Bismil had a profound knowledge of literature, poetry, mathematics, law and the principles of jurisprudence (Furṣat, 243–244; Maḥmūd Mīrzā, 2/507; Dāwar, 91), and he wrote beautifully in shikastah script (Maḥmūd Mīrzā, 2/508; Dunbulī, 1/70). He taught in Shīrāz, and attracted many students (Dīwān Baygī, 1/242; Bismil, introd., 18). One of these was Hidāyat, who recorded his early impressions of him in his Majmaʿ al-fuṣaḥāʾ (4/182). Bismil liked to travel, and in addition to the various regions of Iran, he also travelled to Me…