Muhammad ibn Ali Rawandi
Persian historian and calligrapher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Muhammad ibn Ali Rawandi (Persian: محمد بن علی راوندی; died after 1207), was a Persian[1] historian who wrote the Rahat al-sudur wa ayat al-surur during the fall of the Great Seljuk Empire and the subsequent invasion by the Kharwarzmian empire.
Muhammad ibn Ali Rawandi | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Died | After 1207 |
| Occupations | Historian, Calligrapher |
| Academic work | |
| Era | Medieval Islamic Period |
| Main interests | History of the Seljuk Empire |
| Notable works |
|
The only source that gives details about Rawandi's life is his own book. He was from a scholarly family from Rawand near Kashan, and studied Hanafi fiqh in Hamadan from 1174 to 1184.[1] As a calligrapher, Rawandi was brought to court to craft a Quran for Toghrul III and gained the sultan's favor. After Toghrul's incarceration, Rawandi gained the patronage of Shihab al-Din al-Kashani, who urged him to write the Rahat al-sudur. Rawandi had intended to dedicate his book to Süleymanshah II, but dedicated it to Kaykhusraw I, following the latter's accession as Sultan of Rum. Later the Rahat al-sudur was translated into Turkish during the reign of Murad II.[1]
Rawandi died after 1207.[2]
Modern era
In 1921, the Rahat al-sudur was published by Muhammad Iqbal (died 1938).[3] It was recognized by Iqbal, Edward G. Browne and Mirza Muhammad Qazwini as a source in other texts, namely Jami' al-tawarikh of Rashid al-Din Hamadani (died 1318), Rawdat al-safa of Mirkhvand (died 1498) and Tarikh-i guzida of Hamdallah Mustawfi (died after 1339/40).[3]