Introducing the Book "Majma' al-Nawāder" (Collection of Rarities) and Reviewing Its Contents (Heritage of A Story from the Subcontinent)

Abstract
Majma‘ al-Nawādir is a collection of Persian and occasionally Arabic anecdotes compiled by Malik al-Qudāt Ṣadr Jahān Fayḍ-Allāh Binyānī/Banbānī, a government official of Gujarat, in the year 903 AH. He dedicated the work to Maḥmūd Shāh Bīgarā, the ruler of Gujarat (r. 863–917 AH). The author gathered the anecdotes from various Persian and Arabic sources, supplementing them with his own observations and experiences. The book is structured into an introduction, forty chapters, and a conclusion. Six manuscript copies of this work have been identified, four of which are extant. The earliest known manuscript is preserved in the Punjab University Library and was copied in 930 AH. Another manuscript is housed in the Library of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and is estimated to have been copied in the 11th or 12th century AH. A third manuscript was kept in the Asafiya Library in India, with a probable copying date of the 12th or 13th century AH. The fourth manuscript is in the Nūr ʿUthmānīyah Library in Turkey and dates back to 1025 AH. The present article examines and introduces the content and structure of Majma‘ al-Nawādir, its author and his other works, the sources used in its composition, its dedicatee, the place of its compilation, and the existing manuscript copies of the work.
 
1. Introduction
The Persian language, which had permeated into the Indian subcontinent centuries ago through the movement of merchants and the conflicts of governments, proliferated alongside Islam during the conquests of Mahmud Ghaznavi. Prior to its official adoption as the language of India, Persian had already established itself as the language of politics, poetry, and literature in various cities under Muslim rule, such as Delhi, Kashmir, Gujarat, and the Deccan, among others. Initially, Persian-speaking immigrant scholars and writers were responsible for creating Persian works, but over time, Indian authors also began to produce literary and scholarly works in Persian (Barzegar, 2001: 4(Part 2)/1119).
The narrative format captivated the interest of Indians and Iranian culture and literature intertwined with Indian culture with the introduction of the Persian language, giving rise to a substantial wave of prose and verse fiction works featuring themes drawn from Iranian and Islamic culture or from ancient Indian mythology (ibid.).
A multitude of storybooks emerged either through the adaptation and translation of Indian works (ibid.) or via the creative endeavors of Persian poets and writers. Among the earliest prose fiction works in the Indian subcontinent, notable mentions include "Jawāme' al-Hekāyāt" and "Lawāme' al-Rewāyāt" by Sadid al-Din 'Awfi presented to al-Tatamash in 625 A.H. "Kholāsat al-Hekāyāt" and "Majma' al-Nawāder" authored by Faizullah Banyāni/Banbāni continued the tradition of Indian storytelling and are included in this list.
2. Discussion
The author of the work, Faizullāh bin Zain al-Ābedin bin Hesām Banyāni/Banbāni, held a prominent position as a high-ranking official in the court of Mahmudshāh Bigarrā, the king of Gujarat (r. 917-863). While the exact date of his birth remains uncertain, Abdul Hay Habibi speculated it to be around 850 AD (Habibi, 1341: 10). Unfortunately, no information regarding his date of death or the place of his birth and passing has been uncovered. Faizullah, who achieved the esteemed position of Qādhi al-Qudhāti and was bestowed with the title "Sadr-e Jahāni," served as a political ambassador for the king, traveling to various cities of India. In addition to his political career, he is renowned as one of the distinguished historians of the 10^th century in India, having authored the "Classes/History of Mahmoudshāhi" (Āl-e Dāwood, 2009: 653/12; Barzegar, 2009: 4 (Part 3)/2009). However, the city or region, to which the author was deemed to belong, and its exact location have remained unknown. Consequently, the various references and designations, each considering "Banbān", "Banyān", or "Banān" to be correct based on documentation, make it challenging to definitively determine the correct origin and form. There is limited information available about Sadr-e Jahān and his family in the existing sources. According to his own accounts, all of his predecessors were authors and scribers, who wrote in the name of Gujarati sultans (Banyāni/Banbāni, 930: 2p). It can be inferred that the titles "Qādhi al-Qudhāti" and "Sadr-e Jahāni" have been hereditary in his family and Faizullah has received his education within a knowledgeable family.
In the preface of Majma' al-Nawāder, the author has referenced two of his works, Dastur al-Haffāz and Kholāsat al-Hekāyāt. Furthermore, he has indicated that he has authored several other works in Persian and Arabic, encompassing both verse and prose. Notable among his other works are the History or Classes of Mahmoudshāhi and Ma'dan al-Asrār. The book Majma' al-Nawāder is a compilation of 598 Persian stories that the author has gathered during a two-month stay at the fort of Mohammadabad Chānpānir. He has categorized these stories into 40 parts based on their themes and supplemented them with an introduction and conclusion, in addition to providing a preface.
