The Criterion of Strong Words

Persian lexicography is one of the fields that experienced significant growth and importance during a certain period, especially in the Indian subcontinent. Among the works for which specialized dictionaries were compiled, it appears that Masnavi, the works of Sanai, the Divan of Hafez, and some other famous Persian texts were more in demand and consequently more popular. Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh is also one of the texts that received early and serious attention in the subcontinent. One of the last specialized Shahnameh dictionaries in the subcontinent is the book “The Criterion of Strong Words” by Mirza Mohammad Kashmiri, who used the pen name “Mojrem.” This book has been critically edited based on its unique copy preserved in the “Azar Collection” of the University of Lahore Library and published with a relatively detailed introduction explaining the author’s biography, works, and the fate of the book.