تفال و طالع بيني در شرفنامه

Bibliomancy and Fortune-Telling in Sharafnamah

Seeking to know about the vague future, to predict the course matters will take has been humankindʹs age-old, spiritual quest and, to accomplish this, she has appealed to various means and different methods. Bibliomancy, ornithomancy and horoscopy are some of these means that have taken different shapes at different times. Bibliomancy and horoscopy are windows to a mysterious and unknown world, Bibliomancy is the offspring of hope while ornithomancy is the offshoot of disappointment; hence its repulsiveness in Islamic culture. Undoubtedly, the rich Persian culture is not exempt from the impact of these popular ideas and we may come across references to these in diverse shapes and in various works both in prose and in verse of eminent Persian writers. . Alexander, the outstanding character of Nizamiʹs poetical work, Sharafnamah, begins his life with astronomersʹ horoscopy and accomplishes his great decisions by resorting to bibliomancy. This article argues that Nizami, deeply devoted to Islamic cutlture, tries to express his positive attitude when it comes to bibliomancy while he considers ornithomancy obscene. The writer, then, concludes that Nizami gives bibliomancy and fortune-telling priority in his work.