it is recommended to refer to the asterism in Hercules as the ''Northern Tent'' (Arabic: الخباء الشآمي, ''al-Ḫibāʾ ash-Šāmī'').
===Etymology===
{| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" style="width: 16%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="width: 42%;" | English
! scope="col" style="width: 42%;" | Arabic
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|''al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb''
|In ''Lisān al-ʿArab'', s.v. ''k-f-f'' (كفف) and ''ḫ-ḍ-b'' (خضب),<ref name="lisan"/> we read:
<blockquote>
“Al-kaff means ‘hand’ and is grammatically feminine.” … “Al-kaff al-ḫaḍīb is a star, named by comparison [with a hand dyed with henna].”
</blockquote>
|dir="rtl"|جاء في «لسان العرب»، مادة «كفف»: «والكَفُّ: الْيَدُ، أُنثى.» وفي مادة «خضب»:
<blockquote>
«والكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ: نَجْمٌ عَلَى التَّشْبِيه.»
</blockquote>
|}


==== History ====
=== Sources and Identification ===


Three primary sources discuss the Arabic Northern Tent (الخِبَاء الشآمي, ''al-Ḫibāʾ ash-Šāmī''): Ibn Qutayba, al-Marzūqī, and al-Ṣūfī. Their accounts differ, and to elucidate the significance of ''al-Ḫibāʾ'', one must compare it to other distinctly named stellar configurations that bear analogous nomenclature.
==== Ibn Qutayba ====
'''Ibn Qutayba (d. 276 AH / 889 CE)''', Hyderabad edition (1956)<ref name="qutayba"/> (pp. 32–34):
{| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | English
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Arabic
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|dir="ltr"|<blockquote>
The other is called '''''al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb'''''. It is the outstretched hand of ''al-Ṯurayyā'': five white stars in the Milky Way, opposite ''al-Ḥūt'' (“the Fish”).
</blockquote>
|dir="rtl"|<blockquote>
«ويقال للأخرى: '''الكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ'''. وهو '''كَفُّ الثُّرَيَّا المَبْسُوطَةُ'''، خمسة كواكب بيض فـي الـمجرَّة حيال الحُوتِ.»
</blockquote>
|}


To understand how the Arabs imagined ''al-Ḫibāʾ'', we can look at two well defined ''Ḫibāʾ'' asterisms at our disposal. The first is ''al-Ḫibāʾ al-Yamānī'' (Arabic: الخباء اليماني, "the Southern Tent"), which corresponds to an asterism of four quadrilateral stars γ, ε, β, δ in Corvus.
==== Al-Ṣūfī ====
<gallery widths="360" heights="360">
'''Al-Ṣūfī (d. 376 AH / 986 CE)''', ed. Khalid Al-Ajaji (2021)<ref name="khalid2021sufi"/>, Cetus and Perseus:
File:Southern Tent.jpg|Southern Tent (الخباء اليماني), alḪibāʾ alYamānī in Corvus.
{| class="wikitable"
File:Khiba ai generated.png|Arabian Khiba tent. image inspired by [https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/pnp/matpc/01100/01108v.jpg a century old photo in Matson collection in Library of Congress].
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | English
</gallery>
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Arabic
The other is ''Saʿd al-Aḫbiya'' (سعد الأَخْبِيَة), an asterism of four stars in Aquarius: three form a triangle, which is ''al-Ḫibāʾ'' (the tent), and the fourth star inside the triangle is ''Saʿd'' (a man inside the tent). This description is given by Ibn Qutayba, al-Marzūqī, and al-Ṣūfī. Al-Ṣūfī said:<ref>[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s6JXzftwjMQ5rgZoGE3718EtBLBZtjzr Book of the stars by al-Ṣūfī (died 986): Critical edition with commentary by Khalid al-Ajaji, digital edition, 2021]<br>
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|dir="ltr"|<blockquote>
The Arabs call the stars in the head [of Cetus], from the first to the sixth, '''''al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ''''', by which they mean the hand of '''''al-Ṯurayyā'''''. This is because they found two lines of stars extending from ''al-Ṯurayyā''. One runs northwards, passing through most of the stars of the Bearer of the Ghoul’s Head [Perseus] until it reaches the bright stars on the back of ''al-Nāqa'' (“the She-Camel”), which constitute the constellation ''Ḏāt al-Kursī'' (“the Lady of the Chair”) [Cassiopeia]. They likened the bright stars on the She-Camel’s back to henna-dyed fingertips and called this hand '''''al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb''''' (“the Henna-Dyed Hand”).


[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s6JXzftwjMQ5rgZoGE3718EtBLBZtjzr كتاب الكواكب لأبي الحسين عبد الرحمن بن عمر الرازي المعروف بالصوفي (291-376)، تحقيق خالد بن عبد الله العجاجي]
The other line extends southwards from al-Ṯurayyā, passing through the four stars arranged in a row at the point where the Bull [Taurus] is cut off, and ends at these six stars on the head of Cetus. They likened this line and the stars on the head to an amputated hand because of its shortness and because it does not extend as far as the northern line. They likened ''al-Ṯurayyā'' to a '''head between two hands'''.
</ref>
</blockquote>
|dir="rtl"|<blockquote>
«والعرب تُسمِّي الكواكب التي في الرأس من الأول إلى السادس: '''الكَفَّ الجَذْمَاءَ'''، يريدون به كف '''الثُّرَيَّا'''؛ وذلك أنهم وجدوا سطرين من كواكب يمتدان من عند الثُّرَيَّا: أحدهما نحو الشمال فيمر على أكثر كواكب ممسك رأس الغول حتى ينتهي إلى الكواكب النيِّرة التي على ظهر النَّاقَةِ، وهي كوكبة ذَاتِ الكُرْسِيِّ، فشبهوا النيِّرة التي على ظهر النَّاقَةِ بأنامل مخضوبة، فسموا هذه اليد: '''الكَفَّ الخَضِيبَ'''، والآخر يمتد من عند الثُّرَيَّا نحو الجنوب، فيمر على الأربعة المصطفة التي على موضع القطع من الثَّوْرِ، وينقطع عند هذه الستة على رأس قِيطُسَ، فشبهوا هذا السطر والكواكب التي على الرأس بيد جذماء لقصرها، ولأن امتدادها دون امتداد السطر الشمالي، '''وشبهوا الثُّرَيَّا برأس بين يدين'''.»
</blockquote>
|}