The preface of the work is arguably the most crucial section of the book as it provides essential information to the readers. In this section, the author introduces himself, discusses his previous works, and provides details about the time and place of writing the book. He dedicates his work to Mahmudshāh bin Muhammadshāh bin Ahmadshāh bin Muzaffarshāh (849-917 AH), the king of Gujarat. Additionally, he outlines the different parts of the book, including an introduction to the virtues of the Messenger of Allah (Peace Be Upon Him) and the successors of the Rāshidin, may God be pleased with them all, Nawāder-e Rasāel al-'Arabiyya (rarities of Arabic treaties), Nawāder-e Salātin (rarities of sultans), Nawāder-e Vozarā (rarities of ministers), Nawāder-e 'Olamā (rarities of scholars), Nawāder-e Dabirān (rarities of teachers), Nawāder-e Fozalā (rarities of nobles), Nawāder-e Javābāt (rarities of answers), Nawāder-e Nokāt (rarities of notes), Nawāder-e Hokamā (rarities of sages), Nawāder-e Nohāt (rarities of carvers), Nawāder-e Sho'arā (rarities of poets), Nawāder-e Eqtebās (rarities of adoptions), Nawāder-e Kalām-e Anbiyā' va Sahāba va Hokamā be al-Arabiyya (rarities of Prophets’ words and their companions and sages in Arabic), Nawāder-e Kalām-e Hokamā be al-Farsiyya (rarities of the words of sages in Persian), Nawāder-e Ettefāqāt (rarities of events), Nawāder-e Enqelāb-e Zamāneh (rarities of the revolution of the time), Nawāder-e Hiyal (rarities of deceits), Nawāder al-Faraj ba'd al-Shedda (rarities of relief after pain), Nawāder-e A'rāb va Dahāqin (rarities of Arabs and peasants), Nawāder-e Ta'bir-e Khāb (rarities of dream interpretation), Nawāder-e Askhiyā (rarities of the generous), Nawāder-e Bokhalā (rarities of the stingy), Nawāder-e Sebbiyān (rarities of daughters), Nawāder-e Zanān (rarities of women), Nawāder-e Qassās (rarities of retaliators), Nawāder-e Tashifāt (rarities of corrections), Nawāder-e Mosalliyān (rarities of prayers), Nawāder-e Motanabbiyān (rarities of false prophets), Nawāder-e Tofailiyān (rarities of parasites), Nawāder-e Sāylān (rarities of the valuable), Nawāder-e Abu al-'Ainā, Nawāder-e Ibn Jassās, Nawāder-e Ash'ab Tammā' (Ash'ab, the greedy), Nawāder-e Mozabbed, Nawāder-e Kezb (rarities of falsity), Nawāder-e Mo'allemān (rarities of teachers), Nawāder-e Ahmaqān (rarities of the fool), Nawāder-e Majānin (rarities of the mad), Nawāder-e Mezāh (rarities of humor), Nawāder-e Hekāyāt-e Motafarreqa (rarities of miscellaneous anecdotes), conclusion of the purpose behind writing this book, and a prayer for the King of Islam, may Allah, the Most High, perpetuate his kingship. In naming the 40 rarities, Sadr-e Jahān has likely drawn inspiration from similar Arabic books, such as Nathr al-Dor. The majority of the book's content has been sourced from Arabic texts, which the author has translated into Persian while adhering to Persian grammar. Although most of the anecdotes have been translated, they have been preserved without the author's intervention. The author has only abridged the anecdotes and either omitted the Persian and Arabic poems or substituted them with other poems. However, many anecdotes remain unchanged in the book.
Six copies of this work have been identified. Apart from the two copies held at the National Museum of Pakistan and the manuscript at the Riyadh Library, four additional copies have been obtained. One of these is the preserved version located in the library of Punjab University, which dates back to 930 A.H., making it the oldest available version. Another copy is housed in the library of the Islamic Council and has been likely written in the 11^th or 12^th century. The third version is preserved in the Āsefiya Library of India, probably written in the 12^th or 13^th century. The fourth copy is from the Nur-Othmāniya Library of Turkey with a writing date of 1025 A.H. The third and fourth versions are currently unavailable.
The prose of the book can be considered to adhere to the straightforward style of the Persian language. Notable features at the lexical level include the author's use of infrequently used Indian words and rare combinations within the Persian language. The text also exhibits special syntactic features, such as the transitive use of verbs with the suffix "enid," the use of "y" to denote continuous tense, and the representation of conditional sentences. Additionally, the author separates the negative prefix "no" to emphasize verb negation, matches adjectives and adverbs, and employs letters in various contexts. The most significant literary feature in the preface and conclusion is the fusion of prose with poetry and integration of Arabic verses and phrases into the text. Sadr-e Jahān has particularly crafted melodious prose in the preface and conclusion through the use of rhymed words.
Regarding the author's sources for compiling the book, references can be made to Tabaqqāt-e Nāseri, Nathr al-Dor fi al-Mohādherāt, Vafiāt al-A'yan va Anbā' Abnā' al-Zamān (the deaths of eminent people and the news of the sons of al-Zamān), Selected History, Bahārestān, and Javāme' al-Hekāyāt va Lavāme' al-Revāyāt, which the author himself has mentioned. Additionally, the comparison of frequencies of common anecdotes and terms, as well as the contextual clues within the text, guide us to the sources he has utilized.
3. Conclusion
This article introduced a significant work from the heritage of the Indian subcontinent titled Majma' al-Nawāder (collection of rarities), comprising 598 anecdotes. It can be viewed as a continuation of the literary genre of "Collection of Tales" that originated in India with 'Awfi. Undoubtedly, the correction of Majma' al-Nawāder and identification of historical events, Indian words and terms, as well as local personalities and places, can significantly enhance the historical and lexical knowledge within the subcontinent literature.
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