[IO Islamic 344] شرح حديقه

Sharḥ-i-Ḥadîḳah.

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 923 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 344 here with notations and hyperlinks].

923

Sharḥ-i-Ḥadîḳah (شرح حديقه).

The revised and collated edition of Sanâ’î’s Ḥadîḳah with a commentary and marginal glosses by ‘Abd-allaṭîf bin ‘Abdallâh al-’Abbâsî, who is best known by his revised and annotated edition of Jalâl-aldîn Rûmî’s mathnawî (see Nos. 1088-1090 in this Cat.), his commentaries on the same poem, entitled لطائف المعنوى and مرآة المثنوى (see Nos. 1101 and 1102 in this Cat.), and a special glossary (see Nos. 1091- 1097 in this Cat.); he died A.H. 1048 or 1049 (A.D. 1638, 1639) in Shâhjahân’s reign. The present copy, which is the author’s autograph (comp. fol. 1a: حرّره و سوّده عبداللطيف بن عبدالله الخ), was finished by him the 20th of Jumâdâ-alawwal, A.H. 1044 (A.D. 1634, Nov. 11), and represents an abridgment from a larger commentary of his, the لطائف الحدائق, from which also the glosses are taken (marked by لط). According to the dibâća he began the larger work A.H. 1040 and completed it A.H. 1042 (A.D. 1630-1633), supported by his friend Mîr ‘Imâd-aldîn Maḥmûd al-Hamadânî, with the takhalluṣ Ilâhî, the author of the well-known taddhkirah of Persian poets, the خزينۀ گنج (see A. Sprenger, Catal., p. 66 sq.). Sprenger’s remarks in the note on p. 558 of his Catal., that ‘Abd-allaṭif borrowed the copy, described there, in A.H. 1035 = A.D. 1625, 1626, transcribed, collated, and annotated it, can only refer therefore to the very beginning of the author’s critical labours on Sanâ’î’s text, from which afterwards the two exegetical works in question sprung.

Contents:

Sanâ’î’s preface, on fol. 1b, beginning: سپاس و ستايش الخ, introduced by a few lines from ‘Abd-allaṭif’s pen, on fol. 1a: اين ديباچه است كه صاحب طبع سليم الخ.

Editor’s preface, styled ديباچۀ مختصر بر شرح ابيات (the meaning of which is explained on fol. 11a: ديباچۀ مختصر که از جملۀ چهارچمن شرح لطائف الحدائق بر چمن نخستين شرح ابيات تحرير يافته), on fol. 11b, beginning: بر ناقدان بصير و صيرفيان خبير رستۀ بازار ملك صورت و معنى مخفى و مستور نماند كه الخ.

Short account of Ilâhî’s share in this work and two ta’rîkhs on the date of its completion by the same Ilâhî, on fol. 13b, beginning: چون پاکیزه میوۀ باغ اصطفا و كرامى گوهر کان اجتبا سامی نتیجۀ دودمان الخ.

Beginning of Bâb I of the Ḥadîḳah, on fol. 17b: اى درون الخ, again introduced by a few lines from the editor’s pen, on fol. 17a, in which he enumerates his authorities, viz. the Ḳâmûs, the Ṣurâḥ, and other famous Arabic and Persian dictionaries, grammars, etc.

(لغات عربى و فرهنگهاى معتمد فارسى و قواعد نحوى و قوانين صرفى). The first words of the commentary itself run thus: قول امام جعفرست رضى الله عنه هذه قبّة الناس و لله قبب كثيرةء كه كنايه از آسمانست الخ.

Bâb II, on fol. 112b; III, on fol. 213a; IV, on fol. 234b; V, on fol. 241a; VI, on fol. 256a; VII, on fol. 298a; VIII, on fol. 310a; IX, on fol. 316a; X, on fol. 348a. The date of composition is given here as A.H. 535:

پانصد و سی و چار رفته زعام

پانصد و سی و پنج گشت تمام

But the margin gives the various readings بيست و چار and بيست و پنج.

The fatwâ, on fol. 472b, beginning as usual, introduced by the editor in this manner (comp. Bodleian Cat., No. 528):اين فصلى است كه بر سلطان اعظم مالك البرّ و البحر ابو الحارث بهرامشاه بن مسعود بن ابراهيم انار الله برهانه نوشته است الخ.

No. 344, ff. 474, ll. 19; clear and distinct Nasta’lîḳ; illuminated frontispieces on ff. 1b, 11b, and 17b; size, 10¾ in. by 6 in.