About the work “Mahbub ul-qulub”

“Mahbub ul-qulub” (Beloved of Hearts) is a prose work created by Alisher Navoiy at the end of his life, in 1500. It is called an ethical-philosophical book of advice (pandnoma or nasihatnoma). Before Navoiy such works existed in Turkic and Persian-Tajik literature: Yusuf Xos Hojib’s “Qutadg‘u bilig”, Sa’diy’s “Guliston” and “Bo‘ston” and Jomiy’s “Bahoriston” are among them. Navoiy continued this tradition and gathered his life observations. The work has three parts: the first about the character and condition of various groups of people; the second about good virtues and bad traits; the third about various useful observations and examples. With the title the author wanted to show that the noble qualities that make a person spiritually complete are gathered in this book. Most topics are presented in short “tanbihs” — small chapter-admonitions.