This Anecdotes taken from this Commentary. Commentary on the Qur’án by the Imám Najmu’d-Dín Abú Ḥafṣ ‘Umar b. Muḥammad b. Aḥmad an-Nasafí (460-537 A. H. = 1068-1142 A. D.), very well known in the East as one of the pillars of the Ḥanafite school, through his treatise on the Sunní creed, the ‘Aqá’idu’n-Nasafiyya, is cited with acknowledgement three times in the Jawámi‘.

(1)	‘Amr b. Murra’s earnest advice to a questioner not to cavil at the mysterious verses of the Qur’án*, called the “Mutashábihát”, (A. f26b. I. ii. 31).
(2)	The formula of prayer adopted by the Prophet Yúsuf in his confinement in the well at Kan‘án, (D. f17b. IV. v. 1835).
(3)	The account of the seven magic cities in Babylon built for Namrúd, (D. f76a. IV. xix. 1994).

The work being inacessible, the present writer is unable to verify these anecdotes from the original.

Another Source unidentifiable. work of an-Nasafí is also cited, but the identity of it is uncertain. Firstly, there is a difference in the reading of the last word of the title, which in some Mss. is found as ‘Uyúnu’l-Akhbár; secondly, the full name of the author is not mentioned; thirdly, the nisba an-Nasafí is ambiguous, as there are a number of people who rose from the town of Nasaf and distinguished themselves in various branches of Islamic learning; fourthly, there does not appear any work of this title in Brockelmann or H. Khalfa, attributed to ‘Umar an-Nasafí; fifthly, the only anecdote taken from this work does not afford us any sure means of identification; it is as follows: the gra­ciousness of the Imám Abú Ḥanífa towards his rowdy neighbour resulting in reformation of the latter’s character. (D. f134a. II. x. 1353).

This Account of the work given by al-‘Awfí. title* was once very popular with the philologists, nearly thirty authors from the time of al-Aṣma‘í to Jalálu’d-Dín as-Suyúṭí, the famous polygraph, having adopted it for different subjects, but al-‘Awfí has particularly mentioned the name of the author and has given a short account of this work in the Lubáb*, from which, we gather that the author, the Imám Bayánu’l-Ḥaqq Maḥmúd b. Aḥmad an-Níshápúrí wrote it under the following circumstances: “And when it came to his knowledge, that in the lands of the West (probably Andulus), a Commentary on the Qur’án had been prepared in fifty volumes, he, in exposition of a single Verse (li, 21), namely, «<Arabic>» compiled a hundred volumes, fifty on the <Arabic> and fifty on the <Arabic> of man.” Thus arose the title of this work. al-‘Awfí has studied it and cites it 8 times in the following anecdotes, which owing to the loss of the work remain unverified.

(1) Borrowed anecdotes.	The blaspheming caligraphist who wrote a miniature Qur’án in six days, when asked, impudently cited from the Qur’án the Verse (l, 37) about the period of creation, upon which his hand was withered. (A. f25b. I. i. 29).
(2)	The growing suspicion of the Caliph Hárún and the final disgrace of the Barmecides, (A. f106a. I. v. 302).
(3)	The Qádhí of Raqqa compels ‘Ísá b. Ja‘far to discharge his liabilities, (A. f124b. I. vi. 394).
(4)	The dream of Bayánu’l-Ḥaqq, the author, about the rise of the Sultan Bahrámsháh of Ghazna. (A. f233a. I. xxi. 1069).
(5)	The trick of a miserable person who wanted to deprive his nephew of his inheritance, (D. f174b II. xxii. 1489)
(6)	Jealousy of a vindictive neighbour, which called down doom upon himself, (D. f197b. III. ii. 1557).
(7)	A miser’s habit of talking to any piece of coin which happened to fall into his hands, (D. f228a. III. ix. 1640).
(8)	A joke which led to the execution of a murderer. (D. f59a. IV. xiii. 1934).

From Probable nature of its contents. the nature of these citations and from the basic Verse, it can be inferred that this work contained illustrations of human nature, drawn from various points of view. It is not known whether it was in Arabic or Persian, but it is likely that the author, since he lived at the court of Bahrámsháh (r. 511-52 A. H. = 1117/8-57/8 A. D.) may have written it in Persian. About the author’s son who also flourished in the reign of Bahrámsháh we shall speak later on in connection with the Persian translation of the Ghurar called the Ra’y-Áráy*, but very little is known about Bayánu’l-Ḥaqq himself beyond what al-‘Awfí mentions in the Jawámi‘ and the Lubáb.

