Journal of the stylistic of Persian poem and prose
volume Number 19، number In Volume 6، September 2026 ، issue Number 124

Introduction and review of manuscripts of the explanation of the Neyshaburi riddle by Sadegh Rokni

Omid Majd , Si-Hoon Jang (Author in Charge)

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dastur-e Moʿammā" (The Rule of Riddles) by Mir Ḥossein Neyshāburi is a work by one of the riddle-composers (moʿammā-sarāyān) of the Timurid period. Ṣādeq Rokni is one of the commentators who wrote a commentary on this work to facilitate the understanding of his riddles. This article, with the general aim of identifying the heritage of Persian literature, introduces three manuscript copies of Rokni"s commentary and examines them in terms of their formal (paleographic) and content-related features.

METHODOLOGY: In editing the three manuscripts, an intermediate (bayna-bayn) method of critical editing was employed. The examination and analysis of the manuscripts are based on a comparison of the three copies, and the article is written in a descriptive-analytical manner.

FINDINGS: The three manuscripts, designated by the abbreviations Malek, Markaz, and Mar, were examined. In terms of formal and structural features—script, ink color, textual lacunae, marginalia, the prose rendering of the riddle verses, and the conjoined or disjoined writing of words due to the scribes" practices—it was observed that, in comparison, the scribal hand in the Markaz manuscript is good, followed by the Malek manuscript, whereas the Mar manuscript has poor handwriting and is difficult to read; the Mar manuscript also contains extensive textual lacunae and omissions in the commentary of certain riddles.

Regarding textual completeness, the Markaz manuscript contains the complete text of the commentary. The verses in all three manuscripts are rendered in prose; only in the Markaz and Malek manuscripts did the scribes write the name of the riddle in red ink and mark the hemistichs with red symbols, whereas this is not the case in the Mar manuscript. The style of the work belongs to the simple prose style of the Timurid period.

In addition to commenting on Dastur-e Moʿammā, Rokni also wrote a commentary on Nīshābūrī"s treatise "The Ninety-Nine Names of God." In the Mar and Markaz manuscripts, this commentary appears at the beginning of the manuscript, whereas in the Malik manuscript it appears at the end.

In terms of content structure, the work conforms to Neyshāburi"s original text: it begins with the same barāʿat-e estehlāl verses as Neyshāburi, followed by an introduction presenting Neyshāburi, his devotion to Amīr Ali Shir Navāʾi, and definitions of the riddle (muʿammā). Following Neyshāburi"s work, it presents the operations of riddle-craft, and after citing each riddle, provides a commentary on the verse. At the end, a section on loghaz (wordplay/cryptic riddles) and mādde-ye tārikh (chronogram) is also included.

CONCLUSION: Among the edited manuscripts of Rokni"s riddle commentary, the Markaz and Malik manuscripts are preferable to the Mar manuscript. Rokni wrote his commentary on Neyshāburi"s riddles with the aim of facilitating easy understanding and solving of his riddles. His work not only contributes to a better understanding and explanation of the riddles in "Dastur-e Moʿammā" but also holds a distinctive place in the history of riddle studies, in understanding the art of riddle-composition (moʿammā-sarāyi) and how such riddles are solved.

Keyword
Mir Hossein Neyshaburi , Sadegh Rokni , manuscript , correction , riddle