: سَعْدَ الأَخْبِيَةِ، وهو المنزل الخامس والعشرون من منازل القمر، سُمِّيَ بهذا الاسم لأنه من أربعة كواكب: ثلاثة منها على مثلث، وواحد في وسط المثلث وهو الحادي عشر، فجعلوا هذا الواحد سعدًا والثلاثة له بمنزلة الخباء.
==== Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī ====
''Saʿd al-Aḫbiya'' ("Saad of the Tents"), the twenty-fifth of the lunar stations, was given this name because it consists of four stars: three form a triangle, and one lies at the center of that triangle — the eleventh star of Aquarius. They considered the central one ''Saʿd'', and the three surrounding it like the tent that shelters Saʿd.
'''Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī (d. 403 AH / 1013 CE)''', ed. al-Qaysī and al-Dulaymī (1996)<ref name="thaqafi"/> (p. 83)
<gallery widths="360" heights="360">
{| class="wikitable"
File:Saad alakhbiya.jpg|Saʿd al-AḪbiya, in Aquarius.
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | English
File:Khiba-triangular ai generated.png|Arabian Khiba tent supported by one pole. image inspired by [https://www.loc.gov/resource/matpc.04679/ a century old photo in Matson collection in Library of Congress]
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Arabic
</gallery>
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|dir="ltr"|<blockquote>
When you face '''''al-Ṯurayyā''''', you see a line of stars to your right and left, extending northwards from it in a curve until it reaches ''al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb'' (“the Henna-Dyed Hand”). '''''Al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb''''' consists of <span style="color: darkred;">five</span><ref name="thaqafi-restoration"/> irregularly arranged stars. This line is called '''''Yad al-Ṯurayyā al-Yumnā al-Mabsūṭa''''' (“the Outstretched Right Hand of al-Ṯurayyā”). In this representation, it resembles a human hand extended upwards, not held entirely upright but bent somewhat. ''Al-Ṯurayyā'' has another hand of the same form, extended southwards, called '''''al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ''''' (“the Amputated Hand”) because it is short and does not extend far. They say that ''al-Ṯurayyā'' is '''''the head between the two hands'''''.


===== Ibn Qutayba (d. 276 H / 889) =====
In its right hand—the complete one—are stars that are the brightest within it. Among them is '''''al-ʿĀtiq''''' (“the Upper Shoulder”), the closest to ''al-Ṯurayyā''; then '''''al-Mankib''''' (“the Shoulder”); then '''''al-Mirfaq''''' (“the Elbow”). Beneath ''al-Mirfaq'' is a small star called '''''Ibrat <span style="color: darkred;">al-Mirfaq</span>'''''<ref name="thaqafi-restoration"/> (“the Tip of the Elbow”), positioned like the corresponding part of a human elbow. There, too, is '''''al-Maʾbiḍ''''' (“the Inner Elbow”), resembling the inner bend of a human elbow. The portion between ''al-Mirfaq'' and ''al-Mankib'' is called '''''ʿAḍud al-Ṯurayyā''''' (“the Upper Arm of al-Ṯurayyā”).
The complete text describing the Northern Tent (''al-Ḫibāʾ ash-Šāmī'') reads:<ref>أبو محمد عبد الله بن مسلم ابن قتيبة الدينوري (توفي 276 هـ)، كتاب الأنواء في مواسم العرب، دائرة المعارف العثمانية، حيدر أباد، الهند، 1375 هـ<br>
Ibn Qutayba al-Dīnawarī, Abū Muḥammad ʿAbdallah b. Muslim. 1956. ''Kitāb al-anwāʾ (fī mawāsim al-ʿArab)''. Hyderabad: Maṭbaʿat Majlis Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif al-ʿUthmāniyya.</ref>


;Original Arabic
Beyond ''al-Mirfaq'' is '''''al-Miʿṣam''''' (“the Wrist”), which resembles a patch of cloud. The portion between ''al-Mirfaq'' and ''al-Miʿṣam'' is called '''''al-Sāʿid''''' (“the Forearm”); the diminutive form '''''al-Suwayʿid''''' (“the Little Forearm”) is also used. Then, beyond ''al-Miʿṣam'', comes '''''al-Kaff''''' (“the Hand”), namely ''al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb'', which, as I told you earlier, consists of five irregularly arranged stars.
</blockquote>
|dir="rtl"|<blockquote>
«وإذا استقبلت '''الثريا''' نظرت إلى سطر من كواكب عن يمينك ويسارك قد امتدت من لدنها في الشمال على انعطاف حتى اتصلت بالكَفِّ الخَضِيبِ، والكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ كواكب <span style="color: darkred;">خمسة</span><ref name="thaqafi-restoration"/> مـختلفة النظم، ويُسَمَّى هذا السطر: '''يَدَ الثُّرَيَّا اليُمْنَى المَبْسُوطَةَ'''، كأنها في التمثيل يد الإنسان قد مدَّها صعدًا ولم ينصبها كل النصب، ولكن عطفها بعض العطف، ولها يدٌ أخرى على هذه الصفة ممدودة نحو الجنوب تسمى: '''الكَفَّ الجَذْماءَ'''، لقصرها وأنه لا امتداد لها، ويقولون: '''الثُّرَيَّا الرأس فيما بين اليدين'''. وفي يدها اليمني - وهي التامة - كواكب، وهي أنور ما فيها، فمنها: '''العَاتِقُ'''، وهو أقربها إلى الثُّرَيَّا، ثم '''المَنْكِبُ''' بعده، ثم '''المِرْفَقُ'''، وتحت المِرْفَقِ كوكب صغير يقال له: '''إبْرَةُ <span style="color: darkred;">المِرْفَقِ</span>'''<ref name="thaqafi-restoration"/> بمنزلة مرفق الإنسان، وهناك أيضًا: '''المَأْبِضُ'''، مثل مأبض الإنسان، ويقال لما بين المِرْفَقِ والمَنْكِبِ: '''عَضُدُ الثُّرَيَّا'''، وبعد المِرْفَقِ '''المِعْصَمُ'''، وهو كاللطخة من السحاب، ويقال لما بين المِرْفَقِ والمِعْصَمِ: '''السَّاعِدُ'''، ويصغر أيضا فيقال: '''السُّوَيْعِدُ'''، ثم '''الكَفُّ''' بعد المِعْصَمِ، وهي '''الكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ''' التي أعلمتك قبل أنها خمسة كواكب مختلفة النظم.»
</blockquote>
|}


