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This I have done in the footnotes but an advance is possible in this direction. On the other hand, we must keep Ferdausi steadily before our eyes. Whatever in Tabari and other Chroniclers does not issue from Ibn Mukaffa and is not represented in Ferdausi likewise merits special study.
Ibn Khallikan has devoted seven pages to the life of Ibn Mukaffa who is called the Katib and was renowned for the elegance of his style. He was the author of admirable epistles. He was a native of Fars and a Magian. But he was led to the profession of Islam by the uncle of the two first Abbaside Al Safar and Al Mansur. He then became a secretary and was admitted into intimacy.
Ibn Kallikan says, "It was Mukaffa who composed the book entitled Kalileh Wa-Dimneh. But some state that he is not the author of the work which they say was in Pahlavi, and he translated it into Arabic, and put it in an elegant style. But the discourse at the beginning of the work is by him." Ahmed Ibn Yusuf addressed to Al-Mamun a verse with a present of an embroidered robe on the day of Nauruz.
We should, therefore, be inclined from the first to derive other information in Eutychius on the Sasanides from Ibn Mukaffa.
Abdulla Ibn Mukaffa also belonged to Fars. Dehkan is a Persian word signifying both a farmer and a historian. It is generally used to designate a person of ancient Persian family possessing hereditary landed property. Ispeh Salar. This word signifies commander of the troops.
And the same scientific character no doubt was attached to the activities of Musa and Yusuf, the sons of Khalid mentioned there as well as at Tamimi, the author of the astronomical tables Zichash Shahriyar. In this manner these translators mentioned after Ibn al Mukaffa constituted in a manner a peculiar group of scholars who prepared translations from Pahlavi into Arabic.
Says Ismai: In the alphabet of the Romans there is no zad and among the Persians there is no tha. A longish definition and description of oratory by Ibn ul Mukaffa. Ibn Mukaffa again referred to. Mention of Sahal Ibn Harun. Mention of Abdallah Ibn Mukaffa. Reference to Khalid al Kisravi. Reference to Ibn al Mukaffa. Khalid al Kisrawi. Al Hurmuzan. On the service of kings.
It was related that Mukaffa went to Isa Ibn Ali and said that he was persuaded of the truth of Islam and wished to make a profession of that faith. Isa answered, "Let it be done in the presence of the leaders and chiefs of the people who come here to-morrow."
Muhammad bin Jahm who is regularly cited next after him and bears the surname of Bermaki, was a client of the Barmecides, who came to power a long while after the death of Ibn Mukaffa. Ifc may be supposed that they all laid under contribution the production of their celebrated predecessor.
But though we can collect a few notices of some of the authors mentioned, we know nothing in particular about them and are completely in the dark about the special nature of their work. All that we can postulate as established is that they wrote posterior to Ibn Mukaffa. The latter is always mentioned in the first place.
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