Historian
Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Ğaffārī al-Qazvīnī was a descendant of the well-known Shāfiʿī jurist ʿAbd al-Ğaffārī al-Qazvīnī (d. 655/1266). The author held the title of qāżī in his native town of Qazvīn (five of his ancestors had also been qāżīs) but it is said that toward the end of his life he “resigned the official functions he performed for the princes”. He composed two works of history,
Nusaḫ-i Jahānārā and
Nigāristān, both of which were dedicated to the Safavid ruler Šāh Tahmāsp. He died 975/1567-8.
Nusaḫ-i Jahānārā
World Adorning TranscriptionsNusaḫ-i Jahānārā, commonly called Jahānārā, is a work of general history extending to 972/1564-5. The work is divided into three parts: on the Prophets and the 12 Imāms, Pre-Islamic and Islamic Kings, and the Safavids. Nusaḫ-i Jahānārā’s greatest value is considered to be in its attention to little-known dynasties.
Nigāristān is a collection of historical anecdotes arranged in chronological order. The work was composed in 959/1552.