وأولاد الظباء كواكب صغار، فيما بين الظباء والنفزات، وعن يمين نفزات الظباء كواكب مستديرة غير متقارنة، تسمّى: الحوض. والخباء أسفل من الحوض، كواكب في مثل هيئة الخباء اليمانية.
==== Al-Marzūqī ====
'''Al-Marzūqī (d. 421 AH / 1030 CE)''', ed. al-Dulaymī (2002)<ref name="marzuqi"/> (vol. 2, p. 344):
{| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | English
! scope="col" style="width: 50%;" | Arabic
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|dir="ltr"|<blockquote>
There is a line of stars extending northwards in a curve <span style="color: darkred;">[until it reaches ''al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb'' (“the Henna-Dyed Hand”). '''''Al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb''''' consists of five irregularly arranged stars. This line is called '''''Yad al-Ṯurayyā al-Yumnā al-Mabsūṭa''''' (“the Outstretched Right Hand of al-Ṯurayyā”). It has another hand of the same form, extended southwards,]</span><ref name="marzuqi-restoration"/> called '''''al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ''''' (“the Amputated Hand”) because of its shortness. They call '''''al-Ṯurayyā''''' '''the head between the two hands'''. In the right hand are stars that are its brightest, <span style="color: darkred;">among them</span><ref name="marzuqi-restoration"/> '''''al-ʿĀtiq''''' (“the Upper Shoulder”), which is the closest to ''al-Ṯurayyā''; then '''''al-Mankib''''' (“the Shoulder”); then '''''al-Mirfaq''''' (“the Elbow”)<span style="color: darkred;">[; and beneath ''al-Mirfaq'' is]</span><ref name="marzuqi-restoration"/> a small star called '''''Ibrat al-Mirfaq''''' (“the Tip of the Elbow”). There, too, is '''''al-Maʾbiḍ''''' (“the Inner Elbow”).


;English translation
In the human body, ''ibrat al-mirfaq'' is the end of the forearm bone from which the cubit is measured. The other extremity, which bends when you draw your forearm towards you, is called ''al-qabīḥ''. As the poet said:


The fawns, ''awlād al-Ẓibāʾ'' (أَوْلادُ الظِّبَاءِ), are small stars located between ''al-Ẓibāʾ'' (الظِّبَاءِ) and the Gazelle Leaps (النَّفَزَاتِ). To the right of the Gazelle Leaps (نَفَزَاتِ الظِّبَاءِ), there are round, non-aligned stars called ''al-Ḥawḍ'' (الحَوْضَ, "the Pool").
<poem>
Where the ''ibra'' meets the ''qabīḥ''.
</poem>


Below ''al-Ḥawḍ'' lies ''al-Ḫibāʾ'' (الخِبَاءُ, "the Tent"), a group of stars shaped like the southern tent (الخِبَاءِ اليَمَانِيَّةِ).
The inner hollow between them, into which the forearm folds, is called ''al-maʾbiḍ''; the same term is also used for the corresponding part of the knee. <span style="color: darkred;">[The portion between ''al-Mirfaq'' and ''al-Mankib'' is called '''''ʿAḍud al-Ṯurayyā''''' (“the Upper Arm of al-Ṯurayyā”). Beyond ''al-Mirfaq'' is '''''al-Miʿṣam''''' (“the Wrist”), which resembles a patch of cloud.]</span><ref name="marzuqi-restoration"/>  The portion between ''al-Mirfaq'' and ''al-Miʿṣam'' is called '''''al-Sāʿid''''' (“the Forearm”); the diminutive form '''''al-Suwayʿid''''' (“the Little Forearm”) is also used. Then, beyond ''al-Miʿṣam'', comes '''''al-Kaff''''' (“the Hand”), namely '''''al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb''''', the hand of ''al-Ṯurayyā''.
</blockquote>
|dir="rtl"|<blockquote>
«وهناك سطرٌ من كواكب امتدّت في الشَّمال على انعطاف <span style="color: darkred;">[حتى اتصلت بالكَفِّ الخَضِيبِ، والكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ كواكب خمسة مختلفة النظم، ويُسَمَّى هذا السطر: '''يَدَ الثُّرَيَّا اليُمْنَى المَبْسُوطَةَ'''، ولها يدٌ أخرى على هذه الصفة ممدودة نحو الجنوب]</span><ref name="marzuqi-restoration"/> تُسَمَّى: '''الكَفَّ الجَذْمَاءَ''' لقصرها، ويقولون '''للثُّرَيَّا: الرّأس فيما بين اليدين'''، وفي اليمنى كواكب هي أنورها، <span style="color: darkred;">فمنها</span><ref name="marzuqi-restoration"/> '''العَاتِقُ''' وهو أقربها إلى الثُّرَيَّا، ثم '''المَنْكِبُ''' بعده، ثم '''المِرْفَقُ'''<span style="color: darkred;">[، وتحت المِرْفَقِ]</span><ref name="marzuqi-restoration"/> كويكب صغير يقال له: '''إبْرَةُ المِرْفَقِ'''، وهنالك أيضًا: '''المَأْبِضُ'''. فأما إبْرَةُ المِرْفَقِ من الإنسان فهو طرف عظم السَّاعد وهو الذي يذرع منه الذراع والطرف الآخر الذي يُثْنَى إذا قبضت ذراعك إليك يقال له: القبيح، قال:
حَيْثُ تَلاقِي الإبْرَةُ القَبِيحَا
ويقال لباطنهما الذي ينثني عليه الساعد: المَأْبِضُ، وكذلك هو في الركبة، <span style="color: darkred;">[ويقال لما بين المرفق والمنكب: '''عضد الثريا'''، وبعد المرفق '''المعصم'''، وهو كاللطخة من السحاب،]</span><ref name="marzuqi-restoration"/> ويقال لما بين المِرْفَقِ والمِعْصَمِ: '''السَّاعِدُ'''، ويُصَغَّرُ أيضًا، فيقال: '''السُّوَيْعِدُ'''. ثم الكَفُّ بعد المِعْصَمِ، وهي '''الكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ'''، كَفُّ الثُّرَيَّا.»
</blockquote>
|}


