A Portrait of Mīr Sayyid Ḥasan Ardashīr in Navāʾī’s Nasāʾim al-maḥabbah
Amīr ʿAlīshīr Navāʾī (d. 1501) is esteemed as both a great Timurid statesman and literati in Chaghatay Turkish. While these designations aptly describe him, delving into his Chaghatay prose works reveals a more nuanced portrayal. Navāʾī emerges not only as a vizier and poet but also as a meticulous biographer who was deeply invested in preserving the lives and legacies of his contemporaries. What sets his work apart is his dedication to memorializing individuals who might otherwise have been overlooked in traditional chronicles and other forms of historical records. Through his biographical writings, whether in the form of humble monographs dedicated to the memory of a particular person or comprehensive tadhkirah works devoted to specific groups of professionals (Sufis or poets), Navāʾī ensures that even the most obscure figures, especially those he knew personally, are immortalized within the memories of Timurid society and culture.
Of such individuals, one is Mīr Sayyid Ḥasan Ardashīr (d. 1489 or 90). On three separate occasions within his body of work, Navāʾī focuses on or references Mīr Sayyid Ḥasan. Not only did he compose a concise treatise titled Ḥālāt-i Mīr Sayyid Ḥasan Ardashīr, but he also allocated two succinct entries to him in his biographical compendiums: one in Majālis al-nafāʾis, dedicated mostly to Timurid poets of Khurasan, and another in Nasāʾim al-maḥabbah, devoted to ancient and contemporary Sufis and saints.
In his endeavor to commemorate the relatively obscure figure of Mīr Sayyid Ḥasan, Navāʾī was driven by two primary motives. One was deeply personal, rooted in the paternal role Mīr Sayyid Ḥasan assumed in Navāʾī's life following the death of his own father, and the profound influence he exerted over Navāʾī's intellectual and professional development. However, perhaps more significantly, Navāʾī sought to illustrate the compelling allure of Sufism during his era through the figure of Mīr Sayyid Ḥasan.
Mīr's journey, as recounted in Navāʾī's Ḥālāt, is a testament to the transformative power of Sufism. From his youthful days as a carefree libertine and wine enthusiast, associated with Timurid princes, to his rise to the position of vizier during the reign of Sultan Hūsayn Bāyqarā, Mīr Sayyid Ḥasan’s life trajectory underwent a profound shift as he embraced the Sufi path. In Navāʾī’s Herat, Sufis and wine enthusiasts coexisted. Mīr Sayyid Ḥasan initially belonged to the latter group. However, his noble character and the allure of Sufism eventually prompted him to transition to the side of the Sufis.
In this blog post, I provide a translation of Navāʾī's entry on Mīr Sayyid Ḥasan from his work, Nasāʾim al-maḥabbah. This translation serves as a valuable resource for an article I am currently writing on Navāʾī’s Ḥālāt. Here you will find both the Chaghatay text and my English translation.
درویش سید حسن قدس سره:
خراسان ولایتینینک اشرافیدین ایردیلار. سپاهیلیق صورتیدا اوتکارور ایردیلار. سلاطین التفات قیلورلار ایردی اما دایم میللاری درویشلیق ساری ایردی و درویشلار خدمتیغه ییتار ایردیلار و درویشلار سوزین و رسایلین اوقور ایردیلار تا عاقبت بو جانبی اول جانبقه غالب کیلدی و اولوغ مناصب ظاهرینی و پادشاهنینک تقرّب و خصوصیتنی ترک قیلیب، مولانا محمد تبادکانی قدس الله سره خدمتیغه باریب، عالمنینک بارچا ایشیدین ایلیک تارتیب، اول ایلیکنی فقر ایتاکیکا اوروب، سلوککا مشغول بولدیلار. نیچه ییل غریب اربعینلار چیقاریب، درویشلار اراسیدا متعیّن و فقر طریقیدا حضرت مولانانینک اختیاری خلفاسیدین بولدیلار. خواجه برهان الدین ابونصر پارسا قدس سره و شیخ بهاء الدین عمر رحمه الله و مولانا بایزید پورانی علیه الرحمه و شیخ شاه زیارتکاهی قدس الله روحه و اول زماننینک مشایخینینک کوپینینک صحبتیغه ییتیب ایردیلار. و بو حقیرنی فرزندلیققه مخصوص قیلورلار ایردی. بو حقیر فقر طریقیدا و فنا جادهسیدا آلاردیک تمام کیشی آز کوروبمین. آخر حیاتلاریدا سمرقندغه باریب، خواجه ناصر الدین عبید الله قدس الله سره خدمتیغه مشرّف بولوب، صحبتلار توتوب، نظرلار تاپیب، قایتیب، کیلیب، سیکیز یوز توقسان تورتدا عالمدین اوتتیلار و آلار فوتی تاریخی مونداق واقع بولوبتور که:
سر اهل فنا سیّد حسن رفت که جای او بهشت جاودان باد
پی آن پاکرَو جستند تاریخ بگفتم "جنّت پاکش مکان باد"
هرات شهرنینک شمالی حدّیدا، تاغ ایتاکیدا، عزیزلار حظیرهسیدا قویولدی.
Dervish, Sayyid Ḥasan–may God sanctify his secret:
He hailed from the noble folk of Khurasan province, leading his life in the attire of the military. The [Timurid] kings bestowed attention upon him, yet his inclination consistently leaned towards dervishhood. He would attend the service of dervishes, reading their words and treatises until eventually this inclination outweighed the other. He resigned from outwardly esteemed positions and departed from the proximity to the King (Sultan Ḥusayn Bāyqarā) and his special care. He sought the service of Mawlānā Muḥammad Tabadakānī–may God sanctify his soul–, washing his hands of all worldly affairs, and taking hold of the skirt of poverty, he dedicated himself to the path of Sufi wayfaring. For some years, he embarked on forty-day retreats, earning renown among the dervishes. In the path of poverty, he rose to become one of the chosen representatives of the Mawlānā [Tabādakānī]. He also frequented the company of Khwājah Burhān al-Dīn Abū Naṣr Pārsā (may God sanctify his secret), Shaykh Bahāʾ al-Dīn ʿUmar (may God bestow mercy upon him), Mawlānā Bāyazīd Pūrānī (God’s mercy upon him), Shaykh Shāh Ziyāratgāhī (may God sanctify his soul), and many other Sufi sheikhs of his era.
He singled out this humble man (i.e., Navāʾī) as his son. This humble man has seen few individuals as perfect as him on the path of poverty and on the road to self-annihilation.
Toward the end of his life, he travelled to Samarqand and was honorably welcomed into the service of Khwājah Nāṣir al-Dīn ʿUbayd Allāh (may God sanctify his secret). He remained in his company for a while, received his Sufi gaze, and then returned [to Herat].
In 894, he departed from this world. His death date chronogram is occurred in this manner:
The chief of the faithful, Sayyid Ḥasan, left with grace,
In eternal paradise, may he find his resting place.
When asked of the date his spirit did depart,
I said, "In pure paradise, may he dwell, with tranquil heart."
He was laid to rest in the northern precincts of Herat, on the mountain foothills, within the "Burial Enclosure of the Dear Ones."
