How can religion transform a society? This book investigates the
ways in which a medieval Islamic movement harnessed Quranic visions
of utopia to construct one of the most brilliant and lasting
empires in Islamic history (979-1171). The Fatimids' apocalyptic
vision of their central place in an imminent utopia played a
critical role in transfiguring the intellectual and political
terrains of North Africa in the early tenth century. Yet the
realities that they faced on the ground often challenged their
status as the custodians of a pristine Islam at the end of time.
Through a detailed examination of some of the structural features
of the Fatimid revolution, as well as early works of ta'wil, or
symbolic interpretation, Jamel Velji illustrates how the Fatimids
conceived of their mission as one that would bring about an
imminent utopia. He then examines how the Fatimids reinterpreted
their place in history when the expected end never materialised.
The book ends with an extensive discussion of another apocalyptic
event linked to a Fatimid lineage: the Nizari Ismaili declaration
of the end of time on August 8, 1164.
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