Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra81821920roya).pdf/48

 Ibrahim as a court panegyrist under the Seljukian princes, Malik-shah (1152), Muhammad (1153-1160), Sulaiman Shah and Arslan Shah bin Tughrul (1161-1176), who wrote an epic called Hikayat-i Amir Ahmad u Mahisti. But to judge from references to books in the Taju's-Salatin, this man lived too early to be our author.

The introduction to the Taju's-Salatin acknowledges indebtedness to many sources. These sources have Arabic titles, but some are well-known Persian works found also in Arabic, and some Persian translations from the Arabic. One of the sources given is the Akhlaq-i-Muhsini, written in 1494 by Husain bin Ali alwaiz al Kashifi.

On page 43 (van Eysinga's text) the author quotes from the Tanhibu'l-Ghafilin; probably an Arabic religious tract translated into Persian—there are several works of that name, Persian, one Hindustani and at least one in Malay (van Ronkel's "Catalogus" of MSS. at Batavia, p. 412; and a Malay version has been printed at Mecca and is on sale in Singapore). The Sijar ul Muluk, a well-known Persian work composed by the famous Vizier Nizam 'l Mulk, born in 1017, is referred to on pp. 65 and 203. A Persian ethical treatise (Ethé p. 347) is cited on p. 116. A Persian verse is quoted on p. 117 out of the Secrets of Attar, a Persian work by the famous mystic and poet, Abu Hamid Muhammad bin Abibakr Ibrahim Farid ud Din Attar, a dealer in perfumery who died 114 years old in 1230. On p. 151 is mentioned the famons Persian romance of Mahmud and Avaz: the oldest version is by Fashru'd Din Ali Safi (died 1532), but there are others by Anisi (died 1605), Zulali (composed 1593-1615), Mirza Muhammad Ali Saib (d. 1677) and later by Mir Abu Talib. On the same page are mentioned the "Arab story" of Laila wa Majnun and the "Persian stories" of Khusran wa Shirin, and of Yusof and Zulaikha. The story of Khusrau and Shirin is told in verse by Fashru'd Din Asad Nizani and by many later writers. Firdausi and earlier authors have told the story of Yusof and Zulaikha.

The introduction to the Taju's-Salatin, the type of book, the names of princes and ministers are all Persian. In Persian more than in Arabic ethical treatises one fonds verses, stories and texts from the Koran introduced. The verses in the book are all in forms of Persian prosody, the mathnawi, ruba'i, ghozal: they are mostly didactic or sing the praises of the first four khalifs or of the merits of the author's work. On p. 7 Kayomarz the first of the old kings of Persia is mentioned as a son of Adam. Cf. also p. 103.

Sometimes a Persian word is explained, e.g. on p. 134, by a later hand, The Persian word for the New Year is used. There are Persian forms of the genitive: e.g. Omari-Abdul-Aziz.

The chronogram in the introduction gives 1012 A.H. (1603 A.D.) as the date of composition.

Though no Persian original has been discovered, clearly the book is of Persian origin and, considering there was no direct Persian influence on the Malays, probably was derived from India.