Dastur al-Kateb fi Tayin al-Maratib (2 Vols.)

• Persian Title: دستور الکاتب فی تعیین المراتب
• Transliterated Title: Dastūr al-Kātib fī Taʿyīn al-Marātib
• English Title: The Scribe’s Manual for Determining Ranks
• Author: Muḥammad ibn Hindūshāh Nakhjavānī (known as Shams Munshī, 8th century A.H.)
• Editor: ʿAlī Akbar Aḥmadī Dārānī
• Language: Persian
• ISBN: 978-600-203-126-6 (set)
• Publication Year: 2016
• Pages: 1139
• Format: PDF
• Category: Persian Language and Literature
• Miras Maktoob Collection Code: 303

【Summary】

Dastūr al-Kātib fī Taʿyīn al-Marātib, composed by Muḥammad ibn Hindūshāh Nakhjavānī—better known as Shams Munshī—is among the most significant Persian works on the art of inshāʾ (chancery composition) and a comprehensive collection of administrative documents from the eighth century A.H. Shams Munshī began compiling the book at the request of Khwāja Ghiyāth al-Dīn Muḥammad Rashīdī (the eldest son of Rashīd al-Dīn Faḍl Allāh Hamadānī and vizier to Abū Saʿīd Ilkhanid from 724–736 A.H.). Years later, during the reign of Sulṭān Uways Jalayirid (757–777 A.H.), he completed the work in 767 A.H. and dedicated it to the sultan.

The author aimed to provide a practical and systematic guide to facilitate mastery of chancery writing. Distinguished by its unparalleled breadth and diversity among earlier collections of munshaʾāt and manuals, the work is meticulously organized into precise divisions. Its style is technical and ornate, making it a primary source for the study of Ilkhanid administrative history and the evolution of Persian prose—especially official correspondence. Throughout the text, Shams Munshī judiciously incorporates Qurʾanic verses, ḥadīths and reports, poetry, sayings of eminent figures, anecdotes, and exempla.