A Study of the Manuscript of the Commentary on Makhzan al-Asrar in Khokand, Uzbekistan (Including an Introduction and Critique of this Commentary)

This article introduces, critiques, and examines the Khokand, Uzbekistan manuscript (Sh.M.Kh.A.) of the explication of Makhzan al-Asrar, registered under number KP7307 and comprising 201 folios, housed in the Khokand Museum of Literature. The research aims to understand the characteristics of the manuscript and the explicator's approach, assess the research value of the explication, and compare it with prominent previous and contemporary explications (including those of Muhammad ibn Qavam Balkhi, Qadi Ibrahim Tatavi, Vahid Dastgerdi, Servatian, and Zanjani). The first section, with the intention of introducing the explicator's method, explores some linguistic and literary features of the explication, such as references to verses of the Quran and hadiths, rhetorical points, grammatical and lexical points, references to the poetry of other poets, and so on. In the second section, examples of the explication of verses analyzed, and the textual, methodological, and interpretative differences between the Khokand manuscript and other explications demonstrated. The third section examines some of the explicator's errors and slips in explaining and clarifying the verses, instances such as The Shooting of Khwaja Nizam al-Mulk Tusi with an arrow, the introduction of "Babel" as a well in Kashmir, discrepancies in the recording of certain words, and the incorrect citation of some poetic evidence. The results indicate that the Khokand manuscript is a valuable and relatively rich explication, on par with authoritative explications in many cases, although its shortcomings should not overlooked.