"Ilaj Al-Atfal" is one of the rarest manuscripts of our institute in Persian language on Unani Medicine especially on Pediatrics. Treatment of diseases of children is very much difficult for the physicians as children may not speak and reveal sometimes. So, it is the great task and challenging for the physicians. Syed Fazl Ali Shifai Khan, who belongs to 1836 AD, had lessened this difficulty by writing this great book. Today we see a lot of importance for Unani Medicine in India and most of the people are getting benefitted with the drugs explained in the Unani Medicine. This manuscript mainly deals with the problems of pregnant women and also the treatment of mother and child. This book also deals with the rare disorders of the children. The remedies are also explained in this manuscript. The precautionary and preventive methods are also explained in this manuscript to prevent diseases. In view of the importance, utility and world wide interest in Unani Medicine especially on Pediatrics, Government Oriental Manuscripts Library and Research Institute thought it necessary to publish this manuscript. I am glad to say that this is the 107th publication of this institute.
I sincerely express my deep gratitude to Dr. Ashfaque Ahmad for taking a lot of pains in editing this rare and valuable manuscript. I also thank all of my colleagues for their continuous efforts in bringing this manuscript in light. I express my special thanks to Dr. Rafath Rizwana, Research Officer, Urdu, Arabic and Persian Wing for taking special interest in publishing this book. I also thank Smt. Tanveer Fathima, Research Assistant of the same wing for her co-operation in this regard. I hope the readers would get benefit of this publication.
Our ancient manuscripts, both in paper and in palm leaves play an important and vital role in protecting and preserving the Indian Culture and Heritage. Our ancestors had made selfless efforts to propogate and preserve our ancient Indian Culture to later generations. Today we find a large volume of manuscripts pertaining to poetry, drama, medicine, astrology, astronomy etc., found in these ancient leaves wherein our forefathers had put all their efforts to preserve the knowledge known either from master-disciple tradition or family tradition. It is not an exaggeration to say that they succeeded in their continuous efforts and bequeathed knowledge to us. To pay our homage to our forefathers, we should also have to make our own efforts for protecting, preserving and digitalizing the manuscripts in scientific ways and also to pass on this treasure of knowledge to coming generations. Today we see, the state and central governments are making all efforts to collect and protect the manuscripts. Several scholars of abroad are also eager to know the valuable treasure of literature, grammar, medicine, astrology, astronomy etc., from our manuscripts.
It is the need of hour to protect all our ancient manuscripts. The Andhra Pradesh State Government had established this Oriental Manuscripts Library and Research Institute as an independent directorate in the year 1975 with a view to collect and preserve valuable manuscripts and to make them available to scholars. It is one of the richest repositories of India containing nearly 24,000 manuscripts in 16 languages i.e., Telugu, Sanskrit, Urdu, Arabic, Persian etc. Several of these are rare and important manuscripts which are not found or known any where else. We have rich collection of above 17,000 manuscripts of Urdu, Arabic and Persian languages in our institute in 47 subjects i.e., Usail I-Fiqa, Tarikah, Tassuaf, Geography, Hadeeth, Tib-I-Unani, Fatawa, Falsafa, Narainjath etc. This institute had under taken programmes, surveying and collecting the manuscripts from the nook and corner of Andhra Pradesh, preserving them on modern scientific ways, publishing them in a phased manner, keeping them available for research scholars, conducting national seminars and workshops on manuscripts, conducting manuscripts awareness campaigns in all districts of Andhra Pradesh etc. The National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) working under Department of Culture, Government of India, is also putting its efforts in this great and pious task.
Government Oriental Manuscripts Library and Research Institute, Osmania University Campus, Hyderabad is known for its rare and valuable manuscripts. It is a treasury of a huge collection of Arabic, Persian and Urdu manuscripts. These are more than seventeen thousand in number. In addition to that a considerable material is also there in Punjabi, Sindhi, Hindi, Turkey and Pishtu languages.
These manuscripts are classified into 47 subjects such as Tafseer (Commentary) of Holy Quran, Hadiths, Philosophy, History, Biographics, Athcics, Rhetoric, Mathematics and Unani Medicine etc., This Research Centre is considered very important for Indian and Foreign scholars for their research purpose. Therefore many Research scholars come here to quench their thrust from this treasury. That is why the fore most objective of this institute is to provide research facilities.
Another aim is editing and translating the Unpublished rare manuscripts and preparing of descriptive catalogues. In this regard recently the work of editing and translation of famous manuscript of Unani medicine namely "IlajulAtfal, (Paediatrics) is under taken by Dr. Ashfaque Ahmad, MD, Research Officer (Unani).
The Manuscript IlajulAtfal (Paediatrics) is written by Shifai Khan in the year 1836 A.D. He was an Imperial practitioner (Shahi Tabeeb). He was patronized by Maharaja Chandulal, the Prime Minister of Nizam's Kingdom of Hyderabad. Shifai Khan was a veteran physician. In his book IlajulAtfal, the author wrote many things about pregnancy and neonatology. This manuscript was translated into English profoundly by Dr. Ashfaque Ahmad besides being edited. It would be very informative book to the present medical practitioners and also to the Research Scholars.
earlier the Persian manuscript "Qarabuddin Masumi" preparation of Unani Medicine (ie. Pharmacology) in the year 2013. He not only edited this manuscript but also wrote a comprehensive history of Unani Medicine in the preface. No doubt it may be considered an informative creditable work. I also mention here that a National seminar on "Unpublished Manuscripts on Medicine" was conducted by this institute for three days in 2013. At that time many scholars presented their paper on Unani Medicine also, in addition to Ayurveda, Siddha, Panchakarma etc. The summaries of papers were also published.
Before ending, I thank our Director who paid his personal attention to bring this manuscript "IlajulAtfal" into light for the benefit of one and all. I thank Dr. Ashfaque Ahmad for undertaking the great task.
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