ABSTRACT
Focusing on the political and religious circumstances of Muḥammad Shāh’s reign as a time of change in ʿAndalīb’s life, notably his resignation of his position in the imperial service, the chapter provides the basis for further analysis of ʿAndalīb’s thought after identifying three significant events in his life: a vision of al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī, developing the notion of the Ṭarīqa-yi Khāliṣ Muḥammadiyya and writing Nāla-yi ʿAndalīb. It illustrates some salient points regarding his reasons for composing Nāla-yi ʿAndalīb after the death of Pīr Muḥammad Zubayr and the invasion of Nādir Shāh. Scrutinizing the main themes in Islamic knowledge from mysticism, theology and jurisprudence in addition to non-Islamic topics shows how the surface love story sustains the coherency of the text. This insight into his manner of expression links the work to earlier types of Sufi literature and three main genres can be recognized: dāstān, prem kahānī, and majlis-gūʾī. The value of the work in the eyes of his successors and family members as well as in modern academia is examined as well. The chapter closes by comparing the themes and contents of Risāla-yi hūsh afzā with that of Nāla-yi ʿAndalīb and clarifying the different audiences of these books.
