The Persian Commentary on Nasafi's poem khelafiyat, MS dated 665 A.H

One of the oldest Persian texts is a manuscript of the versified commentary on the Khelafiyat , kept under No 819 in Fayzollah Afandi’s collection at the Mellat Library (Istanbul) . The MS is dated 665 A.H. and contains 332 folios. The original poem Khelafiyat, was composed in 504/1110 by Najm al-Din Abu Hafs Omar b. Mohammad b. Ahmad Nasafi, and its Persian commentary was written by an anonymous author sometime between 504-655 A.H. According to bibliographies, this book is the oldest, and probably the sole known, Persian text about khelafiyat (one of the Islamic sciences that addresses the differences between various Jurisprudential Schools in Islam as well as the diverse theoretical standpoints among scholars adhering each individual School). Due to its relative antiquity and comprehensiveness in terms the subject it covers, this voluminous book has achieved a prominent standing.
In this article, first the science of Khelaf is briefly introduced; then a little is said about Najmal-Din Omar, followed by a discussion on the didactic poems and the Al-Khelafiyat and its exegeses. Finally, the Persian commentary on the Khelafiyat is addressed.