Jalal al-Din Davani | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1426/7 |
| Died | October/November 1502 (aged 75/76) Fars,Aq Qoyunlu |
| Occupation | Scholar |
| Father | Sa'd al-Din As'ad |
Jalal al-Din al-Dawani[a] (Persian:جلال الدین دوانی; 1426/7 – 1502), also known asAllama Davani (علامه دوانی), was a theologian, philosopher, jurist, and poet, who is considered to have been one of the leading scholars in late 15th-centuryIran.
A native of the town ofDavan in the southern Iranian region ofFars, Davani completed his education at the provincial capital ofShiraz, where he started to distinguish himself. In the 1460s, he briefly served as thesadr (chief of religious affairs) of theQara Qoyunlu governor of Fars,Mirza Yusuf, and accompanied the latter's fatherJahan Shah (r. 1438–1467) in his battle against theAq Qoyunlu rulerUzun Hasan (r. 1453–1478), where the latter emerged victorious. Initially taking refuge and distancing himself from the Aq Qoyunlu, Davani soon entered their service, being appointed asqadi (chief judge) of Fars by Uzun Hasan's son and successor,Ya'qub Beg (r. 1478–1490).
Davani was also in contact with figures outside Iran, such as theOttomansultanBayezid II (r. 1481–1512) and the rulers in India, whom he dedicated several of his works to, especially during Ya'qub Beg's reign. With the constant flow of gifts that Davani was receiving from his patrons, he eventually became rich. However, all of his belongings were soon confiscated in 1498 or 1499 by the Aq Qoyunlu ruler of Fars, Qasim-Bay Purnak. Davani afterwards spent much of his time in various small cities south of Shiraz, such as Jirun (Hormuz) andLar. He died in October/November 1502, and was buried in his hometown.
An ethnicPersian,[2] Davani was born in the town ofDavan, nearShiraz, the capital city of the southern Iranian region ofFars, which was then underTimurid rule.[3] He was the eldest son of Sa'd al-Din As'ad, aqadi (chief judge) of the district ofKazarun, which Davan was attached to.[4] His family claimed descent from the firstRashiduncaliphAbu Bakr (r. 632–634), and thus Davani was sometimes known by the epithet of al-Siddiqi.[5][6] Davani initially studied under his father, until he left for Shiraz to continue his education, where he studied under Mawlana Muhyi al-Din Gusha Kinari, Mawlana Humam al-Din Gulbari and Safi al-Din Ijil. There he stood out amongst his peers, which started to draw the attention of students far away. Davani wrote his first work on 25 May 1449, which was a commentary on theTafsir al-Baydawi of the Persian scholarQadi Baydawi (died 1319).[7][8] In 1451, theTurkmenQara Qoyunlu took advantage of the death of the Timurid ruler ofPersian Iraq and Fars,Sultan Muhammad, conquering the regions in 1452 and 1453, respectively.[9][10]
By the time Davani had reached his thirties, his reputation as a religious scholar had already been established. He briefly served as thesadr (chief of religious affairs) of the Qara Qoyunlu governor of Fars,Mirza Yusuf, but soon resigned.[7][8] It is unknown why he resigned from his post; regardless, Davani still retained a close relationship with Mirza Yusuf's father,sultanJahan Shah (r. 1438–1467). He accompanied the latter in his battle against theAq Qoyunlu rulerUzun Hasan (r. 1453–1478), which took place on the field of Mush inDiyar Bakr in on 10 or 11 November 1467. Jahan Shah's forces were defeated, and he was himself killed. Davani fled to the city ofTabriz in the northwestern Iranian region ofAzerbaijan, losing some of his books in the process.[11]
