Muḥsin Fānī was a leading scholar and poet from Kashmir during the reign of Mughal emperor Šāh Jahān. He composed several works of poetry, including some masnavīs on the model of Niẓāmī (see author 176), however, he is mostly known for a work he is associated with but did not compose, the
Dabistān. At one time, Muḥsin Fānī was hailed as the author of the famous
Dabistān, but now his authorship has been regarded as highly dubious. Muḥsin Fānī died in 1081/1670.
The
Dabistān, most likely completed between 1064/1654 and 1067/1657, is a descriptive work on various religions, particularly those pertaining to the religious climate of Hindustan in the 11th/17th century. The information related in the
Dabistān “derive partly from the sacred books of the different religious persuasions, partly from verbal information given to the author, and partly from the latter’s personal observations. While the true author of the
Dabistān is not known for certain, the leading candidates are Mūbad Shāh or Mullā Mūbad, both of whom have been claimed as the author in different manuscripts.