{ "id": "epxav7y0ne", "slug": "isami", "title": "Isami", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society" }, { "id": "society.history", "label": "History and archaeology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history" }, { "id": "society.history.asia", "label": "Asian history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.asia" }, { "id": "society.history.asia.india", "label": "India and South Asia", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.asia.india" }, { "id": "society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates", "label": "Regional sultanates (1350 to 1700)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates" }, { "id": "society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates.deccan-sultanates", "label": "Deccan sultanates", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates.deccan-sultanates" }, { "id": "society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates.deccan-sultanates.bahmani-sultanate", "label": "Bahmani Sultanate", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates.deccan-sultanates.bahmani-sultanate" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t1000.society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates.deccan-sultanates.bahmani-sultanate", "label": "India · 1000 to 1799: Bahmani Sultanate", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1000.society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates.deccan-sultanates.bahmani-sultanate", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1000", "label": "India · 1000 to 1799", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1000" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1000.society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1000.society" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1000.society.history", "label": "History and archaeology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1000.society.history" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1000.society.history.asia", "label": "Asian history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1000.society.history.asia" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1000.society.history.asia.india", "label": "India and South Asia", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1000.society.history.asia.india" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1000.society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates", "label": "Regional sultanates (1350 to 1700)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1000.society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1000.society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates.deccan-sultanates", "label": "Deccan sultanates", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1000.society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates.deccan-sultanates" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1000.society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates.deccan-sultanates.bahmani-sultanate", "label": "Bahmani Sultanate", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1000.society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates.deccan-sultanates.bahmani-sultanate" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Isami (اصامی), full name Abdul Malik Isami, was a Persian historian-poet born in Delhi in 1311, known for the Futuh-us-Salatin, a versified history of Muslim rulers of India completed in 1350.", "snippet": "Isami (اصامی), full name Abdul Malik Isami, was a Persian historian-poet born in Delhi in 1311, known for the Futuh-us-Salatin, a versified history of Muslim rulers of India completed in 1350.", "node": "society.history.asia.india.regional-sultanates.deccan-sultanates.bahmani-sultanate", "markdown": "# Isami\n\n**Isami** (اصامی), full name Abdul Malik Isami, was best known as the author of the *Futuh-us-Salatin*, a versified history of the Muslim rulers of India completed in 1350 and dedicated to [Ala-ud-Din Hasan Bahman Shah](https://www.edgepedia.org/ala-ud-din-hasan-bahman-shah), founder of the Bahmani Sultanate.[1](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin) He was born in 1311, corresponding to 711 AH.[2](https://arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhcs/v11-i1/3.pdf) \n\n| Fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Full name | Abdul Malik Isami (اصامی)[1](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin) |\n| Born | 1311 (711 AH), in Delhi[2](https://arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhcs/v11-i1/3.pdf) |\n| Principal work | *Futuh-us-Salatin*, a Persian masnavi history written December 1349 to May 1350[1](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin) |\n| Patron | Ala-ud-Din Hasan Bahman Shah, founder of the Bahmani Sultanate[2](https://arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhcs/v11-i1/3.pdf) • [1](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin) |\n| Scope of the work | Muslim rulers of India from Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni to 1350, about 350 years[2](https://arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhcs/v11-i1/3.pdf) • [1](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin) |\n| Later life | Probably left India for Mecca around 750 AH (1349–50); likely died in Medina[3](https://ensani.ir/file/download/article/1742111849-67d68469b9eaa-9578-47-11.pdf) |\n\n## Origins and family\n\nIsami belonged to a noble family, probably of Arab origin, that came to India in the reign of Sultan Shamsuddin Iltutmish (1210–1236); his forefathers held high government posts under the sultans of Delhi.[1](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin) According to the *Futuh-us-Salatin*, he was brought up by his grandfather.[1](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin) \n\n[Sultan Muhammad](https://www.edgepedia.org/sultan-muhammad) bin Tughluq ordered residents of Delhi, including Isami's family, to move to Daulatabad (Deogir) in the Deccan.