There he stayed for a while, composing theShawakil al-hur fi sharh Hayakil al-nur a commentary on theHayakil al-Nur, a work by the 12th-century Persian philosopherSuhrawardi (died 1191). The commentary is dedicated toMahmud Gawan (died 1481), the Persianvizier of theBahmanid sultan of theDeccan,Muhammad Shah III Lashkari (r. 1463–1482). Some years later, Davani returned to Shiraz and became themudarris (teacher) of the Begum Madrasa (later known as Dar al-Aytam). It was that there he established a relation with the Aq Qoyunlu, especially with Uzun Hasan's sonSultan Khalil, who governed Fars.[5][12] In 1474, Davani dedicated ethical workLawami' al-ishraq fi makarim al-akhlaq (also known asAkhlaq-i Jalili) to Uzun Hasan and Khalil.[13] In this work, he described Uzun Hasan as "the shadow of God, the caliph of God, and the deputy of the Prophet".[14] In September/October 1476, Davani wrote an eyewitness report of a military parade by Khalil at the ruins of ancientAchaemenid city ofPersepolis. He credited themythological Iranian kingJamshid as the founder of the city, and associated him withSolomon, a common association in Iranian literary traditions.[15][16]
During Khalil's brief rule in 1478, Davani dedicated another of his works to him; an explanation ofAli Qushji's (died 1474) commentary on theTajrid al-i'itiqad by the 13th-century Persian scholarNasir al-Din Tusi.[17] Following Khalil's premature death in August 1478, his brotherYa'qub Beg (r. 1478–1490) succeeded him, and appointed Davani as theqadi of Fars. Davani also accepted Ya'qub's invitation to the court in Tabriz. However, Davani opposed the later centralization reforms of Ya'qub, and thus their relations worsened.[18][7] Together with Abu-Yazid al-Davani and Maulana Muhammad al-Muhyavi, Davani sent letters to Ya'qub's vizierQazi Isa Savaji to protest these reforms.[19]
During Ya'qub's reign, most of Davani's work was dedicated to figures outside Iran. A close friend of theOttoman sultanBayezid II (r. 1481–1512), Mu'ayyadzade Abd al-Rahman Efendi (died 1516), arrived to Shiraz in 1479, where he studied under Davani until 1483. It was through Mu'ayyadzade that Davani established a network with Bayezid II. Davani dedicated three of his works to the latter; theSharh al-Ruba'iyyat,Risalat Ithbat al-wajib al-qadima, andal-Hashiya al-jadida. As a gratitude for hisRisalat Ithbat al-wajib al-qadima, Bayezid II gifted Davani 500florins. The Ottomanulama (clergy) also praised his work. Davani dedicated hisUnmudhaj al-ulum andTahqiq-i adalat to the sultan of theGujarat Sultanate,Mahmud Begada (r. 1458–1511), and was in return rewarded 1000dirhams.[20][21]
With the constant flow of gifts that Davani was receiving from his patrons, he eventually became rich. However, all of his belongings were soon confiscated in 1498 or 1499 by the Aq Qoyunlu ruler of Fars, Qasim-Bay Purnak. Davani afterwards spent much of his time in various small cities south of Shiraz.[22] Some sources report that Davani planned to accept the invitation of theSamma sultanNizam al-Din Shah Sindhi (r. 1461–1508) and leave for India. Two of Davani's students, Mir Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Jurjani (a great-grandson of the prominental-Sharif al-Jurjani), and Mir Mu'in al-Din, were already present at Nizam al-Din's court. This may explain why Davani went to Jirun (Hormuz), an island in thePersian Gulf. Davani also went to the city ofLar, where he completed hisRisalat Ithbat al-wajib al-qadima andDiwan-i Mazalim.[23]
Davani reportedly disapproved themessianic claims of theSafavidshah (king)Ismail I (r. 1501–1524),[24] who had captured the Aq Qoyunlu capital of Tabriz in 1501.[25] Regardless, it is presumed that Davani's undated workNur al-hidaya was written during this period, in which Davani espoused pro-Shi'ism, probably in hope of appeasing the Shia Safavids. Davani died soon after, in the month of October or November in 1502. He was buried in a mausoleum named Bogh'a-ye Shaykh-e Ali in his hometown of Davan. Approximately two years later (in 1504), Shiraz was captured by Ismail I, who had the Sunni clerics who were unwilling to convert to Shi'ism executed.[24][14]
Davani is considered to have been one of the leading scholars in late 15th-century Iran.[14] The modern historianJohn E. Woods calls him the "ideological mainstay of the Aq Qoyunlu Empire in Uzun Hasan's time."[26] Several prominent figures studied under Davani, such asQadi Husayn Maybudi (died 1504);qadi ofYazd; Jamal al-Din Hosayn Mohammad Astarabadi (died 1525),sadr under Ismail I's son and successor shahTahmasp I (r. 1524–1576); andQadi Jahan Qazvini, vizier under Tahmasp I.[14][27]
{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
