Mir‘āt al-ḥaqā’īq | Monography or Translations of known period | Survey | Perso-Indica

Monography or Translations of known period
‘Abd al-Raḥmān Čištī, Mir‘āt al-ḥaqā’īq

[Preliminary Entry] The Mir‘āt al-ḥaqā’īq (Mirror of Realities) is a Sufi philosophical treatise penned by ‘Abd al-Raḥman Čištī (d. 1683) and based on the Sanskrit Bhagavadgītā. ‘Abd al-Raḥman Čištī adapts only select portions of the Bhagavadgītā that he found consistent with Islamic beliefs, particularly the theory of “unity of being” (waḥdat al-wujūd). He elides Krishna’s divinity altogether and instead presents Krishna as reflecting God’s glory.

A. T.

 

i) Place of copying; ii) Period of copying; iii) Copyist; iv) Commissioner;
v) Information on colophon; vi) Description of miniatures/illustrations; vii) Other remarks; viii) Information on catalogue(s)
Manuscripts: 

London, British Library, Persian Oriental 1883, ff. 257-271

, iii) Ġulām Nabī, viii)

Rieu 1883, Vol. 3, pp. 1033b-1034b

.

Aligarh, Aligarh Muslim University, University Collection Religion and Sufism 68/3

, i) Muhammadabad, ii)

1702

, viii)

Zaidi 1994, pp. 50-51

.


Bibliography:

Alam, Muzaffar, 2004, The Languages of Political Islam: India 1200-1800, Chicago, University of Chicago Press.

Rieu, Charles, 1879-1883, Catalogue of the Persian Manuscripts in the British Museum, 3 vols, London, British Museum.

Vassie, Roderic, 1988, "Persian Interpretations of the Bhagavadgītā in the Mughal Period: with special reference to the Sufi version of ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Chishtī," Ph.D. dissertation, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Vassie, Roderic, 1992, "‘Abd al-Raḥman Chishtī and the Bhagavadgita: ‘Unity of Religion’ Theory in Practice", in: Leonard Lewisohn, ed., The Heritage of Sufism: The Legacy of Medieval Persian Sufism, London - New York, Khaniqahi Nimatullahi Publications, pp. 367-377.

Zaidi, Shailesh, ed., 1994., Hinduism in Aligarh Manuscripts: Descriptive Catalogue of Persian Mss. of Maulana Azad Library, A. M. U., Aligarh: On Hindu Legends, Philosophy and Faith, Patna, Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library.


 
Main Persian Title: Mir‘āt al-ḥaqā’īq
English Translation of Main Persian Title: Mirror of Realities
Translator: ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Čištī
Original Sources:
Alternative Title(s):
Bhagavad-gītā