Kamal al-Din Isma’il (Isfahani)

Kamal al-Din Isfahani, Abu al-Fazl Isma’il ibn Jamal al-Din Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Razzaq (killed in 1237), a belletrist and poet of renown and the last distinguished qasida poet of Persia in the thirteenth century. His appellation, Khallaq al-Ma’ani (Creator of Meanings) was accorded to him for his innovative and delicate themes. Born in Isfahan, he composed poetry in his youth. He is also well-known for his delicate themes, employment of difficult forms and radifs. He is the last distinguished qasida poet flourishing in the late Mongol period. He eulogized the house of Al-i Sa’id, the Atabaks of Fars, the rulers of Tabaristan, and Jalal al-Din Minkabarni. Well-versed in jurisprudence, Arabic literature, philosophy, medicine, mathematics, particularly geometry, he employed scientific terminology in his poetry. Similar to his father, he composed eulogies to his contemporary kings and many a notable. In his mystical qasidas, he preceded Sa’di and the latter’s mystical qasidas complement his qasidas. He turned towards mysticism late in life and became a disciple of Shaykh Shihab al-Din Suhrawardi and lived in his own Sufi spiritual center (khanaqah) after the massacre in Isfahan where he led the life of a recluse for two years. He was deeply respected by the inhabitants of the city and it is reported that ‘Garments and other possessions were concealed in his spiritual center in different places including a well in the middle of the house. Once a Mongol child was playing with his bow trying to shoot a bird and the bow ring fell into the well. They removed the lid and found the possessions and claimed other possessions from Kamal who was tortured to death.’ Before the fame of Hafiz reached its zenith in Persian speaking regions, Persians and Persian speakers used Kamal’s divan for divination and even following the spread of the fame of Hafiz, they still used Kamal’s divan if they had no access to Hafiz. His works include Risala-yi Qawsiyya; divan of poetry, including qasidas, qit’as, ghazals, and mathnawis. Kamal al-Din Isma’il’s renown is indebted to his mastery in presenting delicate themes.

Atashkada-yi Azar (3/ 980-1007); Tarikh-i Adabiyyat dar Iran (2/ 871-877); Tazkirat al-Shu’ara’ (162-170).

کمال‌الدین اصفهانی، ابوالفضل اسماعیل بن جمال‌الدین محمد بن عبدالرزاق (مقتول ۶۳۵