====== Stars identification ======
==== Star identifications ====
The identifications from the ''anwāʾ'' descriptions are proposed by Khalid Al-Ajaji. Those from al-Ṣūfī’s account follow the commentary in his 2021 edition of ''Kitāb al-kawākib'', in the sections on Cassiopeia. The comparison retains the differences recorded in the parent article.<ref name="khalid2021sufi"/>


It appears that ''al-Ḫibāʾ'' (الخِبَاءُ), as described by Ibn Qutayba, denotes a quadrilateral configuration of four stars, reflecting the form of the southern tent (''al-Ḫibāʾ al-Yamānīyah'', الخِبَاءِ اليَمَانِيَّةِ). Two such arrangements meet this criterion: one located beneath ''al-Ḥawḍ'' at its rising, and another beneath ''al-Ḥawḍ'' at its setting. The first consists of the four stars of the Big Dipper, which may be discounted since these are well known stars, and Ibn Qutayba would likely have acknowledged this alternate designation. The other candidate is the quadrilateral formed by 15 Lyn, δ Aur, and α, β Cam.
{| class="wikitable"
<gallery widths="360" heights="360">
! Name
File:Northern Khiba ibn Qutayba.jpg|Al-Ḫibāʾ as described by ibn Qutayba.
! Description in ''anwāʾ'' sources
</gallery>
! Identification from ''anwāʾ'' descriptions
! Identification from al-Ṣūfī’s description
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|''al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb''
|Five white stars in the Milky Way, opposite ''al-Ḥūt'' (“the Fish”).
|β, α, γ, δ, ε Cas
|β, α, γ, δ, ε Cas
|}


===== Al-Ṣūfī (d. 376 H / 986) =====
===Discussion===
The complete text describing the Northern Tent (''al-Ḫibāʾ ash-Šāmī'') reads:<ref>[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s6JXzftwjMQ5rgZoGE3718EtBLBZtjzr Book of the stars by al-Ṣūfī (died 986): Critical edition with commentary by Khalid al-Ajaji, digital edition, 2021]]<br>
The five-star hand is identified consistently in the supplied comparison as β, α, γ, δ, and ε Cas. Al-Ṣūfī explains the name by likening these bright stars to henna-dyed fingertips. ''Sanām al-Nāqa'' describes the same group within the separate figure of the She-Camel; it is retained here as a corresponding designation rather than as an anatomical part of ''al-Ṯurayyā''.<ref name="khalid2021sufi"/>


[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s6JXzftwjMQ5rgZoGE3718EtBLBZtjzr كتاب الكواكب لأبي الحسين عبد الرحمن بن عمر الرازي المعروف بالصوفي (291-376)، تحقيق خالد بن عبد الله العجاجي]
== Weblinks ==
</ref>


;Original Arabic
== Reference ==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="qutayba"><span dir="rtl">أبو محمد عبد الله بن مسلم ابن قتيبة الدينوري المتوفى سنة 276هـ - 889م، كتاب الأنواء في مواسم العرب، دائرة المعارف العثمانية، حيدر أباد، الهند، 1375 هـ - 1956م.</span><br />
Ibn Qutayba al-Dīnawarī, Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh b. Muslim (d. 276 AH / 889 CE). ''Kitāb al-anwāʾ fī mawāsim al-ʿArab''. Hyderabad, India: Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif al-ʿUṯmāniyya, 1375 AH / 1956 CE.</ref>


وفي القطعة من السماء التي حواليها هذه الصورة ورأس الدب الأكبر والجَدْيُ وكوكبة ذات الكرسي، وهي رقعة من السماء شبه مفازة ليس فيها كوكب نيِّر ولا شيء من الكواكب المرصودة إلا الاثنين اللذين على الرأس من هذه الصورة، وفيها من الكواكب ما لا يمكن إحصاؤه لكثرته وكثافة جمعه، وفي الوسط منها، كواكب من القدر الخامس والسادس، تُسَمِّيها العرب: الخِبَاءَ؛ لأنّها على صورة الخباء، والاثنان اللذان على الرأس من هذه الصورة داخلان في جملة الخباء.
<ref name="khalid2021sufi"><span dir="rtl">كتاب الكواكب لأبي الحسين عبد الرحمن بن عمر الرازي المعروف بالصوفي (291-376)، تحقيق خالد بن عبد الله العجاجي.</span><br />
Al-Ṣūfī, Abū al-Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿUmar (d. 986 CE). ''Book of the Stars''. Critical edition with commentary by Khalid Al-Ajaji. Digital edition, 2021. [https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s6JXzftwjMQ5rgZoGE3718EtBLBZtjzr Digital edition].</ref>


;English translation
<ref name="hyde">Hyde, Thomas. ''Tabulæ Long[itudinis] ac Lat[itudinis] Stellarum Fixarum''. Oxford: Henry Hall, 1665.</ref>


In the region of the sky surrounded by this constellation (referring to the constellation of Auriga), along with the head of the Great Bear, Polaris, and the constellation Cassiopeia, there is an area with no bright star, nor any reported by Ptolemy except for the two at the head of Auriga. This area contains countless stars, densely packed together. In its center are stars of fifth and sixth magnitude, which the Arabs call ''al-Ḫibāʾ'' (الخِبَاءُ, "the Tent") because they resemble the shape of a tent. The two stars at the head of this constellation are considered part of ''al-Ḫibāʾ''.
<ref name="ideler">Ideler, Ludwig. ''Untersuchungen über den Ursprung und die Bedeutung der Sternnamen''. Berlin, 1809.</ref>


;Stars identification
<ref name="Schjellerup">Al-Ṣūfī, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿUmar (903–986 CE). ''Description des étoiles fixes''. Translated with notes by H. C. F. C. Schjellerup. St. Pétersbourg: Commissionnaires de l’Académie Impériale des sciences, 1874.</ref>


It is evident from the description that ''al-Ḫibāʾ'' (الخِبَاء) refers to a region of the sky encompassing numerous stars, including the two on the head of Auriga, δ and ξ Aur. Restricting the definition to only a specific number of stars does not align with the account given by al-Ṣūfī.
<ref name="Hinckley">Allen, Richard Hinckley. ''Star Names — Their Lore and Meaning''. Dover edition, 1963.</ref>
<gallery widths="360" heights="360">
File:Northern Khiba al-sufi.jpg|Al-Ḫibāʾ region as described by al-Ṣūfī.
</gallery>


