Kharabat

In the Persianate world, wisdom literature has a long history, dating back to pre-Islamic times. After the advent of Islam, this type of literature was continued, both in poetry and in prose. From among the medieval poets one could mention Firdawsi (d. 411/1020) and Nasir Khusraw (d. 481/1088), while among the writers of prose such authors as Nizam al-Mulk (d. 485/1092) or Radi al-Din Nishapuri (598/1201) come to mind. Still, the most influential medieval literary work on morals is without any doubt Sa?di's (d. 691/1291-92) Rose Garden (Gulistan), a mixture of poetry and tales on a variety of themes in which morals play a central role. The present work on morals by Faqir Shirazi (d. 1351/1932) takes its inspiration from Sa?di's, which it emulates in many respects. Only, its thematic arrangement was taken from Nasir al-Din Tusi's (d. 672/1274) philosophical Nasirean Ethics (Akhlaq-i Nasiri), centering on the virtues of wisdom, courage, continence and their balanced compound, justice.