Born 1004CE in present-day Tajikistan then under control of the Ghaznavid dynasty, Abū Muʿīn al-Dīn Nasir Khusraw was an Ismaili convert and missionary who became better known for his poetry.

To discuss with us today the life, works and legacy of Nasir Khusraw is Ali Hammoud. Ali Hammoud is a PhD candidate at Western Sydney University. He is broadly interested in Shīʿīsm and Islamicate intellectual history. Welcome Ustad Ali!

Q1. I think it’s important we set the scene for the socio-political dynamics in which Nasir Khusraw lived. There were two major competing polities claiming to be the ultimate representatives of the Prophet’s legacy: the Ismaili Shia Fatimid caliphate in Cairo and the Sunni Abbasid caliphate of Baghdad. We can imagine it as a kind of Cold War era that existed between the Soviet and the US after WWII with smaller entities in between them having to choose a loyalty or hedge their bets.

Q2. Nasir Khusraw lived in Merv in present day Turmenistan and he worked for the Sunni Turkic Seljuk administration before his conversion to Ismailism and joining the Fatimid court. Tell us more about his life and career.

Q3. He has a number of works philosophical and literary. Describe them for us before giving us details characterising his divan.

Q4. What further readings and resources do you recommend for us on Nasir Khusrau?

Q5 Finally before we end, give us a sample of the work of Nasir Khusrau in the original Persian and translation.

Ali Hammoud:
https://x.com/AliHammoud7777
https://alihammoud7.substack.com/

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