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Manuscript/Mixed Material [Unnamed Sufi treatise]

About this Item

Title

  • [Unnamed Sufi treatise]

Summary

  • This manuscript in Persian is an untitled Sufi text on meditation containing both poetry and prose. It was completed in early 1520, probably in Herat (present-day Afghanistan) or Mashhad (present-day Iran). The colophon, which is in Arabic, gives the name of the scribe, Mīr 'Alī Ḥusaynī Haravī (circa 1476-1543). The manuscript is on a firm cream-colored paper inlaid into light cream (folios 1-8) or pale greenish-blue margin paper, with the writing enclosed within alternating gold and cream (or green) bands with black ruling. The margin paper is profusely decorated with floral and animal motifs. The text is in nastalīq script, eight lines to the page. The binding is contemporary leather with medallions. A former owner's stamp appears on folio 1a. Sufism, a mystical and introspective interpretation of Islam that emerged after the initial spread of the religion, combines Islamic teachings with gnosticism. The practice embraced the idea of enlightenment through spiritual knowledge, informed by pre-Islamic Greek, Zoroastrian, and Indian spiritual practices. By the 13th century, Sufi thought in the Persian-speaking world was expressed primarily through poetry or in poetic works of prose, such as this treatise. World Digital Library.
  • Untitled Sufi text on meditation containing both poetry and prose.

Names

  • Mīr ʻAlī Ḥusaynī Haravī, approximately 1476-1543, scribe

Created / Published

  • Rabiʻ al-awwal, 926 H [February/March 1520]

Headings

  • -  Manuscripts, Persian--Washington (D.C.)
  • -  Meditation--Islam--Early works to 1800
  • -  Sufi literature, Persian--Early works to 1800
  • -  Sufism--Early works to 1800
  • -  Afghanistan--Herat
  • -  Iran--Mashhad

Notes

  • -  Colophon: Katabahu al-ʻabd al-faqīr al-mudhnib ʻAlī al-Ḥusaynī al-kātib ghafara Allāh ... fī Rabīʻ al-Awwal sanat sitt wa-ʻishrīn wa-tisʻmiʼah."
  • -  Binding is contemporary leather with medallions.
  • -  Folios 1a-12b.
  • -  Former owner's stamp on folio 1a.
  • -  Library of Congress manuscript, Persian Cage 70 (6).
  • -  Manuscript.
  • -  Nastalīq script; 8 lines in written area 13.7 x 7.4 cm.
  • -  Paper; firm cream colored paper inlaid into light cream (folios 1-8) or pale greenish-blue margin paper, writing enclosed within alternating gold and cream (or green) bands with black ruling; margin paper is profusely decordated with floral and animal motifs.
  • -  Probably written in Herat or Mashhad.
  • -  Title supplied by cataloger.
  • -  Written by ʻAlī al-Ḥusaynī (calligrapher)--Colophon.
  • -  Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website.
  • -  Persian; colophon in Arabic.
  • -  digital files not viewed; td12 2013-7-16
  • -  Colophon: كتبه العبد الفقير المذنب علي الحسيني الكاتب غفر الله ... في ربيع الاول سنه ست وعشرين وتسعمايه.

Medium

  • 12 leaves (8 lines) bound : paper ; 23.8 x 14.4 cm

Call Number/Physical Location

  • BP188.9 .U56 1520

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2012498358

Online Format

  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Persian Language Manuscript Project are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions and are free to use and reuse.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, African and Middle East Division, Near East Section Persian Manuscript Collection

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Mīr ʻAlī Ḥusaynī Haravī, Approximately , Scribe. Unnamed Sufi treatise. [Rabiʻ al-awwal, 926 H February/March, 1520] Manuscript/Mixed Material. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012498358/.

APA citation style:

Mīr ʻAlī Ḥusaynī Haravī, A. (1520) Unnamed Sufi treatise. [Rabiʻ al-awwal, 926 H February/March] [Manuscript/Mixed Material] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2012498358/.

MLA citation style:

Mīr ʻAlī Ḥusaynī Haravī, Approximately , Scribe. Unnamed Sufi treatise. [Rabiʻ al-awwal, 926 H February/March, 1520] Manuscript/Mixed Material. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2012498358/>.