Mulla Salih Rowghani Qazvini: A Great Exegete of the Nahj al-Balagha

Muhammad Rida Bandarchi

Muhammad Salih Qazvini, better known as Rowghani, (d.1116/1704), was a Safavid era scholar and one of the disciples of Mir Damad. Born at Qazvin, he lived in Isfahan for some time, and then went to Mashad and lived there for good and all. Proficient in letters, theosophy, mysticism, and history, he was also a skillful translator. Among his works, the following can be mentioned: an exegesis of the Nahj al-Balagha, Barakat al-Mashhad al-Muqaddas, translations of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, Imam Ali’s Epistle to Malik b. Harith al-Ashtar, Al-Muhadarat of Raghib Isfahani, Tawhid al-Mufaddal, and Kunuz al- Irfan wa Rumuz Ashab al- Iqan, a work devoted to explicate Book Four of the Mathnawi of Mawlawi. Also the writer did extensive research on some of Mulla Salih’s works, e.g. the last one mentioned. The most notable work of Mulla Salih is his exegesis on the Nahj al-Balagha; a work which Allamah Tehrani regards it as the most useful exegesis on the Nahj al-Balagha. This Persian exegesis includes a translation of the text, indication of the citations, parables, poems, historical points, and ethical rules.

Key Words: Exegesis, Nahj al-Balagha, Mulla Salih Rowghani Qazvini, Translation, Parables, Poems, Historical Points, Ethical Rules.

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