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The history of Arabic and Persian lexicography is long and extremely varied. But no matter what dictionary one is looking at, it is always organized in a certain way and always has a certain level of detail. Thus, some of the early Arabic dictionaries centered around one or more particular themes, such as insects or weapons. Other dictionaries, and this the majority, brought together any word material, irrespective of subject or theme. Besides, some dictionaries offered a lot of material in explanation of some term while others offered less. And then, some dictionaries contained explanations or samples in verse rather than prose. Examples of the latter in Persian are Ibrāhīm Qawām Fārūqī's Sharafnāma-yi Manyarī (877/1472) and the Lughat-i Furs by the poet Abū Naṣr Asadī Ṭūsī (d. 465/1072). The dictionary edited here for the very first time stands in this same tradition. Composed in the 10th/16th century, in contains 1600 entries in Persian and Arabic.

Persian language

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Rashīd al-Dīn Hamadānī's (d. 718/1319) Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh has been described by many as the first world history ever. Composed in Persian for the Mongol Il-khans Ghāzān (r. 1295-1304) and Öljeitü (Uljāytu, r. 1304-16), its aim was to set out the history and condition of the Mongol people, conquerors of the world (part one), followed by a description of the other peoples and nations of the world and their histories (part two). Given its unprecedented scope, Rashīd, vizier to both rulers, mobilized a whole team of specialists, informants, and collaborators to assist him in his task. Making use of written and oral sources, the part on the Mongols is a key source on the emergence and organisation of the Mongol empire, while the second part constitutes the first attempt ever at writing a history of the world. The section published in these three volumes describes the history of Iran and Islam. Section: Iran, 3 vols; volume 1.

Islam --- History. --- Iran

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Quṭb al-Dīn Lāhījī (d. ca. 1088-95/1677-1684) was a philosopher and traditional Islamic scholar who also took an interest in mathematics. He was a student of Mīr Dāmād (d. 1040/1630-31) of the 'School of Isfahan' in philosophy, as well as a contemporary of the philosopher, traditionist and mystic Muḥsin Fayḍ Kāshānī (d. 1091/1680). After his studies in Isfahan, Lāhījī returned to Lāhījān. There he was entrusted with the office of Shaykh al-Islām which his elder brother had held for three years before him, in succession to their father, who had been Shaykh al-Islām of Lāhījān before then. He held this office for many years. Among his works are Maḥbūb al-qulūb (history of philosophy), Fānūs al-khayāl (the imaginal world in Illuminationist philosophy) and the Tafsīr-i sharīf-i Lāhījī (Qurʾān interpretation). The present collection of mathematical puzzles aims to show the fun and practical use of mathematics. As a Persian text, it is quite rare in its kind.

Cooking, Iranian. --- Cooking --- History.

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Muʾmin Ḥusayn Yazdī (d. 1018/1609) was an Islamic scholar and a poet. Born in Yazd around 948/1541, his father was librarian to the governor of Yazd at the time, Shāh Niʿmatallāh Bāqī (d. 994/1586 or 996/1588). Ever since his childhood, Muʾmin was eager to learn. Thanks to his father he could go to Shiraz in search of higher education. There he followed the lectures of, among others, Mullā Bāghnawī (d. 995/1587), the famous academic and author of a whole series of glosses and super-commentaries on works in philosophy, theology, and logic. Muʾmin became a respected scholar and even resided in Mekka for a time, besides visiting the holy cities of Najaf, Karbala, and Mashhad. As a specialist of quatrains Muʾmin can be compared to authors like ʿUmar Khayyām (d. ca 517/1123) or Bābā Afḍal Kāshānī (d.667/1268-69). In the latter part of his life Muʾmin went through a mental crisis, choosing a life of isolation.

Quatrains, Persian.

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In his Meccan days Muḥammad's message was rejected by many as a threat to the values and interests of the community. Among his opponents, there was a merchant called Naḍr b. Ḥārith. From his visits to the city of Ḥīra in Mesopotamia, a cultural melting-pot of Iranian, Christian, and pagan Arab beliefs and traditions, he had brought back stories from Iranian folklore, especially about Rustam and Isfandyār, with which he tried to attract the attention of those listening to Muḥammad's speeches, away from the latter's revolutionary message. This explains why the religious elite of the Persianate world rejected Iranian epic folklore as contrary to the message of Shīʿī Islam, Rustam in particular being viewed as incompatibele with the person of Imam ʿAlī. But folklore being difficult to eradicate, Rustam was often depicted as a Muslim convert and enemy-turned-friend of ʿAlī, like in this poem from Safavid times. A miracle story involving ʿAlī accompanies it.

Rustam (Legendary character) --- Islamic poetry, Persian. --- Epic poetry, Persian. --- Persian poetry --- History and criticism. --- ʻAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, --- ʻAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, --- Miracles