Insights and methods in the history and historicizing of Hamdollah Mustawfi Qhazvini

Hamdollah Mustawfi Qazvini was one of the historians and scholars of Ilkhanids period who, under the influence of his predecessors and influenced by his time, embarked on writing books on history, poetry, and geography. Mustawfi's insight was a combination of rationalism and fatalism and his method, also influenced by his knowledge of history, is a blend of critical method and narrative relying on simple rhetoric and citations. It is assumed that Mustawfi as a pious Muslim unlike many of his contemporary historians and predecessors, while influenced by the traditional viewpoint, has reflected indices of criticism and logical look in his works. The aim of this research is to, based on a descriptive-analytical method, shed light on the relation between his insight and attitude on the methodology of historiography and attitude toward history and tries to respond to the question that how has Mustawfi's attitude and insight influenced his historiography? Data of the article show that this historian's system of thought and ideas had been based on the two narrational and critical approaches and his fatalistic views. While being pro-monarchy and defending Iranian Ilkhanids, he has recorded a lot of information from the chaotic political, religious, social and economical situation of Iran during Mongols and Ilkhanidsperiod.