Mohammed Kasim Ferishtah, a Persian historian, born in Astrabad about 1560, died probably about 1611. His father left his native country to travel in India, where he settled in the Deccan as instructor to the son of one of the reigning princes. The young Ferish-tah was advanced to honors at court, but subsequently, induced by civil commotions and changes of government, repaired to the court of Ibrahim Adil Shah in Bejapore, where he passed the remainder of his life, and wrote his history of India, This work, which was first published in 1606, is one of the most authoritative oriental histories; it contains all the facts which the author deemed worthy to extract from more than 30 older histories, and is still in India the most popular history of the country. The introduction gives a brief account of India prior to the Mohammedan conquest, and then follows in 12 books a history of the kings of the different provinces, and of the European settlers. At the conclusion there is a short account of the geography, climate, and other physical circumstances of the country.

It was several times partially translated into English, and the whole work, with the exception of some passages which have been since discovered, was published in London in 1829 by Col. John Briggs, under the title of The History of the Rise and Progress of the Mohammedan Power in India, from its commencement in 1000 to 1620." Col. Briggs also published an edition in Persian at Bombay in 1831.