Muntakhab al-tawarikh 364: CLIII.

364

He was a native of the pleasant city of Hajar, but he comes of a base stock. He was quarrelsome and impudent, and confirmed by his behaviour the general belief regarding the character of poets. He was well skilled in the arts of poetry and prosody, in the composition of enigmas, in history and all other minor branches of knowledge, and has written treatises on these subjects. On the first occasion on which he paid his respects at court to the late emperor he stepped towards him at the levee with his left foot. As his late majesty was very punctilious in such details of etiquette he said, ‘The Mulla is left-handed,’ and commanded him I hope that your holiness will, by your exalted regard, free this hopeless prisoner in the bonds of the body and of outward forms who is a unit not beyond the pale of human kind, from all bonds contrary to the laws of the prophet and intrusive upon the faith of the chosen one (on him be the most excellent of benedictions and the most perfect of blessings) and that you will sometimes when you have leisure to think thereon call him to mind in prayer for his attainment of his outward and inward desires for his happiness both in things seen and things unseen and for the accomplishment of his objects both in matters pertaining to the world and in matters pertaining to God for there can be for him no other means but that of arriving at God and at the firm rope of the manifest religion He hopes that God (He is praised and exalted) will of His favour and perfect clemency, protect and guard your holiness, with your dear sons and your honoured friends from all the snares of the world and misfortunes of the age, and will preserve you over those who love you truly and those who follow you sincerely.’