Mir Ali Sher Qani Thattvi

Mir Ali Sher Qaniʿ Thattvi
Born	Mir Ali Sher Shirazi 1727 (1727) Thatta
Died	1788 (aged 60–61) Thatta
Pen name	Ḳāni
Occupation	historian, poet and hagiographer
Language	Sindhi, Persian
Genre	History, Masnavi, Ghazal
Notable works	Tuḥfat al-kirām Maḳli Nāma Maḳālāt al-s̲h̲uʿarāʾ Miʿyār-i sālikān-i ṭarīḳat Tāʾrīk̲h̲-i ʿAbbāsīya Niṣāb al-bulag̲h̲āʾ Mat̲h̲nawiyyāt-wa Ḳaṣāʾid-i Ḳāniʿ
Parent	ʿIzzat Allāh al-Ḥusaynī al-S̲h̲īrāzī (Father)

Mir ʿAlī Sher Thattavi, also known by his pen name Qāniʿ/Ḳāniʿ (b. 1727 - d. 1788), was a prominent Sindhi Muslim historian, poet, and scholar from Thatta, Sindh. He was the son of ʿIzzat Allāh al-Ḥusaynī al-S̲h̲īrāzī. He began composing poetry at 12 years of age. He received his education from local scholars, some of whom are mentioned in his work "Maḳālāt-al-s̲h̲uʿarāʾ" He studied the "Fatawa-e-Alamgiri" and independently wrote essays, marking the start of his prolific career.

In 1761, he was commissioned by G̲h̲ulām S̲h̲āh ʿAbbāsī, the Kalhoro ruler of Sindh, to write a Persian history of the ruling dynasty, modelled after the "S̲h̲āhnāma" of Firdawsī, though this project remained incomplete. Five years later, he compiled "Tuḥfat al-kirām," which he completed in 1767. Qaune's literary contributions cover various topics, including the works of Al-Ghazali and Rumi. He has authored over more than forty-two works in total.

Major works

• "Tuḥfat al-kirām" (Gift of the Generous), a comprehensive three-volume history, with the final volume focusing on Sindh.
• "Maḳālāt al-s̲h̲uʿarāʾ," an alphabetically arranged biographical compilation of poets from Sindh who wrote in Persian.
• "Maḳli Nāma" or "Būstān-i bahār," a poetic description of the Maklī hills.
• "Miʿyār-i sālikān-i ṭarīḳat," documenting the lives of saints and Sufi poets.
• "Tāʾrīk̲h̲-i ʿAbbāsīya," an unfinished history of the Kalhōŕas, written in prose and verse, undertaken at the command of Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro.
• "Niṣāb al-bulag̲h̲āʾ," an encyclopedic work compiled in 1783, with the only known copy held in the private library of Muḥammad Ibrāhīm of Gaŕhī Yāsīn (Sindh).
• "Mat̲h̲nawiyyāt-wa Ḳaṣāʾid-i Ḳāniʿ," a collection of his longer poems.

His most prominent work, "Tuḥfat al-kirām," dealt with the lives of Sufis from the time of Muhammad until the late 12th/18th century, an account of the martyrs of Karbala, and a general history. A detailed list of his works is provided in the introduction to "Maḳālāt al-Shuʿarāʾ," pages 7-28. Mir ʿAlī Sher Thattavi passed away in 1788, and his grave still exists on the Maklī hills.