ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The MesnevĪ (usually Known As the MesnevĪyi SherĪf, Or Holy MesnevĪ) TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE 1 THE historian El Eflākī was a disciple of Chelebī Emīr ‘Ārif, a grandson of the author of the Mesnevī. ‘Ārif died in a.d. 1320; but as the dates of ‘Ārif's successors are carried down to a.h. 754 (a.d. 1353), when Eflākī's collection of anecdotes was completed, the historian must have outlived this last date.

As a disciple of the Emīr ‘Ārif, he was a dervish of the order named Mevlevī, as being followers of the rule and practices of Mevlānā Jelālu-’d-Dīn, er-Rūmī, commonly known in English literature as "the dancing dervishes," expressed by Americans: "whirling dervishes." The dervishes of the order do not all dance or "whirl." Some are musicians, and some singers or chanters, who may, however, be occasional dancers also.

Eflākī's work gives a sufficiency of dates to fix the principal events that he commemorates. His dates do not agree exactly with those found in other historians. They are, however, sufficiently near for general purposes not of a chronologically critical nature. They commence with a.h. 605 a.d.

(1208), and thus cover a period of 145 years dated, besides another 30 years of the lifetime of Jelāl's grandfather undated, who was a noble of such high standing and of so great a reputation for learning and sanctity at Balkh, that the king gave him his only daughter in marriage, unsolicited. His mother was also a princess of the same royal house with his wife. This royal house was the one known in history as that of Kh’ārezm-shāh or the Kharezmians.

They were overthrown, and Balkh (the ancient Bactra, or Zariaspa), their capital, destroyed, by Jengīz Khan in a.d. 1211. A remnant of their kingdom was continued for twelve years longer by the last of the line, who died, at once a fugitive and an invader, in Āzerbāyjān, in a battle fought against the combined forces of Egypt, Syria, and Asia Minor. Jelāl's family claimed descent from Abū-Bekr, a father-in-law and the first successor of Muhammed, the lawgiver of Islām.

One of the descendants of Abū-Bekr was among the conquerors of the ancient Bactria, when it was first brought under Muslim rule, in about a.d. 650, under the Caliph ‘Uthmān and his children had maintained a prominent position in that country, possessed of great wealth, until the time immediately preceding the irruption of Jengīz.