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I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies
The two sermons edited and translated here for the first time are
primary material from the years before the establishment of the
Fatimid caliphate in 297/909. The authors have been identified as
Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Shi'i and Abu’l-‘Abbas Muhammad, two
brothers who were central to the success of the Ismaili da'wa in
North Africa. Da'wa, a term used to describe how Muslims teach
others about the beliefs and practices of their Islamic faith,
therefore provide a unique view of the nature and development of
Islam throughout history. In this case, the primary texts shed
light on the development of Islam among the Berbers of the Maghreb.
The first text by Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Shi'i shows how the arguments
for belief in the 'imamate' of the family of the Prophet, that is,
the Shi'a belief that all imams should be spiritual descendants of
the Prophet Muhammad and his household, were developed and
presented to bring new adherents to the cause. The Book of the Keys
to Grace by his elder brother Abu’l-‘Abbas, too, concerns not
only the centrality of the imam in the faith but also sheds light
on the hierarchy of the da’wa in this early period and its
organisational sophistication. Both texts also reveal the
contemporary theology propagated by the Ismaili da’wa, including
for instance, the powerful analogy of Moses/Aaron and
Muhammad/’Ali, the awareness of a variety of religious traditions
and the use of detailed Qur’anic quotations and a wide range of
hadith. As such they constitute primary source material of interest
not only for Ismaili history but for this early period of Islam in
general.
Exploring an Islamic Empire surveys the three main phases of
Fatimid history, and examines various sources that provide
information for historical analysis. These sources range from
direct evidence such as coins, building dedications, documents and
letters, eyewitness and contemporary accounts, histories and
biographies, scientific and literary writings, to the work of
modern scholars. An extensive bibliography of both medieval sources
and modern studies makes this not only a valuable addition to the
historiography of the Fatimids but essential reading for students
and scholars of Islamic history.
The thirteen studies in this volume explore critical problems in
Fatimid history and historiography, many specifically focused on
the content of doctrinal writings produced by the Ismaili
supporters and agents of this caliphate who worked on behalf of the
dynasty both within the empire and outside. Several concern issues
in disputes that separated the various factions of Medieval Islam
and served to distinguish the Ismailis from the rest, often
branding the Fatimids with the charge of heterodoxy. Others deal
with the consequence of Shiite rule over a largely non-Shiite
populace. Yet others involve the relationship between religious
ideology and the administration of government. Among the themes
featured in this collection there are separate investigations of
institutions of learning, of succession to the imamate, the da`wa,
the judiciary, relations with the Byzantines and with the Abbasids,
and works on heresiography, doctrines of time and the accusation
that the Ismailis upheld the metempsychosis of the human soul. The
latter topics help to situate the Ismailis, and hence the Fatimids,
within the broader context of Islamic thought.
This personal memoir by a medieval scholar reveals an important
discourse with two Ismaili leaders who spearheaded the Fatimid
revolution in North Africa in 909-910. By reporting the thoughts
and activities of Abu 'Abdallah al-Shi'i and his brother
Abu'l-Abbas over a period of seven months, Ibn al-Haytham in his
Kitab al-Munazarat ("The Book of Discussions" ) provides us with an
unparalleled insider's view to the foundations of the Fatimid
state. As such, it is a unique document in the literature of early
Islamic revolutionary movements as much as it represents one of the
most valuable sources for the history of the medieval Muslim
world.
The Ismailis, among whom are the followers of the Aga Khan, rose to
prominence during the fourth Islamic/tenth Christian century. They
developed a remarkably successful intellectual programme to sustain
and support their political activities, promoting demands of
Islamic doctrine together with the then newly imported sciences
from abroad. The high watermark of this intellectual movement is
best illustrated in the writings of the Ismaili theoretician Abu
Yaqub al-Sijistani. Using both published and manuscript writings of
al-Sijistani that have hitherto been largely hidden, forgotten or
ignored, Dr Paul Walker reveals the scholar's major contribution to
the development of philosophical Shiism. He analyses his role in
the Ismaili mission (da'wa) of that time and critically assesses
the major themes in his combination of philosophy and religious
doctrine.
I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies
The two sermons edited and translated here for the first time are
primary material from the years before the establishment of the
Fatimid caliphate in 297/909. The authors have been identified as
Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Shi'i and Abu’l-‘Abbas Muhammad, two
brothers who were central to the success of the Ismaili da'wa in
North Africa. Da'wa, a term used to describe how Muslims teach
others about the beliefs and practices of their Islamic faith,
therefore provide a unique view of the nature and development of
Islam throughout history. In this case, the primary texts shed
light on the development of Islam among the Berbers of the Maghreb.
