49 - The opening folio of a copy of the Nahj al-Balagha,

The opening folio of a copy of the Nahj al-Balagha, Near East, probably 15th century or earlier Arabic manuscript on paper, 12ll. of black naskh, header in Muhaqqaq, the main body of the texts contains praises of God and blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad and his family, Folio 19 cm x 12 cm Interlinear Persian Translation: Below each line of Arabic text, there is a sub-text written in a slanted, smaller Persian Nasta'liq script in red ink. This serves as a line-by-line Persian translation and commentary for readers in the Persian-speaking world (such as Safavid Iran or Mughal India). The opening Arabic passage begins with standard classical phrasing: …الحمد B على الطاف كرمه وإصناف نعمه والصلوة على نبيه الطاه ر (Praise be to Allah for the subtleties of His nobility and the varieties of His blessings, and prayers be upon His pure Prophet...) It proceeds to introduce the virtues of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (علي بن أبي طالب KؤمنMأمير ا) and references early classical scholars of Arabic eloquence and literature, explicitly mentioning the famous Abbasid writer al-Jahiz(الجاحظ) in the middle section of the folio.