An Ideal king from the perspective of the prose of Eqd al-ola Lelmoqefe al-a´la (Based on the characteristics of Ideal king's from Wolfgang Knauth)

Introduction

Studying the prose texts and poems of Iranian poets and writers in different historical periods reveals that the basic element of many of these texts and poems is human. A human being is the supreme creation of the creator of the universe and a comprehensive totality of all the characteristics that each of the other creatures of the universe have in themselves separately. A closer look at these texts and documents also clarifies a more significant point, namely that in these works, the position of the king as a human being who is the mediator between God and other human beings is very high, and just like a human being, he is a collection of all; the king is the totality of all the individual characteristics of human beings. On this basis, an ideal king should have all the good qualities of human beings such as justice (judgment), generosity (forgiveness), religiosity, chivalry and courage, and avoid unpleasant qualities such as lies, cruelty, boundless anger, envy, avarice and fear, so that he can be a creator of a good governance and a coherent kingdom.
Afzaluddin Abu Hamid Kermani, the author of the book "Eqd al-ola Lelmoqefe Al-a´la", who was aware of many literary texts and poems before him, has expressed the characteristics of kings, and by presenting different anecdotes from them, he has tried to teach Malik Dinar the correct politics and statecraft.
Wolfgang Knauth, a German historian, has spent nearly half of his life researching the religion and statehood in ancient Iran, and in a book entitled “Das altiranische Fürstenideal von Xenophon bis Ferdousi” he has stated the virtues and characteristics of ancient Iranian rulers. The mentioned book was published for the first time in 1975 AD and was immediately translated into Persian by Saifuddin Najmabadi under the title "The Shahriari Ideal of Ancient Iran from Xenophon to Ferdowsi".
 

Methodology

This research is based on collecting information from libraries and archival centers and is carried out through a descriptive-analytical method. First, the data were collected and then, according to the research topic, the data were processed. In order to fulfill this purpose, the required data and information have been extracted from previous sources and researches and qualitatively analyzed until scientific results were obtained.
 

Discussion

Eqd al-ola Lelmoqefe al-A´la is the first work of historiography and chronicle of Kerman written at the time of the collapse of the Seljuk rule of Kerman. Afzal al-din Abu Hamid Kermani, the author of this valuable work, has tried to take a step beyond mere historiography, and to explain the virtues of an ideal king for the ruler of Kerman, namely Malik Dinar, with an approach based on advice and a prose full of wisdom, ethics and refinement. Although researches have been carried out on the stylistic features of this book's prose, the present article, using the method of historical studies and based on the characteristics of  the Ideal King presented by Wolfgang Knauth, has dealt with another aspect of the work, i.e. its epistolary aspect. In this regard, the main question of the present article is that, from the perspective of the prose of Eqd al-ola Lelmoqefe al-A´la, how a king can be transformed into an ideal king, and why the author of the book wrote a work with this theme. The findings of the research indicate that, due to his knowledge of many literary, historical and prophetic texts and his mastery of Iranian traditions and Islamic values, Afzal al-din Abu Hamid Kermani, depicted the characteristics and virtues of an ideal king in Eqd al-ola Lelmoqefe al-A´la, and aimed to restore the lost stability, security and prosperity to Kerman, through the guidance of Malik Dinar, the ruler of Kerman at the time.
 
 

Conclusion

Based on the ideas and narratives of Wolfgang Knauth, the author of the book "Arman Shahriari of Ancient Iran", the present study analyzed the prose of "Eqd al-ola Lelmoqefe Al-a´la" and answered the questions of how a king can be transformed into an ideal king from the viewpoint of Afzaluddin Abu Hamid Kermanis, and why the author of the book tried to create a work with this theme.
 The obtained results include the following:
1- Based on the narrations of Wolfgang Knauth, and considering that he has analyzed many sources of political history and especially Iranian decrees, Iranian princes had to have intellectual, physical and moral characteristics in order to be able to rule over the people of their territory. These indicators were very important, especially in the field of ethics. With a reflection on the prose of "Eqd al-ola Lelmoqefe Al-a´la", it was proved that Afzaluddin Abu Hamid Kermani, according to the knowledge he had of Iranian inscriptions, has tried to expain the same qualities and virtues of the ideal king for Malik Dinar in particular, and for all those individuals who have the possibility of gaining political power.
2- A detailed and line-by-line examination of the prose of "Eqd al-ola Lelmoqefe Al-a´la" also reveals that Afzaluddin Kermani, in addition to using Iranian decrees and the indicators mentioned by these sources has also referred to Islamic traditions and hadiths and used them as proofs for his statements. In many pages of the book, in addition to presenting the words and stories of Anoushirvan, Ardeshirbabkan and Bozarjamehr, he has also presented the words and hadiths of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), Moses (pbuh), Imam Ali (pbuh), and others.
3- Virtues such as justice, generosity, chivalry, meekness, forgiveness, courage, religiosity, and attention to the development of the country are among the characteristics that Afzal-al-Din Abu Hamid Kermani has discussed in "Eqd al-ola Lelmoqefe al-A´la". Many of these virtues converge and correspond with the traits and characteristics of Wolfgang Knauth's ideal princes.
4- By reflecting on all the sections of "Eqd al-ola Lelmoqefe Al-a´la", it can be seen that, knowing the situation of Kerman in the late Seljuk period and the invasion of Ghazan, Afzaluddin Abu Hamid Kermani is trying to save the country by writing the book and presenting it To Malik Dinar, firstly, to familiarize him with the political ideas and governance principles of the past, and secondly, to hope that with the presence of this king, Kerman can be saved from more destruction and destruction.