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PROPHETS AND KiNks -3 -
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glorious !), who reaches the extreme term and limit in the service
pf thin my Lord (whose exaltation may God perpetu*ate!)? Praise
be to God thai this my I^ord falls sh6rt neither in reward nor retri-
bution ; yea, by his face the world ertjoys clear vision, and li*fe
a'blessing yet greater is this,
passes sweetly by hi3 beauty ! And
that the All-Perfect Benefactor and Unfailing Giver hath .be- 1
stowed on him an unclolike the Lord of the World and Sovereign
of the East, 'Ald'tt'd-Dunyd wa'd-Din Abu 'All al-Husayn ibnu'l-
Husayn 1
, Iklitiydru Amtrtl-Mu'minin (may God prolong his life
and cause his kingdom to endure !), who, with fifty thousand mailclad
men, strenuous in endeavour, hurled back all the hosts of the
wcft-ld (t) ajid set in a corner all the kings of the age. May God
(blessed and exalted is He \*) long vouchsafe all to one another,
grant to all abundant enjoyment of one another's company, and
fill the world with light by their achievements, 1^ His Favour,
*
and Bounty, and Grace !
BEGINNING OF THE BOOK,
a
This loyal se/vant and favoured retainer Ahmad ibn 'Umar
ibn 'All an-Nizami al-'Arudi as-Samarqandi, who for forty-five
years hath been devoted to the service of this House and inscribed
in the register of service of this Dynasty, desireth to dedicate to
the' Supreme Imperial Court (may God exalt it!) some work
equipped according to the canons of Philosophy with decisive
proofs and trenchant arguments, and to se,t forth therein what
kingship truly is, who is truly king, whence is derived this
honourable office, to whom rightly appertained! this favour, and
in what manner such an one should shew his gratitude f6r, and
after what fashion accept, this privilege, so that he may become
second to th9 Lord of fhe sons of men 2 and third to the Creator
of the Universe. For even so hath God, in His Incontrovertible
Scripture and Eternal Word, co-ordinated on one thread and
shewn forth on ojie string the pearls represented by these three
exalted, titles. Obey God" saith He, " and obey the Apostle, and
such as possess authority amongst yourselves*''
For in 'the grades of existences and the ranks of the intelligibles,
after the Prophetic Function, which is the supreme limit of man's
attainment, there is no rank higher than kingship, which is naught
else than a Divine gift. God, glorious and exalted is He, hath
accorded this position to the King of this age, and bestowed on
him this degree, so that he may walk after the way of former
kings and maintain tne people after the manner of bygone ages.
1 'Ala'u'd-Din Husayn, called Jahdn-s&z, "the world-consumer," A.H. 544-556
(A.. 1 149-1 i6if. See Notes I and XV at the end, and p. 31, n. i ad calc.
2 I.e. to the Prophet, who is subordinate only to God, as the king i$ to him.
3 Qur'dn, iv, 62.