Rashid Vatvat

Rashid al-Din Vatvat, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jalil ‘Umari Balkhi (d. 1177/1182), a belletrist and poet with the nom de plume Vatvat, hailing from Balkh. He was reportedly a descendant of ‘Umar ibn Khattab, hence his appellation ‘Umari. He studied with Imam Abu Sa’id Hirawi, among other teachers, at the Nizamiyya School in his hometown. Having completed his studies and having mastered of Persian and Arabic literature, he settled in Khwarazm under the Khwarazmshah Abu al-Muzaffar ‘Ala’ al-Dawla Atsiz serving as head of chancery. The envious accused him of having established relations with Kamal al-Din Muhammad ibn Arsalan, Sanjar’s nephew, and led to his dismissal from the court, but he composed qasidas in his own defence and was acquitted of the charges and regaining the king’s favors. It is reported that Rashid had held a scholarly discussion with scholars and there was an inkstand before him, Khwarazmshah jocularly said: ‘Take away the inkwell to see who’s behind it.’ Rashid arose, saying: ‘Man is diminished by his heart and tongue.’

Vatvat’s Persian poetry is masterfully and ornately imbued with figurative devices, but it has not lost its fluency of expression. Nonetheless, florid ornaments and metaphors are at times reflected in it. Rashid and Jar Allah Zamakhshari, the distinguished belletrist and theologian of the 12^th century, held discussions and correspondence. After Atsiz’ death, Vatvat served his son, Il Arsalan, but after a while he retired due to old age. Other sultans and rulers of his times include Takish ibn Arsalan, Sanjar ibn Malikshah, Sipahbed Ghazi Nusrat al-Dawla. His contemporary poets include Anwari, Mu’izzi, Sana’i, Adib Sabir, Suzani Samarqandi, Khaqani, Mukhtari, and Sayyid Hasan Ghaznawi. His works include Hada’iq al-Sihr fi Daqa’iq al-Shi’r; Fasl al-Khitab min Kalam ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab; Divan; Fara’id al-Qala’id; a Persian dictionary titled Hamd u Thana; Majmu’a-yi Rasa’il; Matlub Kull Talib li-Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib; Tuhfat al-Sadiq ila ‘l-Sadiq min Kalam Abi Bakr Saqdiq; Fasl al-Khitab; Uns al-Lahfan min Kalam ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan; Munyat al-Mutakallimin wa Ghunyat al-Muta’allimin; Nathr al-ali min Kalam Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali; a composition in verse on prosody; Ghara’ib al-Kilam fi Ragha’ib al-Hikam; Ghurar al-Aqwal wa Durar al-Amthal; Mafatih al-Kalim wa Masabih al-Zalim; Jawahir al-Qala’id wa Zawahir al-Fara’id; al-Fawa’id al-‘Ama’iyya; Abkar al-Afkar fi al-Rasa’il wa ‘l-Ashhar. He first collected proverbs in his Lata’if al-Amthal wa Tara’if al-Aqwal at the behest of the Khwarazmshahid Qutb al-Din Muhammad. Since Rashid Vatvat knew Arabic proverbs, he collected and translated them into Persian. Then, he recorded the anecdotes reported about the proverbs and arranged them in alphabetical order. His valuable work in Persian devoted to rhetorical sciences titled Hada’iq al-Sihr fi Daqa’iq al-Shi’r is more well-known than Raduwiyani’s work written on the same subject. He was an erudite critic, well-versed in rhetoric, who critiqued the styles, dictions, vigor, and mastery of some Persian poets, like  Mas’ud Sa’d, Kamali, Qatran Tabrizi, Azraqi, and Farrukhi. He is extolled for his vigor and elegance by distinguished belletrists working in the domains of Persian and Arabic belles-lettres, like Yaqut Hamawi and Khaqani Shirwani. His extant Persian and Arabic works in verse and prose reflect his mastery in these languages. His prose style is simple and fluent, but its intertwining with rhymes makes it fall into the category of ornate prose, hence he is known as one of the avant-gardes of Persian ornate prose.

Asar-afarinan (3/ 107); Tarikh-i Adabiyyat dar Iran (2/ 193-195); Sukhan va Sukhanvaran (2/ 342-345).