IIS Catalogue and Publications

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First Arabic Edition of ‘Uyun al-akhbar in collaboration with IFPO
January 2010

The ‘Uyun al-akhbar wa-funun al-athar, by the Tayyibi Musta‘lian Ismaili da‘i, Idris ‘Imad al-Din, occupies a central position in Ismaili historiography. This major publication project is an outcome of collaboration between the Institut Français du Proche Orient (IFPO) in Damascus and The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS).

This text, composed by the Ismaili da‘i-scholar in seven volumes, presents the most comprehensive history of the Ismaili imams and da‘wa, from the earliest period of Muslim history until the late Fatimid period. Idris ‘Imad al-Din (born 1392 CE) was descended from the prominent al-Walid family of the Quraysh in Yemen, who led the Tayyibi Musta‘lian Ismaili da‘wa for more than three centuries. This gave him access to the literary heritage of the Ismailis, including the majority of extant Fatimid texts transferred to Yemen.

This edition is primarily based on manuscripts from the IIS Library collections and forms part of the IIS’ Ismaili Texts and Translations Series. For the first time, the text has been critically edited by a team of Syrian and Egyptian Arabic scholars, coordinated by Dr Nader El-Bizri (IIS) and Dr Sarab Atassi-Khattab (IFPO).

The first volume of ‘Uyun al-akhbar, on the life of the Prophet Muhammad, is particularly valuable in reflecting Ismaili tradition. Similarly, Volumes Two and Three portray the Ismaili perspectives on Imam ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (d. 661 CE) and his battles against his opponents.

The fourth volume covers the biographies of the early imams, from al-Hasan b. ‘Ali (d. 669 CE) and al-Husayn b. ‘Ali (d. 680 CE) until al-Husayn b. Ahmad, the last Ismaili imam of the dawr al-satr, or period of concealment.

The fifth volume deals with the initiation of the Ismaili da‘wa in Yemen and North Africa, and the establishment of the Fatimid state in 909 CE, with the reigns of the Fatimid Ismaili caliph-imams al-Mahdi (909–934 CE), al-Qa’im (934–946 CE) and al-Mansur (946–953 CE).

The sixth volume covers the reigns of the next four Fatimid caliph-imams, al-Mu‘izz (953–975 CE), al-‘Aziz (975–996 CE), al-Hakim (996–1021 CE), al-Zahir (1021–1036 CE) as well as the early years of al-Mustansir (1036–1094 CE).

Finally, the seventh volume of the ‘Uyun covers the remaining period of al-Mustansir’s reign, the establishment of Sulayhid rule in the Yemen and the Musta‘lian–Nizari schism following al-Mustansir’s death in 1097 CE. The volume also deals with the reigns of the next two Fatimid caliphs recognised also as imams by the Musta‘lian Ismailis, namely, al-Musta‘li (1094–1101 CE) and al-Amir (1101–1130 CE), as well as the commencement of the Tayyibi da‘wa in the Yemen and the collapse of the Fatimids in Egypt. Furthermore, the volume contains important details on the various da‘is of the Yemen. It remains a basic source for the history of the Ismaili da‘wa in the Yemen under the Sulayhids.

Five volumes of the set of seven have already been published, between 2007 and 2009, in Arabic critical editions. The remaining two (Volumes 3 and 5) are due to be published in 2010. They are part of the exciting ongoing collaboration between the IIS and IFPO.

http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=111168

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Living in Historic Cairo: Past and Present in an Islamic City (Institute of Ismaili Studies)
Farhad Daftary (Editor), Elizabeth Fernea (Editor), Azim Nanji (Editor)


Editorial Reviews
Product Description

The history of Cairo is usually presented in terms of periods and dynasties such as the Fatimid or Ayyubid. The modern history of Egypt is generally held to begin in the last decades of the nineteenth century with the emergence of a new, modern city, constructed by the Khedives of Egypt along European lines. This illustrated book examines Cairo from the first century AH/seventh century AD until the present, considering the relationships between the physical layout of the city and its historic buildings, its economy, and its social, cultural, and religious life. The book discusses the programs of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, both for restoring historic monuments in the district of al-Darb al-Ahmar and for reviving and improving the social and economic life of the old city. It also seeks to convey what the residents of the old city think about these projects, to clarify what, if any, is the felt relationship between the great monuments like Bab al-Zuwayla and the people who live nearby and what can be learned from this experience for similar restoration projects in other parts of the world.--No previous book has dealt with Cairo across so wide a range of periods and subjects, examining the relationships between the inhabitants of Cairo and their city and the relationships between past and present.-- Economics, architecture, and religious practices in past ages all have reverberations in the present. The contributors range from academics with expertise in Islamic history and architecture, such as Nasser Rabbat and Roy Mottahedeh, to the personnel who were engaged in the restoration projects.--A DVD of the film Living with the Past: Historic Cairo (2001, 56 minutes, directed by Maysoon Pachachi for Echo Productions, produced by Elizabeth Fernea) accompanies the book. It portrays al-Darb al-Ahmar, a neighborhood in the heart of the old city, and follows several interwoven restoration projects undertaken with a unique approach combining conservation with social, cultural, and economic neighborhood schemes that aim not only to rescue endangered monuments but also to preserve the spirit and vitality of the community.