===== Al-Marzūqī (d. 421 H / 1030) =====
<ref name="Kunitzsch1961">Kunitzsch, Paul. ''Untersuchungen zur Sternnomenklatur der Araber''. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1961.</ref>
The complete text describing the Northern Tent (''al-Ḫibāʾ ash-Šāmī'') on the authority of Ibn al-Aʿrabī (d. 230 H / 845) reads:<ref>Al-Marzūqī, Abū ʿAli Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥassan (died 1030), Al-Azminah wa al-amkinah (Times and Places), Edition by Dr. Mohammad Nayef al-Dulaymi, (Arabic print of the original book in 2002, World of Books, Beirut, Lebanon)<br>


الإمام أبو علي أحمد بن محمد بن الحسن المرزوقي (توفي سنة 421 هـ)، الأزمنة والأمكنة، تحقيق د. محمد نايف الدليمي، عالم الكتب، بيروت، لبنان، 1422 هـ.
<ref name="lisan"><span dir="rtl">لسان العرب، ابن منظور (توفي 711 هـ)</span><br />
</ref>
Ibn Manẓūr (d. 711 AH / c. 1312 CE). ''Lisān al-ʿArab''.</ref>


;Original Arabic
<ref name="thaqafi"><span dir="rtl">عبد الله بن حسين بن عاصم الثقفي (توفي 403 هـ)، الأنواء والأزمنة، تحقيق: د. نوري حمودي القيسي، د. محمد نايف الدليمي، دار الجيل، بيروت، لبنان، 1416 هـ.</span><br />
Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī, ʿAbd Allāh b. Ḥusayn (d. 403 AH / c. 1013 CE). ''Al-Anwāʾ wa-l-azmina''. Edited by Nūrī Ḥammūdī al-Qaysī and Muḥammad Nāyif al-Dulaymī. Beirut: Dār al-Ǧīl, 1416 AH / 1996 CE.</ref>


وقال [ابن الأعرابي]: أسفل من بَنَاتِ نَعْشٍ كواكب كثيرة مختلطة يقال لها: الضِّبَاعُ. وأَوْلَادُ الضِّبَاعِ كواكب صغار، عن يمين الضِّبَاعِ، بينها وبين بَنَاتِ نَعْشٍ. قال: والخِبَاءُ كواكب في مثل هيئة الخِبَاءِ، أسفل من أَوْلَادِ الضِّبَاعِ.
<ref name="thaqafi-restoration">Dark red text marks corrections to corrupt readings in the printed edition of al-Ṯaqafī’s text. The edition reads ''ḫafiyya'' (خفية, “faint”) in place of ''ḫamsa'' (خمسة, “five”). The reading ''ḫamsa'' is supported by the later wording of the same passage and by al-Marzūqī’s account; moreover, the stars in question are bright, not faint. The edition also reads ''Ibrat al-Mankib'' (إبرة المنكب, “the Tip of the Shoulder”) in place of ''Ibrat al-Mirfaq'' (إبرة المرفق, “the Tip of the Elbow”).</ref>


;English translation
<ref name="marzuqi"><span dir="rtl">الإمام أبو علي أحمد بن محمد بن الحسن المرزوقي (توفي سنة 421 هـ)، الأزمنة والأمكنة، تحقيق د. محمد نايف الدليمي، عالم الكتب، بيروت، لبنان، 1422 هـ.</span><br />
 
Al-Marzūqī, Abū ʿAlī Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan (d. 1030 CE). ''Al-Azmina wa-l-amkina'' (“Times and Places”). Edited by Muḥammad Nāyif al-Dulaymī. Beirut: ʿĀlam al-Kutub, 1422 AH / 2002 CE.</ref>
[Ibn al-Aʿrabī] said: Below ''Banāt Naʿsh'' (بَنَاتِ نَعْش) are numerous, scattered stars called ''al-Ḍibāʿ'' (الضِّبَاعُ, "the hyenas"). ''Awlād al-Ḍibāʿ'' (أَوْلَادُ الضِّبَاعِ, "the young hyenas") are small stars located to the right of ''al-Ḍibāʿ'', between them and ''Banāt Naʿsh''. He also said: ''al-Ḫibāʾ'' (الخِبَاءُ) is a group of stars resembling the shape of a tent, situated below ''Awlād al-Ḍibāʿ'' (أَوْلَادُ الضِّبَاعِ, "the young hyenas").
 
;Stars identification
 
Al-Marzūqī places ''al-Ḫibāʾ'' in spatial relation below ''al-Ḍibāʿ''. From the text we can easily find a quadrilateral shape with relatively bright stars as described in the region of the constellation Hercules. The location of this tent fits nicely with the nearby shepherd with his goats and two dogs in the middle of a desert pasture. Notably, his description is clearer than those of Ibn Qutayba and al-Ṣūfī and corresponds well with the arrangement of stars in the night sky. According to his narrative, ''al-Ḫibāʾ'' refers to the four stars ζ, ε, π, η Her.
<gallery widths="360" heights="360">
File:Northern Khiba al-Marzuqi.jpg|Al-Ḫibāʾ as described by al-Marzūqī.
</gallery>
==== Summary of stars identification ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|-
! Author !! Identification !! Comment
|-
| Ibn Qutayba || The quadrilateral formed by 15 Lyn, δ Aur, and α, β Cam || This is the closest match of the description, but the asterism stars are not prominent.
|-
| Al-Ṣūfī || A region of the sky surrounded by Auriga, along with the head of the Great Bear, Polaris, and  Cassiopeia, including the two stars δ and ξ Aur. || A region with no bright stars, and no prominent asterism resembling a khiba.
|-
| Al-Marzūqī || ζ, ε, π, η Her || Definitive identification from a clear description
|}
==== Adopted identification ====
 
Based on the concordance of star positions and the historical descriptions, al-Marzūqī account is adopted for '''al-Ḫibāʾ in Hercules (Northern Tent)''' as the preferred identification. In this article, ''al-Ḫibāʾ ash-Šāmī'' denotes the quadrilateral ζ, ε, π, η Her, corresponding to the Hercules Keystone, and is distinguished from ''al-Ḫibāʾ al-Yamānī'' in Corvus.
 
