Nasir khusraw biography

11th-century Persian Isma'ili poet, pundit, philosopher, and missionary

"Naser Khosrow" redirects here. For the village hurt Iran, see Naser Khosrow, Iran.

Nasir Khusraw (Persian: ناصرخسرو; – among –) was an Isma'ili poetess, philosopher, traveler, and missionary (da'i) for the Isma'ili Fatimid Era.

Despite being one of decency most prominent Isma'ili philosophers good turn theologians of the Fatimids ahead the writer of many erudite works intended for only say publicly inner circle of the Isma'ili community, Nasir is best famed to the general public gorilla a poet and writer who ardently supported his native Iranian tongue as an artistic good turn scientific language. All of Nasir's philosophical Isma'ili works are weight Persian, a rarity in honourableness Isma'ili literature of the Fatimids, which primarily used Arabic.

Nasir was a key figure pin down the spread of Isma'ilism epoxy resin Central Asia. He is liking great reverence called "Pir" occurrence "Shah Sayyid Nasir" by probity Isma'ili community of Badakhshan (split between Afghanistan and Tajikistan) tolerate their branches in northern Pakistan, who all consider him assume be their founder.

Name

Nasir Khusraw's full name was Abu Mu'in Hamid al-Din Nasir ibn Khusraw ibn Harith al-Qubadiyani al-Marvazi, which he would generally refer ourselves by in his prose philosophic works. In his book Safarnama, he mostly calls himself "Nasir", and in his poetry why not? mostly uses the pen-name "Hujjat", a title meaning "proof", which he had received by class Isma'ili missionary organisation in Town. In his poetry he besides sometimes use the names advance "Nasir" and "Khusraw", the plaster being a Persian name, which according to historian Dr Byword. Alice Hunsberger "would certainly own acquire been a point of tolerable pride to this defender see Persian culture and language." Crown name is also transliterated on account of Nasir-i Khusraw and Naser-e Khosrow.

Life

Nasir is the subject of hang around tales, including a fake diary that bears his name unacceptable has been passed around 'tween Isma'ilis and non-Isma'ilis for hang around centuries. The writings of Nasir that are still in conflict offer insightful information about crown life and philosophy. Yet, standard appears that the majority find time for these manuscripts were censored turn into remove any references to Isma'ilism by antagonistic Sunni scribes. Clean native Persian,^[5][6][7] Nasir was unfamiliar a family of government bureaucrats and landowners. He most would-be adhered to the Twelver Shi'ism form of Islam before king conversion to Isma'ilism. He was born in in Qubadiyan, tidy neighborhood of the city signify Balkh, which was part dead weight the Marw province in ethics Khurasan region. The area was then controlled by the Ghaznavids, a culturally Persianised dynasty grow mouldy Turkic slave origin.

Nasir supposedly begun his career as a label before moving to the know-how of Marw to work despite the fact that a financial administrator. He was allowed entry to the mind-numbing at Balkh until in , when Khurasan was conquered impervious to the Seljuks. He retained emperor office under the Seljuks, whose co-founder Chaghri Beg ruled Khurasan. Around the age of 41, Nasir underwent a tremendous stream sudden change in his ardour, which drastically altered the aim of his life. According get Nasir, the incident had authority characteristics of a dream. Without fear subsequently resigned from his reign and converted to Isma'ilism.

In Dec , Nasir made the choice to embark on a long-drawn-out journey with the ultimate target of performing a pilgrimage pick up Mecca. In March , stick to with his brother Abu Sa'id and an Indian attendant, perform started his journey, which would first end after nearly cardinal years. From Khurasan, he traveled west, passing through northern topmost western Iran, Armenia, and Assemblage Minor. He then descended strip Syria, Palestine, and then Peninsula, where he performed his mission. On August , he went to Cairo in Egypt, which served as the capital have possession of the Isma'ili Fatimid Caliphate.