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Living in Historic Cairo examines Cairo across the centuries, from the 7th century AD to the present. It discusses the programs of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture for restoring historic monuments in the district of al-Darb al-Amar and for reviving and improving the social and economic life of the old city. It also seeks to convey what the residents of the old city think about these projects. --DVD-Living with the Past: Historic Cairo (2001), 56 mins, Directed by Maysoon Pachachi for Echo Productions.-Produced by Elizabeth Fernea this film portrays Darb al-Ahmar, a neighbourhood in the heart of the old city. Designed as a companion to the book the film follows several interwoven restoration projects undertaken with a unique approach combining conservation with social, cultural and economic neighbourhood schemes that aim not only to rescue endangered monuments but also to preserve the spirit and vitality of the community.

http://www.amazon.com/Living-Historic-C ... 1898592284

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Islam in the School Curriculum
Symbolic Pedagogy and Cultural Claims
by Shiraz Thobani
http://www.continuumbooks.com/books/det ... ct2Id=1423
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A sociological study of the recontextualisation of Islam as school knowledge in the UK education system.


Imprint: Continuum
Pub. date: 07 Jun 2010
ISBN: 9781441100078
288 Pages, hardcover

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$140.00

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Islam in the School Curriculum explores the conceptualisation of school-based Islam on two levels: as a symbolic category in English religious education as a consequence of policy shifts, and as pedagogic discourse at the local community level in state and Muslim schools. Using recontextualisation theory, the author examines the relations between educational governance, social interests and cultural epistemology as they pertain specifically to symbolic constructs.

In the aftermath of September 11 2001, the teaching of Islam has assumed geopolitical significance, coming under close scrutiny internationally. Much of this attention has been directed at madrasas in Muslim countries, yet Islam in schooling contexts in the West has remained a blind-spot. In the UK, heightened anxieties about ‘home-grown’ terrorists point to the need for a better understanding of Islam in both state and faith schools.

Shiraz Thobani explores the role played by national and local policies and pedagogic practices in the production of school-based Islam in a secular, liberal context and makes an important contribution to the sociology of the curriculum and the study of religious education.

Table of Contents
List of Tables \ Abbreviations \ Acknowledgements \ Introduction \ 1. Policy Contexts and Disputed Knowledge \ 2. Researching School-based Islam \ 3. Tradition and Innovation in the Curriculum \ 4. Liberalism and Social Parity \ 5. State, Religion and Cultural Restoration \ 6. The Micropolitics of Representation \ 7. Symbolic Imaginings in State Schools \ 8. Creating the New Community \ 9. Politicized Islam and Civic Engagement \ 10. Recontextualized Culture and Social Implications \ Glossary \ References \ Index

Author(s)
Shiraz Thobani, Shiraz Thobani is Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, UK.

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Dear Subscriber

One of the richest and most rewarding - yet least familiar - traditions of Muslim literature is that of the Shi'i Imami Ismailis. Although many literary treasures of the Islamic world are already available in translation, those of the Ismailis are only slowly being made accessible.

The Anthology of Ismaili Literature makes a vital contribution to the process of wider dissemination. The single best compendium of one of the world's great undiscovered literary traditions, the Anthology makes Ismaili Literature newly available for a western audience.

With a comprehensive and representative range of texts, this is an ideal starting point for beginners, and an essential reference for experienced scholars.

An Anthology of Ismaili Literature

A Shi'i Vision of Islam

Edited by Hermann Landolt, Samira Sheikh & Kutub Kassam

RRP: £39.50
Special Price: £27.50 + p&p
Offer ends 7th May 2010

For the first time, extracts from a range of significant Ismaili texts in both poetry and prose are brought together and translated into English by some of the foremost scholars in the field. The texts included belong to a long span of Ismaili history, which extends from the Fatimid era to the beginning of the twentieth century.