=== Roland Laffitte ===
 
== Weblinks ==
 
*
 
== Reference ==


<ref name="marzuqi-restoration">Al-Marzūqī, ''Al-Azmina wa-l-amkina'', ed. al-Dulaymī, vol. 2, p. 344. Text in square brackets is missing from the printed edition and has been supplied from the corresponding passage in Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī’s text. The other text marked in dark red corrects the printed reading ''fīhā'' (فيها, “in it”) to ''fa-minhā'' (فمنها, “among them”), following Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī.</ref>
}}
[[Category:Africa]]
[[Category:North Africa]]
[[Category:Eurasia]]
[[Category:Asian]]
[[Category:West Asian]]
[[Category:Arabic]]
[[Category:Arabic]]
[[Category:West Asian]]
[[Category:Asian]]
[[Category:Eurasia]]
[[Category:North Africa]]
[[Category:Africa]]
[[Category:Star Name]]
[[Category:Asterism]]
[[Category:Asterism]]
[[Category:Constellation]]
[[Category:Constellation]]
[[Category:Her]]
[[Category:IAU-Star Name]]
[[Category:IAU-Star Name]]

Latest revision as of 11:20, 3 November 2026


See also: al-Ṯurayyā [the Head and the Two Hands]

Authors: Khalid Al-Ajaji

The Arabic asterism al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb (الكَفّ الخَضِيب), ‘the Henna-Dyed Hand’. CC BY, Khalid Al-Ajaji, 2026.

al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb (الكَفّ الخَضِيب), ‘the Henna-Dyed Hand’, is the northern hand of the larger Arabic constellation al-Ṯurayyā, represented by five bright stars in Cassiopeia.[1][2]

Concordance, Etymology, History

al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb is recorded in the accounts of the larger figure in the anwāʾ works of Ibn Qutayba, Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī, and al-Marzūqī, and in al-Ṣūfī’s Kitāb al-kawākib. The relevant passages are reproduced below with their surrounding anatomical context.

Variants Arabic

  • Sanām al-Nāqa (سَنَام النَّاقَة) “the Camel's Hump”


Variants Latin / European

. Hyde (1665)[3] . Ideler (1809)[4] . Schjellerup (1874)[5] . Allen (1963)[6] . Kunitzsch (1961)[7]

  • Caph AlChadib, Hyde (1665)[3] (p. 19)
  • El-khaf el-chadîb, Ideler (1809)[4] (p. 81)
  • al-kaff al-chadhîb, Schjellerup (1874)[5] (p. 83)
  • Kaff al Ḣadib, Allen (1963)[6] pp. (143–144)
  • al-kaff al-ḫaḍīb, Kunitzsch (1961)[7] (no. 136b, p. 72)

Etymology

Name English Arabic
al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb In Lisān al-ʿArab, s.v. k-f-f (كفف) and ḫ-ḍ-b (خضب),[8] we read:

“Al-kaff means ‘hand’ and is grammatically feminine.” … “Al-kaff al-ḫaḍīb is a star, named by comparison [with a hand dyed with henna].”

جاء في «لسان العرب»، مادة «كفف»: «والكَفُّ: الْيَدُ، أُنثى.» وفي مادة «خضب»:

«والكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ: نَجْمٌ عَلَى التَّشْبِيه.»

Sources and Identification

Ibn Qutayba

Ibn Qutayba (d. 276 AH / 889 CE), Hyderabad edition (1956)[1] (pp. 32–34):

English Arabic

The other is called al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb. It is the outstretched hand of al-Ṯurayyā: five white stars in the Milky Way, opposite al-Ḥūt (“the Fish”).

«ويقال للأخرى: الكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ. وهو كَفُّ الثُّرَيَّا المَبْسُوطَةُ، خمسة كواكب بيض فـي الـمجرَّة حيال الحُوتِ.»

Al-Ṣūfī

Al-Ṣūfī (d. 376 AH / 986 CE), ed. Khalid Al-Ajaji (2021)[2], Cetus and Perseus:

English Arabic

The Arabs call the stars in the head [of Cetus], from the first to the sixth, al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ, by which they mean the hand of al-Ṯurayyā. This is because they found two lines of stars extending from al-Ṯurayyā. One runs northwards, passing through most of the stars of the Bearer of the Ghoul’s Head [Perseus] until it reaches the bright stars on the back of al-Nāqa (“the She-Camel”), which constitute the constellation Ḏāt al-Kursī (“the Lady of the Chair”) [Cassiopeia]. They likened the bright stars on the She-Camel’s back to henna-dyed fingertips and called this hand al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb (“the Henna-Dyed Hand”).

The other line extends southwards from al-Ṯurayyā, passing through the four stars arranged in a row at the point where the Bull [Taurus] is cut off, and ends at these six stars on the head of Cetus. They likened this line and the stars on the head to an amputated hand because of its shortness and because it does not extend as far as the northern line. They likened al-Ṯurayyā to a head between two hands.

«والعرب تُسمِّي الكواكب التي في الرأس من الأول إلى السادس: الكَفَّ الجَذْمَاءَ، يريدون به كف الثُّرَيَّا؛ وذلك أنهم وجدوا سطرين من كواكب يمتدان من عند الثُّرَيَّا: أحدهما نحو الشمال فيمر على أكثر كواكب ممسك رأس الغول حتى ينتهي إلى الكواكب النيِّرة التي على ظهر النَّاقَةِ، وهي كوكبة ذَاتِ الكُرْسِيِّ، فشبهوا النيِّرة التي على ظهر النَّاقَةِ بأنامل مخضوبة، فسموا هذه اليد: الكَفَّ الخَضِيبَ، والآخر يمتد من عند الثُّرَيَّا نحو الجنوب، فيمر على الأربعة المصطفة التي على موضع القطع من الثَّوْرِ، وينقطع عند هذه الستة على رأس قِيطُسَ، فشبهوا هذا السطر والكواكب التي على الرأس بيد جذماء لقصرها، ولأن امتدادها دون امتداد السطر الشمالي، وشبهوا الثُّرَيَّا برأس بين يدين.»

Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī

Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī (d. 403 AH / 1013 CE), ed. al-Qaysī and al-Dulaymī (1996)[9] (p. 83)

English Arabic

When you face al-Ṯurayyā, you see a line of stars to your right and left, extending northwards from it in a curve until it reaches al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb (“the Henna-Dyed Hand”). Al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb consists of five[10] irregularly arranged stars. This line is called Yad al-Ṯurayyā al-Yumnā al-Mabsūṭa (“the Outstretched Right Hand of al-Ṯurayyā”). In this representation, it resembles a human hand extended upwards, not held entirely upright but bent somewhat. Al-Ṯurayyā has another hand of the same form, extended southwards, called al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ (“the Amputated Hand”) because it is short and does not extend far. They say that al-Ṯurayyā is the head between the two hands.

In its right hand—the complete one—are stars that are the brightest within it. Among them is al-ʿĀtiq (“the Upper Shoulder”), the closest to al-Ṯurayyā; then al-Mankib (“the Shoulder”); then al-Mirfaq (“the Elbow”). Beneath al-Mirfaq is a small star called Ibrat al-Mirfaq[10] (“the Tip of the Elbow”), positioned like the corresponding part of a human elbow. There, too, is al-Maʾbiḍ (“the Inner Elbow”), resembling the inner bend of a human elbow. The portion between al-Mirfaq and al-Mankib is called ʿAḍud al-Ṯurayyā (“the Upper Arm of al-Ṯurayyā”).

Beyond al-Mirfaq is al-Miʿṣam (“the Wrist”), which resembles a patch of cloud. The portion between al-Mirfaq and al-Miʿṣam is called al-Sāʿid (“the Forearm”); the diminutive form al-Suwayʿid (“the Little Forearm”) is also used. Then, beyond al-Miʿṣam, comes al-Kaff (“the Hand”), namely al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb, which, as I told you earlier, consists of five irregularly arranged stars.

«وإذا استقبلت الثريا نظرت إلى سطر من كواكب عن يمينك ويسارك قد امتدت من لدنها في الشمال على انعطاف حتى اتصلت بالكَفِّ الخَضِيبِ، والكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ كواكب خمسة[10] مـختلفة النظم، ويُسَمَّى هذا السطر: يَدَ الثُّرَيَّا اليُمْنَى المَبْسُوطَةَ، كأنها في التمثيل يد الإنسان قد مدَّها صعدًا ولم ينصبها كل النصب، ولكن عطفها بعض العطف، ولها يدٌ أخرى على هذه الصفة ممدودة نحو الجنوب تسمى: الكَفَّ الجَذْماءَ، لقصرها وأنه لا امتداد لها، ويقولون: الثُّرَيَّا الرأس فيما بين اليدين. وفي يدها اليمني - وهي التامة - كواكب، وهي أنور ما فيها، فمنها: العَاتِقُ، وهو أقربها إلى الثُّرَيَّا، ثم المَنْكِبُ بعده، ثم المِرْفَقُ، وتحت المِرْفَقِ كوكب صغير يقال له: إبْرَةُ المِرْفَقِ[10] بمنزلة مرفق الإنسان، وهناك أيضًا: المَأْبِضُ، مثل مأبض الإنسان، ويقال لما بين المِرْفَقِ والمَنْكِبِ: عَضُدُ الثُّرَيَّا، وبعد المِرْفَقِ المِعْصَمُ، وهو كاللطخة من السحاب، ويقال لما بين المِرْفَقِ والمِعْصَمِ: السَّاعِدُ، ويصغر أيضا فيقال: السُّوَيْعِدُ، ثم الكَفُّ بعد المِعْصَمِ، وهي الكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ التي أعلمتك قبل أنها خمسة كواكب مختلفة النظم.»

Al-Marzūqī

Al-Marzūqī (d. 421 AH / 1030 CE), ed. al-Dulaymī (2002)[11] (vol. 2, p. 344):

English Arabic

There is a line of stars extending northwards in a curve [until it reaches al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb (“the Henna-Dyed Hand”). Al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb consists of five irregularly arranged stars. This line is called Yad al-Ṯurayyā al-Yumnā al-Mabsūṭa (“the Outstretched Right Hand of al-Ṯurayyā”). It has another hand of the same form, extended southwards,][12] called al-Kaff al-Ǧaḏmāʾ (“the Amputated Hand”) because of its shortness. They call al-Ṯurayyā the head between the two hands. In the right hand are stars that are its brightest, among them[12] al-ʿĀtiq (“the Upper Shoulder”), which is the closest to al-Ṯurayyā; then al-Mankib (“the Shoulder”); then al-Mirfaq (“the Elbow”)[; and beneath al-Mirfaq is][12] a small star called Ibrat al-Mirfaq (“the Tip of the Elbow”). There, too, is al-Maʾbiḍ (“the Inner Elbow”).

In the human body, ibrat al-mirfaq is the end of the forearm bone from which the cubit is measured. The other extremity, which bends when you draw your forearm towards you, is called al-qabīḥ. As the poet said:

Where the ibra meets the qabīḥ.

The inner hollow between them, into which the forearm folds, is called al-maʾbiḍ; the same term is also used for the corresponding part of the knee. [The portion between al-Mirfaq and al-Mankib is called ʿAḍud al-Ṯurayyā (“the Upper Arm of al-Ṯurayyā”). Beyond al-Mirfaq is al-Miʿṣam (“the Wrist”), which resembles a patch of cloud.][12] The portion between al-Mirfaq and al-Miʿṣam is called al-Sāʿid (“the Forearm”); the diminutive form al-Suwayʿid (“the Little Forearm”) is also used. Then, beyond al-Miʿṣam, comes al-Kaff (“the Hand”), namely al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb, the hand of al-Ṯurayyā.

