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same Indian-Persian origin as some Java nese biographies of Muhammad. Probably the oldest Javanese Ménak Amir Hamza tales also date from the beginning of Islamic literature in the marcantile kingdoms on the North Coast, where foreign traders were frequent visitors. Episodes of Muhammad’s life and his family’s history which are often described in Javanese biographies are his birth (how his mother Aminah conceived him), his shaving (Paras Nabi), the Ascension to Heaven (Mikrad, Arabic Mi c rag), the war with Raja Lakad, the Kandak war (khandak: moat), the meeting with Samud, and the Prophet’s death. Several of these episodes were described separately in Java nese texts which were read as edifying reading-matter by the pious. Muhammad’s daughter Fatima (in Javanese Patimah, often called Pratimah or Pertimah) and his son-in-law c Ali (Dali) are often mentioned together. These edifying texts have been registered in Part One, Religion (16.400). Under the present head biographic texts of a historical character including the Lakad and Kandak tales are collected. The Javanese biographies of Muhammad are as difficult to date and to locate with any degree of certainty as the Anbiya texts (21.700). Probably several texts were writ ten in the Eastern Pasisir districts. Some remarkable manuscripts are even of Lombok origin. As a rule, in Java, biographies of the Prophet are called Carita Nabi or Carita Rasul. In his book on “Indonesische Hand schriften” (1950) professor Poerbatjaraka has given descriptions of many manuscripts

belonging to the KBG collection, Djakarta, containing Anbiya and Carita Rasul texts. He mentions i.a. the tale of Patimah Sami (the Syrian princess who 1 tried to become the Prophet’s mother, but failed). There is reason to believe that originally this tale had a Shi c itic tendency. c Ali and his de scendants are extolled. It is a well-known fact that Shi c itic concepts once had some influence in Sumatra. No doubt they were introduced by Indian Muslims. In Javanese Islam Shi c itic features are very scarce. The Lakad and the Kandak tales are listed by Poerbatjaraka under the head Pasantrèn literature, i.e. reading-matter of Javanese religious communities. By other Javanese scholars the Lahad or Lakad tale was con sidered as belonging to the Ménak Amir Hamza cycle (see 30.460). Manuscripts containing texts referring to the subject are to be found in the General Index under the catchword Muhammad. 22.010 Carita Rasul, East Javanese and Balinese origin: cod. 3690 (= 4704), 3793 (called Nabi Mérad, = 4341 = 10.673 = BCB prtf 150), 4233, 4899, 4925, 4929 (= 10.672 = BCB prtf 149), 5442, 6228, 6410, 8997, 9003, 10.394, CB 5 (PatimahSami), RtMLV 11719, Utr. RUB Ind. St. Hs. l.D.11 (Kadis), BrKMA 6644 (Patimah Sami). 22.020 Lakad episode: cod. 1984, 4900, 5771,9013, DFT S 227-8, DFT S 240/280-17. 22.030 Kandak episode, East Javanese: cod. REM 2244-2. 22.040 Unduk episode, Lombok origin: cod. 10.352 (Krt 10.006), AdKIT H 967.