With substantial sections devoted to such broad topics as faith and thought, history and biography, ethics, the Imamate, Ta'wil (or esoteric exegesis and textual interpretation), the Anthology offers continuously enriching glimpses into the depths, diversity and distinctiveness of one of the great traditions of Islamic thought and creativity. More details...

Read an Extract from the Anthology of Ismaili Literature
9781845117948 | Hardback | 400 pages | Special Price: £27.50 + p&p

Table of Contents:

Forward by Azim Nanji
Preface and Acknowledgements
Contributors
List of Reprinted Works
List of Illustrations

Ismaili History and Literary Traditions Farhad Daftary

Part I: History and Memoir
Introduction Samira Sheikh

Part II: Faith and Thought
Introduction Hermann Landolt
Section I: God and Creation
Section II: Prophethood and Imamate

Section III: Initiation, Knowledge and Meaning
Section IV: Faith and Ethics

Part III: Poetry
Introduction Kutub Kassam
Section I: Arabic Poetry
Section II: Persian Poetry
Section III: The Poetry of South Asia

Glossary
Bibliography
Index

About the Editors:

Hermann Landolt is Emeritus Professor of Islamic Studies, McGill University, and a Senior Research Fellow at The Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Samira Sheikh has a doctorate in history from the University of Oxford and is a Research Associate at The Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Kutub Kassam is a graduate of the University of Nairobi and is currently Senior editor at The Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Other ways to stay in touch:
http://twi.to/xsq

*****

http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=109757

An Anthology of Ismaili Literature: A Shi‘i Vision of Islam


I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2008

ISBN (Hardback): 978 1 84511 794 8
ISBN (Softback):

* Synopsis
* Contents
* Bibliography

Synopsis

Publication page on Google Books

Download PDF version of Introduction to Part One(68 KB)
Download PDF version of Introduction to Part Two (68 KB)
Download PDF version of Introduction to Part Three (66 KB)

The word ‘anthology’ comes from the Greek for ‘flower-gathering’. An Anthology of Ismaili Literature: A Shi‘i Vision of Islam is the first collection of the literary ‘flowers’ of the Ismaili tradition, offering up to its readers glimpses of a literary tradition as rich and varied as it is little-known. The extracts, drawn from all periods of the Ismailis’ pre-modern history, reflect the plural and multi-ethnic history of the community and display a remarkable diversity in style and genre.

As Azim Nanji points out in his foreword, the impulse to anthologise has a hallowed history in Muslim literature. Muslims have long compiled collections of hadith, biographies, histories, poetry and commentaries as ways of preserving and systematising their heritages. The present volume follows in that tradition, albeit supplemented with the full apparatus of modern scholarship. With sections on ‘History and Memoir’, ‘Faith and Thought’, and ‘Poetry’, An Anthology of Ismaili Literature introduces its readers to the diverse genres of pre-modern Ismaili writing and to the circumstances in which they were produced.

The book opens with a substantial essay on Ismaili history and literary traditions by Farhad Daftary. The first section of historical extracts begins with the times of uncertainty that preceded the establishment of Fatimid rule in Egypt, as chronicled by the 10th century da‘i and author Ibn al-Haytham. Scenes from the days of the earliest Fatimid Imam-Caliph al-Mahdi (d. 322 AH/934 CE) are retold by his faithful chamberlain Ja‘far and by the renowned jurist and author, al-Qadi al-Nu‘man (d. 363 AH/974 CE). We hear more about the Qadi and the last imam of his time, Imam-Caliph al-Mu‘izz (r. 341-365 AH/953-975 CE), in the words of the 15th-century Tayyibi author Idris Imad al-Din. Two of the greatest luminaries of the 11th-century Ismaili da‘wa have also left detailed accounts of their travels. The autobiography of al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi (d. 470 AH/1078 CE) includes a gripping account of his escape from the hostile kingdom of the Buyids to safety in the Fatimid realms, an excerpt from which is included here. Roughly at the same time, Nasir-i Khusraw (d. after 462 AH/1070 CE) made a long spiritual journey from Persia to Egypt, then ruled by the Imam-Caliph al-Mustansir bi’llah (d. 487 AH/1094 CE). Here we include his famous description of Old Cairo and his account of the imam-caliph’s rule, in which justice was available to all, regardless of their faith. The section ends with chapters from Pir Sabzali’s narrative of a journey to Central Asia in the early 20th century, in which he and his Indian companions toiled through difficult terrain in Chitral and met with local Ismailis who impressed the Indian delegation with their fervent devotion to the imam of the time.