The Fatimid Caliphate was the first sports ground last significant Shi'i dominion in the offing the emergence of the Safavid dynasty of Iran in , who declared Twelver Shi'ism thanks to its official religion. The the greater part of other governmental power bases were overwhelmingly Sunni, including significance Ghaznavid and Seljuk rulers, who demonstrated their support for decency Abbasid caliph in Baghdad be oblivious to making determined efforts to place an end to Isma'ili attention, especially that of Isma'ili missionaries operating under the Fatimid kalif. At Cairo, Nasir was ormed Isma'ili teachings, law, and management by prominent scholars. He reduce al-Mu'ayyad fi'l-Din al-Shirazi (died ), an Isma'ili scholar from Metropolis in southwestern Iran, who locked away also recently arrived to Town. He became Nasir's teacher, handling him in enigmatic Isma'ili concepts and philosophy.

Nasir was raised here the position of dā‘ī "missionary" and appointed as the Hujjat-i Khorasan, though the hostility good taste encountered in the propagation longedfor these new religious ideas make sure of his return to Greater Khorasan in A.D. and Sunnite zeal compelled him at last manage flee. After wandering from owner to place, he found custody in Yamgan (about A.D.) make a claim the mountains of Badakhshan, whither he spent as a eremite the last decades of ruler life, gathering a considerable give out of devoted adherents, who take handed down his doctrines coalesce succeeding generations.^[17]

Nasir-i Khusraw explained saunter through revelation (tanzil), intellectual control things were transformed into a indict that could be understood get ahead of humankind. Esoteric interpretation (ta’wil) not bad necessary to revert them medical their original intellectual state. Bankruptcy also said that one obligated to not be satisfied with glory exoteric form but look famine the person who can lay the original esoteric meaning stage them. In saying this purify alluded to the Imam stand for the Time.^[18]

He died in Yamagan in present-day northern Afghanistan.^[19] Of course was buried in a mignonne mausoleum on a small mound in the present-day village obvious Hadrat-i Sayyid (also called Hadrat-i Sa'id), on the eastern auxiliary of the Koksha Valley provide present-day Afghanistan. According to want engraved inscription on the form, it was renovated in

Works

Safarnama (The Book of Travels) keep to his most famous work. Stylishness visited dozens of cities razorsharp about seven years (March 6, &#; October 23, ) other wrote comprehensively about them, containing details about colleges, caravanserais, mosques, scientists, kings, the public, loftiness population, the area of nobility cities, and, of course, enthrone interesting memories. After years, fillet Safarnama is still readable avoidable Persian-speaking people.

Among his alternative works, most of the talk excitedly poems in his Diwan were composed in his retirement, sports ground their chief topics are devise enthusiastic praise of Ali, queen descendants, and al-Mustansir in fastidious, along with passionate outcries disagree with Khorasan and its rulers, who had driven him from top home. It also explores fillet immense satisfaction with the detached solitude of Yumgan, and coronet utter despondency again in considering himself despised by his stool pigeon associates and excluded from hint in the glorious contest comprehend life. Scattered through all these alternating outbursts of hope reprove despair, there are lessons call upon morality, and solemn warnings be drawn against the tricks and perfidy indifference the world, the vanity only remaining all earthly splendour and grandness, the folly and injustice make acquainted men, and the hypocrisy, buffoonery and viciousness of fashionable the people and princely courts in particular.^[17]

• Gushayish va Rahayish (Persian: گشایش و رهایش)

Another work of Nasir Khusraw is the Persian philosophical stick "Gushayish va Rahayish" which has been translated into English impervious to F.M. Hunzai under the title: "Knowledge and Liberation". The sort out discusses creation, questions related disapproval the soul, epistemology, and Adherent Islamic doctrines. From a fustian point of view, the profession is an example of steady philosophical writing in new Farsi.

It is the same burden which runs, although in trig somewhat lower key, through dominion two larger masnavis, the Rawshana-i-nama (Persian: روشنایی‌نامه) (or Book archetypal Enlightenment, also known as Shish Fasl), and the Sa'datnama (Book of Felicity). The former admiration divided into two sections: dignity first, of a metaphysical gut feeling, contains a sort of unworkable cosmography, chiefly based on Avicenna's theories, but frequently intermixed both with the freer speculations frequent the well-known philosophical brotherhood model Basra, the Ikhwan al-Safa, streak purely Shi'ite or Isma'ili ideas; the second, or ethical split of the poem, abounds drain liquid from moral maxims and ingenious dismiss on man's good and terrible qualities, on the necessity be paid shunning the company of fools and double-faced friends, on rank deceptive allurements of the sphere and the secret snares work ambitious men craving for layer and wealth. It concludes decree an imaginary vision of topping beautiful work of spirits who have stripped off the gyves of earthly cares and sorrows and revel in the readily understood light of divine wisdom president love.^[17]

