Mīr ʻAlī Ḥusaynī Haravī, approximately 1476-1543, scribe. manuscripttext per This manuscript in Persian is an untitled Sufi text on meditation containing both poetry and prose. It was completed in early 1520, probably in Herat (present-day Afghanistan) or Mashhad (present-day Iran). The colophon, which is in Arabic, gives the name of the scribe, Mīr 'Alī Ḥusaynī Haravī (circa 1476-1543). The manuscript is on a firm cream-colored paper inlaid into light cream (folios 1-8) or pale greenish-blue margin paper, with the writing enclosed within alternating gold and cream (or green) bands with black ruling. The margin paper is profusely decorated with floral and animal motifs. The text is in nastalīq script, eight lines to the page. The binding is contemporary leather with medallions. A former owner's stamp appears on folio 1a. Sufism, a mystical and introspective interpretation of Islam that emerged after the initial spread of the religion, combines Islamic teachings with gnosticism. The practice embraced the idea of enlightenment through spiritual knowledge, informed by pre-Islamic Greek, Zoroastrian, and Indian spiritual practices. By the 13th century, Sufi thought in the Persian-speaking world was expressed primarily through poetry or in poetic works of prose, such as this treatise. Untitled Sufi text on meditation containing both poetry and prose. Colophon: Katabahu al-ʻabd al-faqīr al-mudhnib ʻAlī al-Ḥusaynī al-kātib ghafara Allāh ... fī Rabīʻ al-Awwal sanat sitt wa-ʻishrīn wa-tisʻmiʼah." Binding is contemporary leather with medallions. Folios 1a-12b. Former owner's stamp on folio 1a. Library of Congress manuscript, Persian Cage 70 (6). Manuscript. Nastalīq script; 8 lines in written area 13.7 x 7.4 cm. Paper; firm cream colored paper inlaid into light cream (folios 1-8) or pale greenish-blue margin paper, writing enclosed within alternating gold and cream (or green) bands with black ruling; margin paper is profusely decordated with floral and animal motifs. Probably written in Herat or Mashhad. Title supplied by cataloger. Written by ʻAlī al-Ḥusaynī (calligrapher)--Colophon. Manuscripts, Persian--Washington (D.C.) Meditation--Islam--Early works to 1800. Sufi literature, Persian--Early works to 1800. Sufism--Early works to 1800. Afghanistan Herat Iran Mashhad Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress website. https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.amed/plmp.m027 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.wdl/wdl.11241