The articles in this volume are dedicated to Professor Ahmad Mahdavi Damghani for the breadth and depth of his interests and his influence on those interests. They attest to the fact that his fervor and rigorously surgical attention to detail have found fertile ground in a wide variety of disciplines, including (among others) Persian literature and philology; Islamic history and historiography; Arabic literature and philology; and Islamic philosophy and jurisprudence. The volume has brought together some of the most respected scholars in the fields of Islamic studies and Islamic literatures, all his prior students, to contribute with articles that touch on the fields Professor Mahdavi Damghani has so permanently touched with his astonishing scholarship and attention to detail.

The exemplar of Indo-Persian history, at once a biography of Emperor Akbar and a chronicle of sixteenth-century Mughal India. Akbarn�ma, or The History of Akbar, by Abu’l-Fazl (d. 1602), is one of the most important works of Indo-Persian history and a touchstone of prose artistry. Marking a high point in a long, rich tradition of Persian historical writing, it served as a model for historians across the Persianate world. The work is at once a biography of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556–1605) that includes descriptions of political and martial feats and cultural achievements, and a chronicle of sixteenth-century India. The seventh volume details the twenty-ninth to thirty-eighth years of Akbar’s reign, including accounts of the marriage of his son and heir Salim (Jahangir); conquests of Swat, Orissa, Kashmir, Sind, and the Saurashtra Peninsula; the pacification of Bengal; and the emperor’s visits to Kashmir, the Punjab, and Kabul. The Persian text, presented in the Naskh script, is based on a careful reassessment of the primary sources.

The exemplar of Indo-Persian history, at once a biography of Emperor Akbar and a chronicle of sixteenth-century Mughal India. Akbarnama, or The History of Akbar, by Abu'l-Fazl (d. 1602), is one of the most important works of Indo-Persian history and a touchstone of prose artistry. Marking a high point in a long, rich tradition of Persian historical writing, it served as a model for historians across the Persianate world. The work is at once a biography of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) that includes descriptions of political and martial feats and cultural achievements, and a chronicle of sixteenth-century India. The eighth and final volume spans the thirty-ninth to fiftieth years of Akbar's reign, detailing the conquest of Ahmadnagar, Prince Salim's rebellion, and the emperor's final days. The Persian text, presented in the Naskh script, is based on a careful reassessment of the primary sources.

The exemplar of Indo-Persian history, at once a biography of Emperor Akbar and a chronicle of sixteenth-century Mughal India. Akbarnama, or The History of Akbar, by Abu'l-Fazl (d. 1602), is one of the most important works of Indo-Persian history and a touchstone of prose artistry. Marking a high point in a long, rich tradition of Persian historical writing, it served as a model for historians across the Persianate world. The work is at once a biography of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) that includes descriptions of his political and martial feats and cultural achievements, and a chronicle of sixteenth-century India. The third volume details the first eight years of Akbar's reign, when he consolidated his power, quelled the rebellion of his guardian Bayram Khan, conquered Malwa, and married a Rajput princess. The Persian text, presented in the Naskh script, is based on a careful reassessment of the primary sources.

The exemplar of Indo-Persian history, at once a biography of Emperor Akbar and a chronicle of sixteenth-century Mughal India. Akbarnama, or The History of Akbar, by Abu'l-Fazl (d. 1602), is one of the most important works of Indo-Persian history and a touchstone of prose artistry. Marking a high point in a long, rich tradition of Persian historical writing, it served as a model for historians across the Persianate world. The work is at once a biography of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) that includes descriptions of his political and martial feats and cultural achievements, and a chronicle of sixteenth-century India. The fifth volume details the bellicose seventeenth to twenty-second years of Akbar's reign, including accounts of the conquest of Gujarat, the capture of Rohtas fort from rebel Afghans, and the invasions of Patna and Bengal. The Persian text, presented in the Naskh script, is based on a careful reassessment of the primary sources.

The exemplar of Indo-Persian history, at once a biography of Emperor Akbar and a chronicle of sixteenth-century Mughal India. Akbarnama, or The History of Akbar, by Abu'l-Fazl (d. 1602), is one of the most important works of Indo-Persian history and a touchstone of prose artistry. Marking a high point in a long, rich tradition of Persian historical writing, it served as a model for historians across the Persianate world. The work is at once a biography of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) that includes descriptions of his political and martial feats and cultural achievements, and a chronicle of sixteenth-century India. The sixth volume details the twenty-third to twenty-eighth years of Akbar's reign, including accounts of the quelling of rebellions in Bihar, Bengal, and Kabul, and final victory in Gujarat. The Persian text, presented in the Naskh script, is based on a careful reassessment of the primary sources.

