Who is the Author of Rashf-ol-Alhaz? A review of the copy's edition
Subject Areas : Research in Iranian classical literature
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Abstract :
One of the important books on symbolic words and expressions of Sufism is Rashf-ol-Alhaz fi Kashf-ol- Alfaz by Sharaf id-Din Hosein Ibn-e Olfati Tabrizi, edited by Najib Mayel Heravi. The book consists of 300 mystical and Gnostic expressions. The same contents are attributed to both Fakhr id-Din Araqi in an appendix to his Divan, edited by Sa'eed Nafisi, as "Estelahat-e Fakhr id-Din Araqi", and to Aziz Nasafi, in a book entitled "Loqat va Estelah-at-e Orafa". The overall sameness of the three copies, whether in their divisions of the contents or in their entries and definitions, proves that one of them must have been the original book. Yet, misattribution of the book to these two authors is not in doubt; nor is it possible to identify the real author unless a reliable copy is available. Relying on the exhaustive review of all the available copies and manuscripts, and the analytical- comparative study of them could provide a text with a careful edition.
