Abu Sahl Zawzani

Abu Sahl Muhammad ibn Husayn (or Hasan) Zawzani (Persian: ابوسهل محمد حسین زوزنی‎‎), better known as Abu Sahl Zawzani (ابوسهل زوزنی; also spelled Zuzani), was a Persian statesman who served as the chief secretary of the Ghaznavids briefly in 1040, and later from 1041 to an unknown date. Zawzani died in 1054.

The son of a prominent religious scholar from Zawzan named Husayn or Hasan, Zawzani is first mentioned as serving as the lecturer to the sons of Sultan Mahmud's vizier Ahmad Maymandi, whom two of them are known; Abd al-Razzaq Maymandi and Sa'id Maymandi. However, when Ahmad Maymandi and his sons fell into disfavor and were imprisoned, Zawzani eulogized Ahmad's successor Hasanak Mikali. Zawzani later became the assistant of prince Mas'ud I, who then served as the governor of Herat. Zawzani quickly rose to high prominence, but this resulted in him being suspected of heresy by his jealous opponents. However, the historian Abul-Fazl Bayhaqi, who knew Zawzani, dismiss this accusation.

Mahmud later died in 1030, and a civil war shortly ensured between his two sons, the youngest one being Mohammad Ghaznavi, and the oldest one being Mas'ud I. Zawzani, who supported Mas'ud I, left the Ghaznavid capital of Ghazni, and arrived to Damghan, where Mas'ud and his supporters were preparing an attack on Ghazni. Several other statesmen and military officers such as Ali Daya shortly joined Mas'ud, thus increasing his strength on his march to Ghazni. During this period, in the words of the historian Yusofi, "Zawzani became a sort of vizier and rose in prestige and influence. He also became feared, since he exercised his bent toward vengefulness, spite, and intrigue".

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