The first text by Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Shi'i shows how the arguments
for belief in the 'imamate' of the family of the Prophet, that is,
the Shi'a belief that all imams should be spiritual descendants of
the Prophet Muhammad and his household, were developed and
presented to bring new adherents to the cause. The Book of the Keys
to Grace by his elder brother Abu’l-‘Abbas, too, concerns not
only the centrality of the imam in the faith but also sheds light
on the hierarchy of the da’wa in this early period and its
organisational sophistication. Both texts also reveal the
contemporary theology propagated by the Ismaili da’wa, including
for instance, the powerful analogy of Moses/Aaron and
Muhammad/’Ali, the awareness of a variety of religious traditions
and the use of detailed Qur’anic quotations and a wide range of
hadith. As such they constitute primary source material of interest
not only for Ismaili history but for this early period of Islam in
general.
This personal memoir composed by a medieval scholar reveals an
important discourse with two Ismaili leaders who spearheaded the
Fatimid revolution in North Africa in 909-910. By reporting the
thoughts and activities of Abu 'Abdallah al-Shi'i and his brother
Abu'l-Abbas over a period of seven months, Ibn al-Haytham in his
Kitab al-Munazarat (The Book of Discussions) provides an
unparalleled insider's view to the foundations of the Fatimid
state. As such, it is a unique document in the literature of early
Islamic revolutionary movements as much as it represents one of the
most valuable sources for the history of the medieval Muslim
world.
I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies
Every year since 1983 the Buddhist leader and thinker, Daisaku
Ikeda, has issued a peace proposal that presents solutions to a
variety of global problems. While the proposals themselves are both
wide-ranging and specific (covering topics as diverse as
counter-terrorism relations; the prohibition of child soldiers;
denuclearization of the Arctic; and strategies to prevent global
warming), the common denominator at their center is the role and
effectiveness of the United Nations in addressing structural
challenges and inequality. This substantial volume brings together,
for the first time in one place, excerpts from the most topical and
important of Ikeda's peace proposals. Themes like human security,
the empowerment of women, nuclear disarmament and the centrality of
dialogue are throughout informed by an unshakeable belief in the
potential and promise of the UN's world mission, as well as by
Ikeda's own experience of the cruelty of war and his articulation
of Buddhism as a practical route to peace. The book makes a timely
and vital contribution to ethics, peace studies and international
relations.
The Ismailis, among whom are the followers of the Aga Khan, rose to
prominence during the fourth Islamic/tenth Christian century. They
developed a remarkably successful intellectual programme to sustain
and support their political activities, promoting demands of
Islamic doctrine together with the then newly imported sciences
from abroad. The high watermark of this intellectual movement is
best illustrated in the writings of the Ismaili theoretician Abu
Yaqub al-Sijistani. Using both published and manuscript writings of
al-Sijistani that have hitherto been largely hidden, forgotten or
ignored, Dr Paul Walker reveals the scholar's major contribution to
the development of philosophical Shiism. He analyses his role in
the Ismaili mission (da'wa) of that time and critically assesses
the major themes in his combination of philosophy and religious
doctrine.
Few doctrines in Islam have engendered as much contention and
disagreement as those surrounding the imamate, the office of
supreme leader of the Muslim community after the death of the
Prophet. In the medieval period while the caliphate still existed,
rivalry among the claimants to that most lofty position was
particularly intense. The early 5th/11th-century Ismaili da'i Hamid
al-Din al-Kirmani worked for most of his life in the eastern lands
of the Islamic world, principally within the hostile domain of the
Abbasid caliphs and the Buyid amirs.At a critical point he was
summoned by the da'wa to Egypt where he taught and wrote for
several years before returning once again to Iran and Iraq. About
405/1015, just prior to his move from Iraq to Cairo, he composed a
treatise he called Lights to Illuminate the Proof of the Imamate
(al-Masabih fi ithbat al-imama) in the bold hope of convincing
Fakhr al-Mulk, the Shi'i wazir of the Buyids in Baghdad, to abandon
the Abbasids and support the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim. For that
purpose he produced a long, interconnected series of
philosophically sophisticated proofs, all leading logically to the
absolute necessity of the imamate. This work is thus unique both in
the precision of its doctrine and in the historical circumstance
surrounding its composition. The text appears here in a modern
critical edition of the Arabic original with a complete
translation, introduction and notes.
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