D. 6 (University Library, Cambridge University)
E. G. Browne Collection
Contents
Summary of Contents: مقدمه فهرست مثنوی در احوال مولوی معنوی A table of the entire contents of the Mathnawi (ff. 128-170), to which is
prefixed (ff. 1-124) a very interesting critical examination of Súfi doctrine in
general and of the teachings of the Mathnatel in particular, with especial regard to
the charges of heresy levelled against them by certain Shi'a theologians, especially
Mullá Muhammad Tahir of Qum His biography is given in the Rawdátu'l-Jannát (pp. 336-337), but not the date of his death. He
was very bitter against the Súfis, and had many controversies with Mullá Muhammad Taqi-i-Majlisi on
the subject., composed by Muhammad Shafi, son of the
eminent Shaykh Bahá'u'd Din al-'Amili, about the year 1185/1771-2 This date is mentioned on f. 121b as the current date at the time of writing.. The earlier
portion of these Prolegomena (to f. 8a) deals chiefly with the various reproaches
(a) brought against Jalálu'd-Din Rúmi by his detractors and the replies to
them made by his defenders, both sides being stated very fairly. Thus an attempt
is made in ch. 1 (f. 10b) to prove that he was a Shi'a; in chs. II and III (ff. 11 and
13) to explain away his apparent apology for Ibn Muljam, the murderer of 'Ali,
whom he represents as acting under the compulsion of a fate which he cannot
escape, and as being comforted by his victim with a promise of intercession at the
Last Day: ليك بيغم شو شفیع تو منم خواجه نه مملوك تغم...
روحم ز آنکه این را من نمیدانم ز تو
بغضی نیست در جانم ز تو
هیچ Ch. IV (f. 17), a very long one, deals with the doctrine of Pantheism (Waḥdatu
-Wujild), and cites the opinions of a number of thinkers, such as Shaykh
Shabistari, his commentator Láhijí, Mír Dámád, Jámí, Jalálu'd-Din Dawání,
Muḥammad Báqir-i-Majlisí, etc. No further chapters seem to be indicated until
we reach the conclusion (Khatima, f. 82), containing short notices of eminent
Súfis and philosophers from the earliest times (Uways al-Qaraní, Kumayl, Hasan
of Başra, Málik Dínár, Dhu'n-Nún of Egypt, Báyazid of Bistám, al-Halláj, etc.)
down to Shaykh Bahá'u'd-Din al-Amili, Mir Abu'l-Qasim-i-Findariski, Mulla
Sadra, Mulla Muhsin-i-Fayd, and other notable thinkers of the Safawi period.
This book contains a great deal of interesting material, and would well deserve
fuller study. Begins after the Bismi'lláh (f. 1¹): لولا لمعات شمس نور الكرم
لولا نفحات عطر روض القدم
والعالم في جب ظلام العدم 1 ما كان من الوجود قطعا أثر، هستی نبود آنچه درین ارض و سماست
عالم همه موجود ز اسماء خداست نبود چو فروغ مهر پرتو بکجاست
پیدائی ذرات از خورشید بود After the doxology, which fills the best part of three pages, the author mentions
his name as follows (f. 2, penultimate line): و بعد بعرض ناظران این کلام و مطالعه کنندگان این ارقام میرساند خادم صفه نشینان
بارگاه اهل معنی ابن المرحوم بهاء الدين محمد العاملى محمد شفيع الحسيني كه صورت این
خیال چنین در مرات خاطر مرتسم کردید ... الخ The author then enumerates (f. 3) a number of authorities of whom he has made
use, and expresses his desire to write dispassionately and without prejudice about
the Mathnawi, of which he is neither the indiscriminate admirer nor the hostile
critic: الحاصل راقم اينحروف كه نه مادح مثنوی معنوی و نه قادح مولوی رومی است خواست که
کتاب مثنوی را بنظر انصاف بدون عصبیت و اعتساف بیند و گلهای فوایدش را چیند In his notice of Sháh Ni'matu'lláh (ff. 96b-98a) the author quotes a curious poem
in which that eminent gnostic is said to have foretold the names and reigns of all
