[IO Islamic 254] لبّ لباب

Lubb-i-Lubâb.

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 1086 in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Hermann Ethé, Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, 2 vols. (Oxford: India Office, 1903): volume 1, number 254 here with notations and hyperlinks].

1086

Lubb-i-Lubâb (لبّ لباب).

Extracts from the Selections of Jalâl-aldin Rûmî’s mathnawî, arranged by Ḥusain bin ‘Alî albaihaḳî alkâshifi (see this name on fol. 3a, l. 10), that is Wâ’iż Kâshifî (see Nos. 158-161 and 757-767 in this Cat.), who died A.H. 910 (A.D. 1504); comp. Bodleian Cat, Nos. 661 and 662; W. Pertsch, Berlin Cat., pp. 796 and 797, and A. Sprenger, Catal., p. 491. It has a preface in prose.

Beginning of the preface: عين اوّل در جوامع اطوار شريعت در هفت‘ نهر نهر اوّل سه رشحه‘ رشحۀ اوّل ايمان رشحۀ دوم شهادت رشحۀ سيوم عبادت الخ.

The beginning, quoted by Pertsch and Sprenger, is found here on fol. 2b, l. 7: بعد از تقديم وظائف ثناء حضرت واجب الوجود الخ.

Beginning of the selections, on fol. 3b, last line: اى كمينه بخششت ملك جهان الخ.

The full title of the work occurs on fol. 3a, last line:نام اين لبّ لباب معنوى – انتخاب انتخاب مثنوى

That is to say: the title of Ḥusain al-Wâ’iż alkâshifî’s original selections was لباب معنوى, from which these shorter extracts (لبّ) were made. Two other انتخاب مثنوى are noticed in Rieu ii. p. 592b; and W. Pertsch, Berlin Cat., pp. 795 and 796.

Collated throughout. This copy was finished by Gîsû Râi for his own use, the 2nd of Dhû-alḳa’dah, in the 9th year of Muḥammadshâh’s reign (=1140, A.D. 1728, June 10). Two entries of former owners from A.H. 1181 (A.D. 1767, 1768), and 1195 (A.D. 1781), on fol. 1a and the fly-leaf.

No. 254, ff. 1-274, ll. 15; careless Nasta’lîḳ; size, 87/8 in. by 47/8 in.