The Indian Manuscript of Eršād Qalānesī in Iran

"Eršād" was written by Abūmohammad cAbdollāh Ibn Mohammad Qalānesī, probably, in the early 6th C. A. H. It is an ethical-mystical work that was written in Persian by the author in one of the cities neighboring Mesopotamia. The manuscripts of this work are dispersed in the vast domains of the Islamic world, from the East to the West, among the Hanafites. Such a dispersion and dissemination of the manuscripts point to their popularity among the followers of the above sect. Recently a manuscript of Qalānesī's work was identified in Iran. It closely resembles the one that is kept in Pakistan. This manuscript is kept at the library of Parliament of Iran among other Indian manuscripts as an anonymous work. After checking this work, it was found that it has been copied from Eršād. The present manuscript, which is considered Indian in terms of handwriting, was written at a time very much close to that of the Indian manuscript, and it is even possible that both have been written by the same scribe. It may belong to the time of the original work. This manuscript has not been published yet. The present article deals with different aspects of the significance of this work.