the Safawi kings. It begins: غصه و غم از زمین تا آسمان خواهد گرفت
ای عزیزان شور و غوغا در جهان خواهد گرفت
فاش در عالم همه راز نهان خواهد گرفت
چون ز هجرت نهصد و نه سال و کسری بگذرد
خاک پایش در جهان کحل عیان خواهد گرفت
شاه اسمعیل بن حيدر بوده باشد شهریار and ends: آنچه از امروز تا آخر زمان خواهد گرفت
از کلام حق و قبول مصطفى كويم خبرا These Arabic verses are marked in red (by the author), and the succeeding Persian quatrain .(by the copyist لمسوده اسمعیل حیدر The metre requires] The author then sketches the history of the Safawis down to the end of the dynasty,
and alludes to the subsequent reigns of Nádir Sháh and Karim Khán-i-Zand, and
to his rivals Ázád Khán the Afghán and Muhammad Hasan Khan-i-Qájár The MS. comprises 171 f. of 23 x 14'5 c. and 21 ll. The Prolegomena
(ff. 1-124) are written in a neat Persian ta'liq with rubrications and numerous
marginal indications of topics which greatly facilitate reference: the titles and
numerous Arabic citations are in a larger naskh hand, and generally in red. This
part of the book ends abruptly with the title: عارف ربانی آقا محمد بیدآبادی اصفهانی followed by an erasure of the remaining half page. The Table of Contents
(ff. 128-170) is written in four columns, partly in red in the naskh, and partly in
black in the ta'liq hand. The date 1178/1764-5 occurring in the colophon must
apparently be taken as the date when the work was begun.
prefixed (ff. 1-124) a very interesting critical examination of Súfi doctrine in
general and of the teachings of the Mathnatel in particular, with especial regard to
the charges of heresy levelled against them by certain Shi'a theologians, especially
Mullá Muhammad Tahir of Qum His biography is given in the Rawdátu'l-Jannát (pp. 336-337), but not the date of his death. He
was very bitter against the Súfis, and had many controversies with Mullá Muhammad Taqi-i-Majlisi on
the subject., composed by Muhammad Shafi, son of the
eminent Shaykh Bahá'u'd Din al-'Amili, about the year 1185/1771-2 This date is mentioned on f. 121b as the current date at the time of writing.. The earlier
portion of these Prolegomena (to f. 8a) deals chiefly with the various reproaches
(a) brought against Jalálu'd-Din Rúmi by his detractors and the replies to
them made by his defenders, both sides being stated very fairly. Thus an attempt
is made in ch. 1 (f. 10b) to prove that he was a Shi'a; in chs. II and III (ff. 11 and
13) to explain away his apparent apology for Ibn Muljam, the murderer of 'Ali,
whom he represents as acting under the compulsion of a fate which he cannot
escape, and as being comforted by his victim with a promise of intercession at the
Last Day: ليك بيغم شو شفیع تو منم خواجه نه مملوك تغم...
روحم ز آنکه این را من نمیدانم ز تو
بغضی نیست در جانم ز تو
هیچ Ch. IV (f. 17), a very long one, deals with the doctrine of Pantheism (Waḥdatu
-Wujild), and cites the opinions of a number of thinkers, such as Shaykh
Shabistari, his commentator Láhijí, Mír Dámád, Jámí, Jalálu'd-Din Dawání,
Muḥammad Báqir-i-Majlisí, etc. No further chapters seem to be indicated until
we reach the conclusion (Khatima, f. 82), containing short notices of eminent
Súfis and philosophers from the earliest times (Uways al-Qaraní, Kumayl, Hasan
of Başra, Málik Dínár, Dhu'n-Nún of Egypt, Báyazid of Bistám, al-Halláj, etc.)
down to Shaykh Bahá'u'd-Din al-Amili, Mir Abu'l-Qasim-i-Findariski, Mulla
Sadra, Mulla Muhsin-i-Fayd, and other notable thinkers of the Safawi period.
