[IO Islamic 1444] مخزن الاسرار

• Makhzan-alasrâr.
• This manuscript is now IO Islamic 989 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 1444 here with notations and hyperlinks].

989

Makhzan-alasrâr.

Another extremely old and valuable copy of Niżâmî’s مخزن الاسرار, written by Faḍl-allâh bin Muḥammad bin ‘Umar bin ‘Uthmân bin Muḥammad bin Aḥmad bin-alḥusain bin Hârûn alṣûfî (see Nos. 916 and 929 above), and finished in the month Rabî’-alâkhar, A.H. 637 (A.D. 1239, November); it is unfortunately injured and effaced in many places. Beginning:

بسم الله الرّحمن الرّحيم – هست كليذ در گنج حكيم

This old copy contains twenty-one maḳâlas (instead of the usual twenty), with the following headings : I, on fol. 8^a, در صفت آدم و تخليص در نزل دنيى (this maḳâlah is in the usual copies simply styled خلوت سيوم, see No. 141 (973 in this Cat.), fol. 11^b, l. 3 ab infra, or خلوت دويم, see No. 387 (976 in this Cat.), fol. 13^a, and No. 48 (996 below in this Cat.), fol. 23^b); II, on fol. 9^b, در محافظت عدل (this is the first maḳâlah in the usual copies, but with the heading of the previous maḳâlah, and so on in all the following maḳâlas); III, on fol. 10^a, در حوادث عالم و انقلابش ; IV, on fol. 11^a, در حسن رعايت پادشاهان ; V, on fol. 12^a,در عجز آدمى و اختلاف او ; VI, on fol. 12^b, در اعتبار موجودات ; VII, on fol. 13^a, در مرتبت آدمى بر جملۀ حيوان; VIII, on fol. 14^a, در حيّز آفرينش و بزرگوارئ عقل; IX, on fol. 14^b, ….. در معونات دنياوى و نفس ; X, on fol. 15^a, در نموّ نار آخر الزمان و علامات آن; XI, on fol. 16^a, در مشقّت منزل و پرهيزگارى ازو ; XII, on fol. 16^b, در وداع اين مقام; XIII, on fol. 17^a, در شكايت عالم; XIV, on fol. 18^a, در شرط بيذارى از غفلة; XV, on fol. 18^b, در حذف آدمى و تفضيل او; XVI, on fol. 19^b, در تدبير چابك روى; XVII, on fol. 20^a, در خلوت و تجريد ; XVIII, on fol. 20^b, در بيوفائئ روزگار; XIX, on fol. 21^b, در استقبال آخرت; XX, on fol. 22^a, در شكايت نامنصفان; XXI (not numbered in the text), on fol. 23^a, در ترتيب نظم كتاب (this is the 20th maḳâlah in the usual copies); Khâtimah, on fol. 24^a.

On fol. 1^a the concluding verses of another mathnawî, written by the same copyist in the same year A.H. 637.

Strange to Say, this oldest copy of the Makhzan-alasrâr contains no date of composition.

No. 1444, ff. 1-24, 4 coll., each ll. 25; good old Naskhî; size, 9^1/4 in. by 6^1/8 in.