«وهناك سطرٌ من كواكب امتدّت في الشَّمال على انعطاف [حتى اتصلت بالكَفِّ الخَضِيبِ، والكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ كواكب خمسة مختلفة النظم، ويُسَمَّى هذا السطر: يَدَ الثُّرَيَّا اليُمْنَى المَبْسُوطَةَ، ولها يدٌ أخرى على هذه الصفة ممدودة نحو الجنوب][12] تُسَمَّى: الكَفَّ الجَذْمَاءَ لقصرها، ويقولون للثُّرَيَّا: الرّأس فيما بين اليدين، وفي اليمنى كواكب هي أنورها، فمنها[12] العَاتِقُ وهو أقربها إلى الثُّرَيَّا، ثم المَنْكِبُ بعده، ثم المِرْفَقُ[، وتحت المِرْفَقِ][12] كويكب صغير يقال له: إبْرَةُ المِرْفَقِ، وهنالك أيضًا: المَأْبِضُ. فأما إبْرَةُ المِرْفَقِ من الإنسان فهو طرف عظم السَّاعد وهو الذي يذرع منه الذراع والطرف الآخر الذي يُثْنَى إذا قبضت ذراعك إليك يقال له: القبيح، قال: حَيْثُ تَلاقِي الإبْرَةُ القَبِيحَا ويقال لباطنهما الذي ينثني عليه الساعد: المَأْبِضُ، وكذلك هو في الركبة، [ويقال لما بين المرفق والمنكب: عضد الثريا، وبعد المرفق المعصم، وهو كاللطخة من السحاب،][12] ويقال لما بين المِرْفَقِ والمِعْصَمِ: السَّاعِدُ، ويُصَغَّرُ أيضًا، فيقال: السُّوَيْعِدُ. ثم الكَفُّ بعد المِعْصَمِ، وهي الكَفُّ الخَضِيبُ، كَفُّ الثُّرَيَّا.»

Star identifications

The identifications from the anwāʾ descriptions are proposed by Khalid Al-Ajaji. Those from al-Ṣūfī’s account follow the commentary in his 2021 edition of Kitāb al-kawākib, in the sections on Cassiopeia. The comparison retains the differences recorded in the parent article.[2]

Name Description in anwāʾ sources Identification from anwāʾ descriptions Identification from al-Ṣūfī’s description
al-Kaff al-Ḫaḍīb Five white stars in the Milky Way, opposite al-Ḥūt (“the Fish”). β, α, γ, δ, ε Cas β, α, γ, δ, ε Cas

Discussion

The five-star hand is identified consistently in the supplied comparison as β, α, γ, δ, and ε Cas. Al-Ṣūfī explains the name by likening these bright stars to henna-dyed fingertips. Sanām al-Nāqa describes the same group within the separate figure of the She-Camel; it is retained here as a corresponding designation rather than as an anatomical part of al-Ṯurayyā.[2]

Reference

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 أبو محمد عبد الله بن مسلم ابن قتيبة الدينوري المتوفى سنة 276هـ - 889م، كتاب الأنواء في مواسم العرب، دائرة المعارف العثمانية، حيدر أباد، الهند، 1375 هـ - 1956م.
    Ibn Qutayba al-Dīnawarī, Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh b. Muslim (d. 276 AH / 889 CE). Kitāb al-anwāʾ fī mawāsim al-ʿArab. Hyderabad, India: Dāʾirat al-Maʿārif al-ʿUṯmāniyya, 1375 AH / 1956 CE.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 كتاب الكواكب لأبي الحسين عبد الرحمن بن عمر الرازي المعروف بالصوفي (291-376)، تحقيق خالد بن عبد الله العجاجي.
    Al-Ṣūfī, Abū al-Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿUmar (d. 986 CE). Book of the Stars. Critical edition with commentary by Khalid Al-Ajaji. Digital edition, 2021. Digital edition.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hyde, Thomas. Tabulæ Long[itudinis] ac Lat[itudinis] Stellarum Fixarum. Oxford: Henry Hall, 1665.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ideler, Ludwig. Untersuchungen über den Ursprung und die Bedeutung der Sternnamen. Berlin, 1809.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Al-Ṣūfī, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. ʿUmar (903–986 CE). Description des étoiles fixes. Translated with notes by H. C. F. C. Schjellerup. St. Pétersbourg: Commissionnaires de l’Académie Impériale des sciences, 1874.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Allen, Richard Hinckley. Star Names — Their Lore and Meaning. Dover edition, 1963.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kunitzsch, Paul. Untersuchungen zur Sternnomenklatur der Araber. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1961.
  8. ↑ لسان العرب، ابن منظور (توفي 711 هـ)
    Ibn Manẓūr (d. 711 AH / c. 1312 CE). Lisān al-ʿArab.
  9. ↑ عبد الله بن حسين بن عاصم الثقفي (توفي 403 هـ)، الأنواء والأزمنة، تحقيق: د. نوري حمودي القيسي، د. محمد نايف الدليمي، دار الجيل، بيروت، لبنان، 1416 هـ.
    Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī, ʿAbd Allāh b. Ḥusayn (d. 403 AH / c. 1013 CE). Al-Anwāʾ wa-l-azmina. Edited by Nūrī Ḥammūdī al-Qaysī and Muḥammad Nāyif al-Dulaymī. Beirut: Dār al-Ǧīl, 1416 AH / 1996 CE.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Dark red text marks corrections to corrupt readings in the printed edition of al-Ṯaqafī’s text. The edition reads ḫafiyya (خفية, “faint”) in place of ḫamsa (خمسة, “five”). The reading ḫamsa is supported by the later wording of the same passage and by al-Marzūqī’s account; moreover, the stars in question are bright, not faint. The edition also reads Ibrat al-Mankib (إبرة المنكب, “the Tip of the Shoulder”) in place of Ibrat al-Mirfaq (إبرة المرفق, “the Tip of the Elbow”).
  11. ↑ الإمام أبو علي أحمد بن محمد بن الحسن المرزوقي (توفي سنة 421 هـ)، الأزمنة والأمكنة، تحقيق د. محمد نايف الدليمي، عالم الكتب، بيروت، لبنان، 1422 هـ.
    Al-Marzūqī, Abū ʿAlī Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan (d. 1030 CE). Al-Azmina wa-l-amkina (“Times and Places”). Edited by Muḥammad Nāyif al-Dulaymī. Beirut: ʿĀlam al-Kutub, 1422 AH / 2002 CE.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 Al-Marzūqī, Al-Azmina wa-l-amkina, ed. al-Dulaymī, vol. 2, p. 344. Text in square brackets is missing from the printed edition and has been supplied from the corresponding passage in Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī’s text. The other text marked in dark red corrects the printed reading fīhā (فيها, “in it”) to fa-minhā (فمنها, “among them”), following Ibn ʿĀṣim al-Ṯaqafī.
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