AFTER completing the textual editing of the 5th Iqlim of Amin Ahmad Razi's 'Haft Iqlim', I felt inclined to prepare the text with notes and edit the 6th and 7th Iqlims also of the same work and the present volume is the result of my humble efforts. In this connection I have been very much encouraged to take up this series of editing work firstly by my learned friend and old colleague Dr Nazir Ahmad, Professor of Persian, Aligarh Muslim University, and also by the authorities of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta who very generously came forward to help me financially to prepare this edition and publish the same in their Bibliotheca Indica Series and they did a right thing because under the benign patronage of this famous Society, the earlier three Iqlims of this very work have seen the light of the day. The various editors who contributed their full share to this huge task included such eminent scholars as Sir Denison Ross, K. B. Maulvi Abdul Muqtadir, Prof. Harley, Maulvi Mahfoozul Haq and last but not the least Dr M. Ishaque of Calcutta University. Now only 4th Iqlim of this huge work remains to be edited and let us see who is going to be responsible for completing this part's editing work because this Iqlim (the 4th one) forms part of more than half of the whole work and when this Iqlim is also published a long cherished desire of Persian lovers will be accomplished. Let us pray to God that He may grant courage to the students of Persian to devote their time and energy for such works. In the preparation of this edition a number of Mss. have been consulted as specified in a separate Appendix marked (A) and the collation work in this respect has been done most assiduously leaving no doubts as far as possible. But still in a textual edition many difficulties are faced and at places due to various reasons certain words or phrases are not elucidated in spite of the best efforts on the part of the editor and he is to be forgiven for his shortcomings which are but human. Besides the Appendix (A) of the different Manuscripts used in fixing the textual difficulties some other books of reference are also used and they are more or less the same as used in the preparation of the edition of the 5th Iqlim though they are not specially indicated in the marginal notes. I have, therefore, appended to this volume a number of such references also as per Appendix (B) which have been used by me invariably in preparing this edition. Thus the attention of the kind reader is drawn to both the appendices, i.e. (A) and (B) to get the fullest advantage of enjoying the benefit out of this encyclopaedic work "Haft Iqlim" whose about one half portion is now available for reference and study in printed form.
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