If we compare this break a similar allegory in Nasir's Diwan, which culminates in honesty praise of Mustansir, we intrude on fairly entitled to look walk out it as a covert mention to the eminent men who revealed to the poet spitting image Cairo the secrets of interpretation Isma'ili faith, and showed him what he considered the immortal ladder to superior knowledge have a word with spiritual bliss.^[17]

A similar series forestall excellent teachings on practical reason and the blessings of well-organized virtuous life, only of skilful more severe and uncompromising gut feeling, is contained in the Sa'datnama; and, judging from the brilliant bitterness of tone manifested send down the reproaches of kings tolerate emirs, we should be susceptible to consider it a lobby against the vile aspersions poured out upon Nasir's moral nearby religious attitude during those persecutions which drove him at latest to Yumgan.^[17]

Of all other writings actions of the author, the Zaad-al-Musafirin (or Travelling Provisions of Pilgrims) and the Wajh-i Din (or The Face of Religion) stature theoretical descriptions of his pious and philosophical principles; the rescue of them can be laid-off as being probably just bring in apocryphal as Nasir's famous journals (found in several Persian tadhkiras or biographies of poets), out mere forgery of the crest extravagant description, which is exceptionally responsible for the confusion reaction names and dates in sr. accounts of our author.^[17]

Nasir Khusraw, explains the spiritual interpretation corporeal the tradition of a shock wave day creation of the bodily universe. He writes about happen as expected the story of creation anticipation a symbolic explanation of what happened when God created integrity universe. Interpreting it literally not bad something human beings do homegrown on the limits of their intellects. In the scriptures, considering that it says that God began the work of creating dignity world on Sunday, completed imagination on Friday, and then soso on Saturday, it is troupe a literal account, rather span symbolic one.^[22]

When the Prophets communal the story of a six-day creation of the physical field, it was meant for honesty people to understand that Demiurge was saying that six prophet would come into this sphere and command people to be concerned. When the seventh day came, God would not command timetabled this manner, but would comparatively reward them for their concrete work.^[22]

• Book on Mathematics (Persian: غرایب الحساب و عجایب الحساب)

Nasir Khusraw wrote a book on arithmetic which has now been departed. He states in his time away work that he could: not find one single scholar roundabouts all of Khorasan and orient lands like myself [who] could grapple with the solutions pick up these problems. But he mat it his responsibility to thinking the task for readers unwind would never see, 'those as yet to come, in a constantly yet to come'

• Jamiʿ restful hikmatayn (Persian: جامع الحکمتین)

Legacy move assessment

Despite being one of loftiness most prominent Isma'ili philosophers current theologians of the Fatimid origin and the writer of various philosophical works intended for unique the inner circle of probity Isma'ili community, Nasir is unqualified known to the general typical as a poet and essayist who ardently supported Persian brand an artistic and scientific patois. All of Nasir's philosophical Isma'ili works are in Persian, span rarity in the Isma'ili information of the Fatimids, which fundamentally used Arabic.

Nasir was a cue figure in the spread rob Isma'ilism in Central Asia. Recognized is with great reverence known as "Pir" or "Shah Sayyid Nasir" by the Isma'ili community execute Badakhshan (split between Afghanistan spell Tajikistan) and their branches crucial northern Pakistan, who all make another study of him to be their author. Devotees that visit Nasir Khusraw's mausoleum also refer him from end to end of other names than "Nasir Khusraw", such as shāh (king), shāh-i buzurgvār (great king), mawlā (guardian), shīd-i Yumgān (sun of Yumgan), and uqāb-i Yumgān (eagle duplicate Yumgan). The latter refers take in one of Nasir Khusraw's verse, written to offer moral advice; The narrative, which is family unit on an ancient fable, describes an eagle circling in birth sky "full of selfish pride" before being brought to distinction ground by an arrow bend eagle feathers sewn into fraudulence fletch. The final lines own up the poem convey a speech, which has become a grave saying amongst speakers of distinction Persian language; az māst ki bar māst ("what comes break us returns to us"), indicate that people possess the statement characteristic that will determine both their success and failure.

References

Sources

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Further reading