This book contains a great deal of interesting material, and would well deserve
fuller study. Begins after the Bismi'lláh (f. 1¹): لولا لمعات شمس نور الكرم
لولا نفحات عطر روض القدم
والعالم في جب ظلام العدم 1 ما كان من الوجود قطعا أثر، هستی نبود آنچه درین ارض و سماست
عالم همه موجود ز اسماء خداست نبود چو فروغ مهر پرتو بکجاست
پیدائی ذرات از خورشید بود After the doxology, which fills the best part of three pages, the author mentions
his name as follows (f. 2, penultimate line): و بعد بعرض ناظران این کلام و مطالعه کنندگان این ارقام میرساند خادم صفه نشینان
بارگاه اهل معنی ابن المرحوم بهاء الدين محمد العاملى محمد شفيع الحسيني كه صورت این
خیال چنین در مرات خاطر مرتسم کردید ... الخ The author then enumerates (f. 3) a number of authorities of whom he has made
use, and expresses his desire to write dispassionately and without prejudice about
the Mathnawi, of which he is neither the indiscriminate admirer nor the hostile
critic: الحاصل راقم اينحروف كه نه مادح مثنوی معنوی و نه قادح مولوی رومی است خواست که
کتاب مثنوی را بنظر انصاف بدون عصبیت و اعتساف بیند و گلهای فوایدش را چیند In his notice of Sháh Ni'matu'lláh (ff. 96b-98a) the author quotes a curious poem
in which that eminent gnostic is said to have foretold the names and reigns of all
the Safawi kings. It begins: غصه و غم از زمین تا آسمان خواهد گرفت
ای عزیزان شور و غوغا در جهان خواهد گرفت
فاش در عالم همه راز نهان خواهد گرفت
چون ز هجرت نهصد و نه سال و کسری بگذرد
خاک پایش در جهان کحل عیان خواهد گرفت
شاه اسمعیل بن حيدر بوده باشد شهریار and ends: آنچه از امروز تا آخر زمان خواهد گرفت
از کلام حق و قبول مصطفى كويم خبرا These Arabic verses are marked in red (by the author), and the succeeding Persian quatrain .(by the copyist لمسوده اسمعیل حیدر The metre requires] The author then sketches the history of the Safawis down to the end of the dynasty,
and alludes to the subsequent reigns of Nádir Sháh and Karim Khán-i-Zand, and
to his rivals Ázád Khán the Afghán and Muhammad Hasan Khan-i-Qájár The MS. comprises 171 f. of 23 x 14'5 c. and 21 ll. The Prolegomena
(ff. 1-124) are written in a neat Persian ta'liq with rubrications and numerous
marginal indications of topics which greatly facilitate reference: the titles and
numerous Arabic citations are in a larger naskh hand, and generally in red. This
part of the book ends abruptly with the title: عارف ربانی آقا محمد بیدآبادی اصفهانی followed by an erasure of the remaining half page. The Table of Contents
(ff. 128-170) is written in four columns, partly in red in the naskh, and partly in
black in the ta'liq hand. The date 1178/1764-5 occurring in the colophon must
apparently be taken as the date when the work was begun.
Includes a critical examination of the Sūfī doctrines, with especial regard to the charges of heresy levelled against them.
Language(s): Persian
References
Introduction to and table of contexts of the Mas̲navī maʻnavī مثنوي معنوي of .
Physical Description
Form: codex
Support: Paper
Extent: Ff. 171
Dimensions: 23 × 14.5 cm.
Layout
21 lines
Hand(s)
Neat Persian ta'liq with rubrications; titles and Arabic citations in larger naskh, generally in red.
History
Origin: 1178 AH; 1764-5 CE
Record Sources
Summary, physical description and provenance copied from R. A. Nicholson: A descriptive catalogue of the Oriental MSS belonging to the late E.G. Browne. Cambridge, 1932.
Availability
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