[2](https://arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhcs/v11-i1/3.pdf) Isami, then about 16, accompanied his grandfather on this journey, and the old man died on the way before reaching the destination.[1](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin) The forced departure of ulama, mashaikh, and politicians from Delhi made Isami bitter towards Tughluq, a grievance that later shaped his writing.[2](https://arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhcs/v11-i1/3.pdf) \n\n## Career\n\nIsami's single dated achievement is the *Futuh-us-Salatin* (\"Victories of the Sultans\"), a Persian historical masnavi. He began it in December 1349 and completed it in May 1350.[1](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin) The poem begins with the time of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna and continues to the time of [Muhammad bin Tughluq](https://www.edgepedia.org/muhammad-bin-tughluq), covering roughly 350 years of Muslim rule in India.[1](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin) • [4](https://www.journal.psc.edu.pk/index.php/pp/article/download/196/195)\n\nThe work follows the model of Firdausi's *Shahnama*, and Firdausi's masnavi style is visible in most of its verses; Isami states he was born 399 lunar years after Firdausi.[2](https://arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhcs/v11-i1/3.pdf) • [3](https://ensani.ir/file/download/article/1742111849-67d68469b9eaa-9578-47-11.pdf) \n\nIt has also been held that he did not enjoy royal patronage but was attached to the court of a rebel against the Tughluqs.[4](https://www.journal.psc.edu.pk/index.php/pp/article/download/196/195)\n\n## Political influence\n\nIsami's influence ran through his pen rather than office. By dedicating the *Futuh-us-Salatin* to Ala-ud-Din Hasan Bahman Shah and calling him the rightful caliph, he supplied the new Bahmani dynasty, which had broken away from Delhi, with a Persian historical narrative legitimizing its rule.[2](https://arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhcs/v11-i1/3.pdf) His critique of the [Delhi Sultanate](https://www.edgepedia.org/delhi-sultanate) and loyalty to the Bahmani cause make the work a source that reflects the decline of Delhi and the rise of regional powers in the Deccan.[5](https://doi.org/10.20431/2454-7654.1101003) As one of the poets who migrated to the Deccan, he became famous as Malik al-Muwarrikhin (king of historians) for his ability and innovation in historiography.[3](https://ensani.ir/file/download/article/1742111849-67d68469b9eaa-9578-47-11.pdf)\n\n## Death and successors\n\nAccording to a comparative study of Futuhus-Salatin and Nizami's Khamsa, Isami remained in India until 750 AH (1349–50), then decided to migrate to Mecca because of social and political conditions; it is most likely that he died in Medina.[3](https://ensani.ir/file/download/article/1742111849-67d68469b9eaa-9578-47-11.pdf) Nothing is known about the author after the completion of the *Futuh-us-Salatin*; he probably went to Mecca, where he passed his later life.[1](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin)\n\n## Historians' assessment\n\nHis directness has been considered an advantage over [Amir Khusrau](https://www.edgepedia.org/amir-khusrau) by the historian Khaleeq Ahmad Nizami.[2](https://arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhcs/v11-i1/3.pdf) As a thinker, Isami viewed history as the unfolding of events predetermined by divine fate, in contrast to the later historian [Nizam al-Din Ahmad](https://www.edgepedia.org/nizam-al-din-ahmad), who considered human agency the main mover of events.[6](https://sage.cnpereading.com/doi/10.1177/001946461204900202)\n\n## Legacy\n\nThe *Futuh-us-Salatin* was edited by Agha Mahdi Husain and published from Agra in 1938; an English version by the same scholar was published from Aligarh in three volumes between 1967 and 1977.[1](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin) Modern scholarship treats the work, composed in the Deccan during the early years of the Bahmani Sultanate, as a significant literary and historical source combining historical narrative with poetic imagination.[5](https://doi.org/10.20431/2454-7654.1101003)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Futuh-us-Salatin - Banglapedia](https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Futuh-us-Salatin)\n2. [Persian Historiographical Contributions to Medieval Indian History: An Analysis of Isami's Futuh-U Salatin (IJHCS)](https://arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhcs/v11-i1/3.pdf)\n3. [A comparative study of the concept of 'truth of Muhammadiyah' Futuhus-Salatin Abd al-Malik Isami and Khamsa Nizami (Ensani.ir)](https://ensani.ir/file/download/article/1742111849-67d68469b9eaa-9578-47-11.pdf)\n4. [Article on Isami's Futuh-us-Salatin (Pakistan Journal)](https://www.journal.psc.edu.pk/index.php/pp/article/download/196/195)\n5. [Persian Historiographical Contributions to Medieval Indian History (DOI record)](https://doi.org/10.20431/2454-7654.1101003)\n6. [Author of one's fate: Fatalism and agency in Indo-Persian histories (Indian Historical Review)](https://sage.cnpereading.com/doi/10.1177/001946461204900202)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Asian history › India and South Asia › Regional sultanates (1350 to 1700) › Deccan sultanates › Bahmani Sultanate*\n\n*Initially written Sep 23, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/isami", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/isami.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Isami\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/isami. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Isami](https://www.edgepedia.org/isami)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/isami](https://www.edgepedia.org/isami). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Isami\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/isami. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Isami, full name Abdul Malik Isami, was a Persian historian-poet born in Delhi in 1311, known for the Futuh-us-Salatin, a versified history of Muslim rulers of India completed in 1350." }