Introduction and Analysis of the Manuscript "Khutab"

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University of Bushehr, Bushehr, Iran.

2 Corresponding author, Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University of Bushehr, Bushehr, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University of Bushehr, Bushehr, Iran.

Abstract

Purpose: Persian manuscript catalogers who have visited cultural centers in China have mentioned a Persian book by various names: "Khutab al-Rasul," "Arba'in," and "Chehel Khutbah." They have attributed the authorship of the Arabic text of this work to Taj al-Din Hafizi Bukhari and believe that Husam al-Din ibn Ala al-Din al-Nujabadi completed its current Persian translation in 835 AH. The fundamental question of the present research is what basis supports the bibliographical information provided about this work—information that is not found in any of the available manuscripts. Furthermore, a content and stylistic analysis of the book is another objective of this research.
Method and Research: The present research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to introduce and content-analyze the book "Khutab."
Findings and Conclusions: "Khutab" was among the "Thirteen Textbooks" for Muslims in China. Current introductions to this work are inaccurate, actually describing a different book, "Arba'in al-Fuqara." Stylistically, "Khutab" demonstrates characteristics of intermediate prose. The book's correct name is "Khutab" or "Khutabat," with Husam al-Din Ruhabadi as its Persian commentator; Husam al-Din Ala al-Din Nujabadi is a corrupted form of this name. It's a Persian commentary on Ibn Wada'an al-Mawsili's "Arba'un al-Wada'aniyya," likely composed in the late 7th century AH. The author's preference for Persian is a notable linguistic feature. Among literary devices, imagery, particularly simile, is prevalent. The core theme is death from a mystical perspective, arising from the text's rhetorical and admonitory content interacting with its sociopolitical context.

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References

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Journal of Prose Studies in Persian Literature
Volume 28, Issue 57
September 2025
Pages 143-166

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