"The Disappearance of Knowledge" from the Tarikh al-Sudan by Al-Sadi of Timbuktu

Page from the Tarikh al-Sudan

         We know that our ancestors often entertained themselves in their council meetings with presentations of the history of the Companions of the Prophet and the islamic Saints (may God witness their satisfaction and bestow his mercy upon them).  They would also talk about the kings and princes of their country, recounting stories of the conduct of these individuals, their adventures, their prowess, expeditions and the calamities that befell them.  Our ancestors enjoyed nothing so much as the retelling of these stories, which served to revitalize their spirits.  They remained this way throughout their lives (may God almighty grant them mercy).

         The succeeding generation did not share the same interests.  None of them sought to follow the example provided by the preceding generation.  No longer could anyone be found who possessed the intellectual curiosity to study and learn about the great personalities of this world.  Or, if it did happen that some might possess such an attribute, their numbers were indeed minute.  From this time onwards, all that seemed to remain were those possessing spirits steeped in vulgarity, inclined towards hatred, envy, meddling, discord, gossip, backbiting and deception – all attributes constituting the roots of the worst of the evils.  (may heaven save us from a similar plague).

As a consequence, I was present at the ruin of knowledge and at its effacement.  I saw it disappear along with the gold coins and small change of the realm.  However, knowledge is precious in the treasures which it encases and fertile in the wisdom it bears, since it reveals insights to humankind about their homeland, their ancestors, their annals, the names and biographies of their heroes.  For these reasons, I asked divine assistance and undertook to record all that I could gather on the subject of the princes of the Sudan and of the Songhay people.  This was in order that I might recount their adventures, their history, their exploits and their battles.  Having accomplished this goal, I added to this narration the history of Timbuktu, from the foundation of this city, the princes who reigned in it, the scholars and saints who inhabited it and other things as well.

Shaykh Abd al-Rahman bn Abdullah bn al-Sadi, Tarikh al-Sudan, edited by O.Houdas,

 translated by Constance Hilliard