Lives of the Prophets

Mohamad Reza Ghiasian holds a PhD in Islamic Art and Archaeology from the University of Bamberg and is currently Assistant Professor of Islamic Art at the University of Kashan.

"Through a detailed reading of both text and image, Lives of the Prophets: The Illustrations to Hafiz-i Abru’s “Assembly of Chronicles” sets the standard for the codicologically-driven study of Persian illustrated manuscripts." - Yuka Kadoi, University of Vienna, in: Abstracta Iranica 40-41 (2019) "This tightly conceived and clearly written study is, as Charles Melville states in the preface (p. x), a masterpiece of “forensic detective work” in unraveling the complex history of Hafiz-i Abru’s universal chronicle. It will readily interest art historians who work on Iran and its neighbors, from Mongol times onwards. [...] the author's careful study has much information that will also interest historian and historiographers." - Sheila Blair, Boston College, in: Iranian Studies (2019)“The real power of this book is in the brilliant reconstruction of the fragmented or dispersed manuscripts of both Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh and Majmaʿ al-tavārīkh, the translation of sections from Ḥāfiẓ-i Abrū’s text, and the sets of iconographic comparisons. Together these form a solid basis for future studies in the field, and, at the same time, offer an interesting picture of Islamic biblical and prophetic iconography within a specific historical context. “- Rachel Milstein The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, in JAOS (2020)

• ForewordAcknowledgementsFigures and TablesIntroduction1 Chapter Summary2 Note on Appendices, Translation, Transliteration and Dates1 The Political and Cultural Setting1 Political History2 The Legitimation of Shahrukh’s Rule3 Foreign Relations4 Personal Traits of Shahrukh5 Art Patronage2 Book Production under Shahrukh1 The Surviving Manuscripts2 Hafiz-i Abru’s Kulliyat-i tarikhi3 Rashid al-Din’s Jamiʿ al-tawarikh (Hazine 1654)4 Nizami’s Khamsa of 835/1431 in the Hermitage Museum5 Nizami’s Khamsa Known as the Cartier Khamsa6 Jamiʿ al-tawarikh of the Bibliothèque Nationale7 Miʿrajnama and Tazkirat al-awliya‌ʾ of the Bibliothèque Nationale3 Majmaʿ al-tawarikh and Its Surviving Illustrated Copies1 The Life of Hafiz-i Abru2 Hafiz-i Abru’s Works3 Majmaʿal-tawarikh4 Stories of the Prophets and the Majmaʿ al-tawarikh5 The Surviving Illustrated Copies of the Majmaʿ al-tawarikh6 Hazine 16537 The Illustration Cycle of the Timurid Parts of Hazine 16538 Some Remarks on Foreign Relations as Reflected in these Manuscripts9 The “Divided Manuscript” as a Hitherto Unknown Copy of the Jamiʿ al-tawarikh Produced at the Rabʿ-i Rashidi10 The Dispersed Manuscript 11 Paintings Added Later to the Dispersed Manuscript12 Shahrukhi Illustrations of the Dispersed Manuscript4 Stylistic Analysis1 Human Figures2 Architectural Forms and Natural Life3 Battle Scenes4 Enthroned FiguresCatalogue: The Illustrations of the Prophets1 Cat. 1: Adam Orders Abel and Cain to Sacrifice2 Cat. 2: The Ark of Noah3 Cat. 3: The Prophet Salih and the She-Camel4 Cat. 4: Abraham in the Fire5 Cat. 5: Abraham Sacrifices His Son6 Cat. 6: The Prophet Jacob and His Twelve Sons7 Cat. 7: Joseph before the Women of Egypt8 Cat. 8: The Prophet Job’s Distress9 Cat. 9: Moses Prevails over Pharaoh10 Cat. 10: Moses and the Israelites Watch the Egyptians Drown in the Sea11 Cat. 11: Moses Orders the Israelites to Sacrifice a Cow12 Cat. 12: Moses and Korah13 Cat. 13: Moses Striking the Giant ʿUj’s Ankle14 Cat. 14: Solomon among Demons, Fairies, Wildlife and Birds15 Cat. 15: Jesus Brings Back to Life Shem, the Son of Noah16 Cat. 16: Jonah and the Whale17 Cat. 17: Excavation of the Well of Zamzam18 Cat. 18: The Birth of the Prophet Muhammad19 Cat. 19: Muhammad’s Call to Prophecy and the First Revelation20 Cat. 20: The Prophet Converts Abu BakrConclusionAppendix 1: Translation of the Illustrated Episodes of the Lives of the Prophets Based on Hazine 16531 The Children and the Descendants of Adam2 Concerning the Life of the Prophet Noah3 Salih and the People of Thamud4 The Story of Abraham: From the Birth up to the Beginning of the Migration 5 Abraham Sacrifices His Son6 Concerning Jacob7 The Tale of Joseph and Zulaykha8 The Story of Job9 Moses’ Coming to Egypt and Delivering the Message to Pharaoh10 Moses and the Israelites’ Departure from Egypt and the Drowning of Pharaoh and his People11 The Corpse that was Found among the Israelites12 Moses and Korah13 Moses and the People of ʿAd and ʿUj ibn ʿUnuq14 The Story of Bilqis and the City of Sheba15 Jesus’ Coming to Jerusalem16 The Prophet Jonah17 Excavation of [the Well of] Zamzam18 The Birth of [the Prophet] Mustafa19 The First Divine Revelation and the Beginning of the Apostle’s Mission20 Conversion of the Companions and Disagreement of Scholars about the First One who Converted to IslamAppendix 2: Headings and Illustrations in Hazine 16531 KeyAppendix 3: Location of Paintings so Far Identified as Later Additions in the Dispersed Manuscript (Second Style)Appendix 4: Location of Paintings so Far Identified as Later Additions in the Dispersed Manuscript (Third Style)Bibliography