MyronMullet1862 at 17:14, 23 September 2025

2025-09-23T17:14:48Z

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{{short description|Persian language poet and historian}}
{{for|the Sufi scholar|Khwaja Hasan Nizami}}

'''Hasan Nizami''' was a [[Persian language]] poet and historian, who lived in the 12th and 13th centuries. He migrated from [[Nishapur]] to [[Delhi]] in India, where he wrote ''Tajul-Ma'asir'', the first official history of the [[Delhi Sultanate]].

== Early life ==

Little is known about the family background of Hasan Nizami, since neither him nor his contemporaries provide any such information. The later historians such as [[Mīr-Khvānd]], [[Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak|Abu'l-Fazl]] and [[Kâtip Çelebi]] call him "Sadru-din Muhammad bin Hasan Nizami". [[Ziauddin Barani]] calls him "Sadr-i-Nizami". According to the 14th century Persian historian [[Hamdallah Mustawfi]], Nizami was a son of Persian poet [[Nizami Aruzi]], but there is no evidence to substantiate this claim.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2010|p=40}}

Nizami originally lived in [[Nishapur]], in the [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] region of present-day [[Iran]]. When the region became unsafe because of the [[Khwarazmian dynasty|Khwarazmian]]-[[Ghurid dynasty|Ghurid]] conflict, Nizami visited the [[Imam Reza shrine]] and sought advice from his religious preceptor Muhammad Kufi. Kufi advised him to leave Nishapur and migrate to India.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2010|p=40}}

During his journey to India, Nizami fell ill at [[Ghazna]]. He recovered under the care of Shaikh Muhammad Shirazi and Majd-al-Mulk, who held the office of ''Sadr-i-Jahan''. The fact that these important officials extended their hospitality to Nizami indicates that he was either a reputed scholar or came from a reputed family.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2010|p=41}}

While in Ghazna, Nizami heard that the [[Qutb al-Din Aibak]], the Ghurid governor of [[Delhi]], was generous towards immigrants. He, therefore, decided to try his luck in Delhi.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2010|p=41}}

== ''Tajul-Ma'asir'' ==

Nizami arrived in Delhi, sometime before the assassination of the Ghurid king [[Muhammad of Ghor]] in 1206. Nizami initially stayed with Sharaful-Mulk, who held the office of ''Sadr'' in Delhi. When Nizami was looking for employment, his friends suggested that he compile a history of the Muslim conquest of India, highlighting the achievements of Qutb al-Din Aibak. Soon after the Ghurid king's death, Qutb al-Din became the first ruler of the independent [[Delhi Sultanate]], and issued a [[firman]] towards this objective.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2010|p=41}}

Nizami thus started compiling his [[Persian language]] ''Tajul-Ma'asir'', the first official history of the Delhi Sultanate.{{sfn|Nizami|1983|p=55}} Although the book is written in Persian, it suggests that Nizami had a good command over the [[Arabic language]] as well. He wrote in an ornate style characteristic of the [[Arabic poetry]] and prose.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2010|p=41}}

Since Nizami was more of a poet than a historian, his work features "flights of imagination". For example, he depicts Central Asian plants blossoming in the desert region around [[Ajmer]]. Nevertheless, his book was well-regarded by medieval historians for its detailed descriptions. The 14th century chronicler [[Ziauddin Barani]] counts him among the trustworthy historians of the Delhi Sultanate.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2010|p=42}}

The ''Tajul-Ma'asir'' begins with the [[Second Battle of Tarain]] in which the Ghurids defeated the Hindu king [[Prithviraja III]]. The book doesn't mention the [[First Battle of Tarain]], in which the Ghurids were defeated, as this would have offended Qutb al-Din Aibak.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2010|pp=41-42}} The book then describes how Qutb al-Din (then a Ghurid general) was awarded the governorship of the newly conquered territory in India. Next, the book provides details about the subsequent military career of Qutb al-Din. The narrative is marred by poetic exaggeration and other irrelevant details, such as the [[astrology|effects of planets]] on living beings.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2010|p=43}}

The book provides comprehensive details about the events between 1192 and 1196. Nizami probably compiled this part of the book between 1206 and 1210. However, his coverage of the post-1196 events is not satisfactory. It is possible that Qutb al-din's untimely death in 1210 dashed Nizami's hopes of receiving a royal reward, and reduced his interest in completing the work.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2010|p=46}} The book goes on to describe the reign of the next ruler [[Iltutmish]], but this part appears to have been compiled in haste.{{sfn|Siddiqi|2010|p=52}}

Nizami started writing the book in 1205-1206, and completed it sometime after 1229.{{sfn|Jackson|2003|p=7}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |author=Siddiqi |first=Iqtidar Husain |title=Indo-Persian Historiography Up to the Thirteenth Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJbmTL8svpwC&pg=PA40 |year=2010 |publisher=Primus Books |isbn=978-81-908918-0-6}}
* {{cite book |author=Nizami |first=Khaliq Ahmad |title=On history and historians of medieval India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VoFDAAAAYAAJ |year=1983 |publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal |isbn=9788121501521 |oclc=832916392}}
* {{cite book |author=Jackson |first=Peter |title=The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lt2tqOpVRKgC&pg=PA221 |year=2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-54329-3}}
{{refend}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasan Nizami}}
[[Category:13th-century Persian-language writers]]
[[Category:Iranian emigrants to India]]
[[Category:12th-century Persian-language writers]]
[[Category:Poets from Nishapur]]
[[Category:13th-century Iranian historians]]
[[Category:Historians of India]]
[[Category:13th-century Persian-language poets]]

Hasan Nizami - Revision history

MyronMullet1862 at 17:14, 23 September 2025