This Connection of al-‘Awfí with this work. treatise on the medicinal properties of natural substances was written by Sharafu’z-Zamán Majdu’d-Dín Muḥammad b. ‘Adnán as-Surkhakatí, the court physician to the Sultan Qilij Ṭamgháj Khán Ibráhím ibnu’l-Ḥusayn who ruled in Samarqand 1178-1200 A. D., the maternal uncle of al-‘Awfí, and also the author of the Ta’ríkh-i-Turkistán mentioned previously, a short biographic sketch of whom is given in the Lubáb*. The connection of our author with this book is very interesting; he relates it himself in an anecdote which gives an account of a discussion on the famous line of the poet Manṣúr-i-Manṭiqí:

which took place at the court of the Prince of Samarqand, Nuṣratu’d-Dín ‘Uthmán b. Ibráhím, about the year 597 A. H., (D. f80a. IV. xx. 2008). Our author having studied and even transcribed this treatise of his uncle was able to explain the allusion of the poet to the peculiar property of a stone called the Ḥajaru’l-Báhit, which is found in Tibet and is said to produce an extremely exhilarating effect on strangers. Muqaddasí and other ancient geographers have particularly remarked the effect of the land of Tibet on foreigners; Zakariyyá al-Qazwíní* also mentions a stone of the above name, possessing similar properties. This work has probably been utilised advantageously in illustrating his chapter in the Jawámi‘, “On the Properties of Natural Objects” (Pt. IV, ch. xx), but unfortunately it has not come down to us.

This A work hitherto unknown. Manual for the Wazírs is ascribed by al-‘Awfí to the Sultan Radhiyyu’d-Dín Ibráhím b. Mas‘úd b. Maḥmúd of Ghazna, entitled Ẓahíru’-Dawla (reigned 451-92 A. H. = 1059-99 A. D.). No account of this work is found in other contemporary sources, but al-‘Awfí’s reference to it, and the contents of the anecdote in the Jawámi‘ (D. f241b. III. xiii. 1684), are direct proofs of its existence, and upon these the present notice of the work is based. But unfortunately only one citation is given, from which we cannot possibly determine the exact value of this work. The anecdote in question gives an account of a Chief of the police called Báwardí (?) who explains the mystery of his successful management of the city of Ghazna in the days of the Sultan Maḥmúd, the grandfather of the author of the Dastúr i. e. the Sultan Radhiyyu’d-Dín Ibráhím. It is introduced in the chapter “On the Despicability of Hard-heartedness and the Praiseworthiness of Humaneness”, and is narrated to illustrate the apparent harshness of the Chief, who was at heart very kind. If anything can be gathered about the nature of the contents of this source, it may be said on the basis of this anecdote that the Sultan, who as has been suggested by Minháj-i-Siráj* and Abu’l-Fadhl* al-Bayhaqí, a contemporary historian, being very earnest about the administration of his kingdom which had sustained heavy losses in the reigns of his predecessors at the hands of the Saljúqs, wrote this manual with the idea of imparting political advice to his ministers, through the example of his predecessors and other successful sovereigns.

There are a few more anecdotes in the Jawámi‘ concerning the Sultan Radhiyyu’d-Dín Ibráhím of Ghazna, but their sources are not mentioned; still, a short summary of them is given here, to illustrate the various aspects of this royal personage, the author of the Dastúr. (See also above p. 30, ll. 1-8).

(1)	His consultation with Abu’l-Qásim Ḥuṣayrí, the old counsellor of Maḥmúd. (A. f128a. I. vii. 405).
(2)	His anxiety to appoint a suitable successor to his old Ḥájib-i-Buzurg, (probably Badr or Urtigín as mentioned by Bayhaqí, B. T. M. p. 824) (A. f128a. I. vii. 406).
(3)	The dream of his Wazír, Khwája Buzurg, Bihrúz b. Aḥmad, and the interpretation that he would manage the affairs of a part of the globe (Ghazna). (A. f233a. I. xxi. 1070).

This An account of the author and of this work. Persian Translation of ath-Tha‘álibí’s Ghurar-i-Akhbár-i-Muluki’l-Furs-i-wa Siyar-i-him is known to us correctly through al-‘Awfí only. In the Lubáb* a short notice of the author Fakhru’d-Dín Muḥammad b. Maḥmúd Bayánu’l-Ḥaqq b. Aḥmad an-Níshápúrí occurs, and in the Jawámi‘* (B. f45b = G. f48b. I. iv. 183) this work is referred to. In the Haft Iqlím* it is mentioned as the Ra’y-i-Jahán Áráy; H. Khalfa* mentions it under the same title as al-‘Awfí, but ascribes it to Muḥammad b. Aḥmad an-Níshápúrí, omitting the name of his father, Bayánu’l-Ḥaqq Maḥmud, noticed previously as the author of the Khalqu’l-Insán*. In this respect the account given by al-‘Awfí is trustworthy, since he is speaking from first-hand knowledge of the work. The author of the Ra’y-Áráy was one of the eminent persons who lived at the court of Bahrámsháh the Ghaznawid (r. 511-52 A. H. = 1117/8-57/8 A. D.), and was sent as an emissary to the camp of the invading Saljúq King Sanjar at Takínábád in 529 A. H. = 1134-5 A. D., in order to negotiate peace terms, on which occasion he addressed a quatrain to the Sultan Sanjar, glorifying his overlordship. At this time the author was far advanced in age, so much so that a special conveyance was sent for him and respect was paid to him in the enemy’s camp. al-‘Awfí also mentions his other works, the Tafṣír-i-Baṣá’ir-i-Yamíní*, and the Ṣaḥífatu’l-Iqbál*, but apparently all these three are lost. As regards the utilisation of this translation by al-‘Awfí we cannot say with certainty the amount of matter incorporated by al-‘Awfí, since al-‘Awfí has also used the original* of ath-Tha‘álibí for the accounts of the Ancient Kings of Persia.