The exemplar of Indo-Persian history, at once a biography of Emperor Akbar and a chronicle of sixteenth-century Mughal India. Akbarnama, or The History of Akbar, by Abu'l-Fazl (d. 1602), is one of the most important works of Indo-Persian history and a touchstone of prose artistry. Marking a high point in a long, rich tradition of Persian historical writing, it served as a model for historians across the Persianate world. The work is at once a biography of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) that includes descriptions of his political and martial feats and cultural achievements, and a chronicle of sixteenth-century India. The fourth volume narrates the second eight years of Akbar's reign, including an account of his visit to Ajmer, the arrival of an embassy from the Safavid court, and the beginning of the author's brother Faizi's career as court poet. The Persian text, presented in the Naskh script, is based on a careful reassessment of the primary sources.

The exemplar of Indo-Persian history, at once a biography of Emperor Akbar and a chronicle of sixteenth-century Mughal India. Akbarnama, or The History of Akbar, by Abu'l-Fazl (d. 1602), is one of the most important works of Indo-Persian history and a touchstone of prose artistry. Marking a high point in a long, rich tradition of Persian historical writing, it served as a model for historians across the Persianate world. The work is at once a biography of the Mughal emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) that includes descriptions of his political and martial feats and cultural achievements, and a chronicle of sixteenth-century India. The second volume details the turbulent reign of his father Humayun, his years in exile, his return to power, and his untimely death that brought Akbar to the throne as a youth. The Persian text, presented in the Naskh script, is based on a careful reassessment of the primary sources.

Signs of the Unseen is a collection of Rumi's lectures, discourses, conversations, and comments on various and sundry topics. Even in conversation Rumi expresses his spiritual insights in a style rich in allusion and figurative language, and often illustrated by skillful storytelling. His themes include God's beauty and beneficence as expressed through the good things of the earth; the continuum between form and substance; the here and the hereafter; the melting of individuality in the reality of God's oneness; and the centrality of love in the soul's development.

Text in English & Persian. Is the Gulistan the most influential book in the Iranian world? In terms of prose, it is the model, which all writers of Persian seek to emulate. In terms of moral, philosophical or practical wisdom, it is endlessly quoted to either illustrate or prove a point. Sir John Malcolm even relates being told that it is the basis of the law of the Persians. It also travelled abroad. Voltaire, Goethe, Arnold, Longfellow, Emerson, Thoreau, Melville, and Franklin discovered, read, and took inspiration from the work. Moreover, travelers to Iran have often point out that to understand the mind of the inhabitants, one should read the Gulistan. Written some seven and a half centuries ago by Sa'di of Shiraz the Gulistan or Rose Garden is a collection of moral stories divided into eight themes: "The Conduct of Kings", "The Character of Dervishes", "The Superiority of Contentment", "The Benefits of Silence", "Love and Youth", "Feebleness and Old Age", "The Effects of Education", and "The Art of Conversation." In each section stories are told from which the reader learns how to behave in a given situation. Sa'di can be moral. "Honesty gives God pleasure. I haven't seen anyone get lost on the right road." He may be practical. "If you can't stand the sting, don't put your finger into a scorpion's hole." He is philosophical in these lines which are engraved at the entrance of the United Nations: "The members of the human race are limbs one to another, for at creation they were of one essence. When one limb is pained by fate, the others cannot rest." The Gulistan is considered the essence of elegant but simple Persian prose. For 600 years, it was the first book placed in the learner's hand. In Persian-speaking countries today, quotations from the Gulistan appear in every conceivable type of literature and is the source of numerous everyday proverbial statements, much as Shakespeare is in English. This is the first complete English translation of the Gulistan in more than a century. Wheeler M. Thackston, Professor of Persian at Harvard University, has faithfully translated Sa'di into clear contemporary English. To help the student, the original Persian is presented facing the English translation. A 3,600 word Persian-English and Arabic-English glossary is included to aide with the more difficult meanings. The Gulistan is imbued with a practical wisdom of life. Sa'di recognizes people for what they are. Every personality type that exists is found in the Rose Garden, the good, the bad, the weak, the strong, the pious, the impious, honest folk, and the most conniving of cheats. Hypocrites abound, foolish kings appear with their wily ministers, wise rulers vie with their malevolent courtiers, boastful young warriors turn tail and run. The beauty of Sa'di's wisdom is that it is timeless. What is expressed is in a setting so close and familiar to the modern experience that it is as relevant today as it was six hundred years ago.