Or 16170 (Oriental Manuscripts, British Library)

The fourth, fifth, and sixth Daftars (volumes) of the famous poem on Islamic spirituality by Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī (d. 672/1273). This manuscript presumably represents the second half of a two-volume copy of the entire Masnavī. Each Daftar is preceded by a table of contents.

The present manuscript is of interest on account of its copious annotations, some of which have been added on one or both sides of smaller sheets of paper introduced between the folios. All are in the hand of the same copyist as the main text. Also noteworthy is the presence of Persian translations of the author’s prefaces (dībācha) to the three Daftars. These are found at the beginning of each Daftar, after the list of contents and before the Arabic preface. The texts of the Daftars begin on f. 6v, 74v, and 157v.

Text begins: ‘Tarjumah-'i Dībācha-'i ʿArabī-'i Ḥaz̤rat-i Mawlavī... Hamah sipās va sitāyash mar Jānān-i Muqaddas az shavāʾib-i naqṣ va muṭarrā ba-ṣifāt-i kamāl sazāvar-i ḥamd-i Ū va durūd va raḥmat-i khāṣṣ-i Ū bar bihtarīn-i āfarīnash-i Ū kih nām bā-iḥtirāmash Muḥammad...’

Commentary begins: ‘Dar Nafaḥāt al-uns maz̲kūr ast kih sabab-i naẓm-i Mas̲navī ān būd kih chūn Ḥusām al-Dīn Chalabī kih baʿd az fawt-i Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn ʿināyat va khilāfat-i khidmat-i Mawlānā ba-ū muntaqil shudah būd mayl-i aṣḥāb ba Ilāhī-nāmah-'i Ḥakīm-i Sanāʾī va Manṭiq al-ṭayr-i Farīd...’

Text ends: ‘Shukr-i īn nāmah ba-ʿunvānī rasīd / kam nashud naqd va ba-ikhvānī rasīd... Bām-i gardūn-rā azū āyad navā / gird-i shish (?) bāshad hamīshah zān havā ’

Commentary ends: ‘Sumiya ʿunvān al-kitāb li-annah yuʿīn nāhiyat Tāj al-asāmī va kull mā istadallat bi-shayʾ taẓahhar ʿalà ghayrih fa-huva ʿunvān lah... Īnjā maʿnī-'i avval ast murād’

Copied, almost certainly in Sind and probably at or near Thatta, by Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad Muḥsin, sākin-i ṣūbah-'i Thattah. Transcription of Daftar 4 was begun on 1 Rabīʿ al-sānī 1098/14 February 1687 and ended on 5 Jumādà l-sānī 1098/18 April 1686; that of Daftar 5 was begun on 22 Jumādà l-sani 1098/5 May 1686 and was completed on 14 Rajab [1098]/25 May 1687; that of Daftar 6 was begun on 15 Rajab 1098/26 May 1687 and completed on 7 Shaʿbān 1098/18 June 1687.

Nastaʿlīq. 19 lines. Episode headings and sporadic original foliation in red. Text frames and columns and red and blue. Illuminated headpieces in gold and colour, with elaborate tīghs, f. 6v, 74v, and 157v; these are interesting examples of Sindhi regional style. Lightish beige paper, thin to medium, unfortunately affected by worming that has cause severe damage in some parts of the second half of the volume. 251 folios, plus 3 blank. 275 x 177 mm.; text area 195 x 110 mm. Indian binding in European style: bright red leather with gold margin lines, and with gilt floral motifs on the spine.