Sharfnamah

Sharfnamah a lexicon written in Persian by Ibrahim Qawwam Faruqi. He wrote it while he was in Bengal. After the name of the author it is also called Farhang-i-Ibrahimi. It is known as Sharfnamah, because the book was dedicated to the sufi scholer Shaikh sharfuddin yahya maneri. The writer Ibrahim Qawwam Faruqi was born in Jaunpur, but he later shifted to Bengal and wrote his book. He composed verses in praise of Sultan ruknuddin barbak shah of Bengal (1459-1474) and so it is presumed that he was not only a contemporary Barbak Shah, but also graced his court.

Sharfnamah stands very prominent in the Persian literature produced in Bengal. It happens to be the earliest lexicon produced in the Indian subcontinent, and the third Persian book written in Bengal. The two others being bahr-ul-hayat and nam-i-huq. It is a literary work and gives the names of some other Persian poets, at least one of who was a lexicographer. The names of the poets found in the Sharfnamah are indicative of the literary activities in the court of Barbak Shah. Ruknuddin Barbak Shah is known to have patronised many Bengali Hindu poets. The Sharfnamah (Farhang-i-Ibrahimi) shows that he also patronised many Persian poets and lexicographers. There is a manuscript of the Sharfnamah in the Aliya Madrasah library, Dhaka. [Abdul Karim]