Part Two, on ‘Faith and Thought’, is the heart of the volume, and comprises four sections of reflections by the greatest Ismaili thinkers on fundamental questions of creation, revelation, the imamat, ethics and faith. In the first section are extracts from the work of classical Ismaili thinkers such as Abu Ya‘qub al-Sijistani (d. around 360 AH/971 CE), Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani (d. after 411 AH/1020 CE) and Nasir-i Khusraw, who argued against the theology of the time by refusing to project any anthropomorphic (human-like) qualities of God, the Originator. To quote one of the editors, Hermann Landolt, these thinkers ‘also set themselves apart from the mainstream philosophical tradition, arguing that ‘existence’ itself belongs to the domain of the originated and thus cannot be applied to the Originator, whose pure identity is beyond intellectual reach.’ This section also contains al-Sijistani’s reflections on the spiritual quality of beauty in nature and art. It ends with an extract from the epistles of the anonymous Brethren of Purity who are believed to have lived in Basra in the mid 10th century. The authors used the natural world to make profound philosophical arguments: here, the parrot, appointed to argue the case for the animals of prey, attempts to explain how animals stand higher in God’s eyes than humans.

The second section consists of reflections on the nature of prophecy and the imamat, many of which affirm the importance of the continued existence of the imamat and its role as a guiding principle down the generations. It begins with al-Sijistani’s demonstration of the universal process of prophetic revelation as an esoteric reflection of the history of mankind itself. The Fatimid da‘i al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi said that ‘…. all the sciences, including the rational ones… are collectively present in the sciences of the prophets’, thus establishing the importance of reason in religion. Human reason, further explains the Ismaili thinker and poet Nasir-i Khusraw, is a trace of the Universal Intellect, and thus does not contradict revelation. Another distinguished Fatimid scholar, Ahmad b. Ibrahim al-Naysaburi (fl. 4th/10th – early 5th/11th century), similarly used rational tools and metaphors from the natural world to explain how the imamat is the pole and foundation of religion. Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani explains why the imamat is necessary to carry forward God’s message and the example of His Messenger. The 11th-century Persian hujja Hasan-i Sabbah, affirms, in a fragmentary surviving text, the need for the Ismaili imam as the authoritative teacher who would guide humans towards their spiritual goals. Finally, the thinker Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (d. 672 AH/1274 CE) explains the nature and necessity of the imamat and why it is necessary for the seeker to submit to ‘the wise and perfect man’ to achieve true knowledge.

Several Ismaili texts describe individual journeys in search of spiritual knowledge. The third section begins with the tale of the initiation of a young seeker, excerpted from the account of Ja‘far b. Mansur al-Yaman (d. ca. 346 AH/957 CE), who wrote even before the establishment of the Fatimid caliphate. Next is the account of Nasir al-Din al-Tusi who found himself dissatisfied with various spiritual paths and eventually came to believe in the necessity of a ‘spiritual instructor’ to guide his way to spiritual knowledge. Knowledge itself has an external dimension and an inner, subtle truth. Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani explains the need for higher knowledge through the interpretation of scripture and al-Sijistani explains that such knowledge is acquired by the prophets in the form of spiritual inspiration, bypassing the material world. Next are three examples by Ismaili scholars of ta’wil or subtle elucidations that bring out the inner esoteric meanings of Qur’anic phrases and the religious duties of Muslims.

The section on faith and ethics begins with al-Qadi al-Nu‘man’s distinction between iman (faith) and islam (submission) from the start of his magnum opus of Fatimid law, the Da‘a’im al-Islam. This is followed by al-Naysaburi’s ‘code of conduct’ for da‘is, which brings out key aspects of the institutional hierarchy of the Fatimids. From laws and norms to ethics is a natural progression. In a passage on the refinement of character from a text attributed to Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, the author asserts that ethics is governed by the recognition of and reverence for the imam of the time. Al-Tusi also wrote a short treatise on tawalla, ‘solidarity’ and tabarra, ‘dissociation’, which is quoted here in full. This is followed by an extract from a treatise by a 16th-century author, Khayrkhwah-i Harati, who asserts the importance of spiritual edification or ta‘lim and the role of the Ismaili hierarchy in leading believers towards the truth and the divine.

The third part of the volume is devoted to Ismaili poetry, the prime vehicle for devotional expression throughout the generations. As Kutub Kassam explains, poetry discloses ‘the inner, spiritual life of the poets and the communities they represent’. This part is divided into compositions originally produced in Arabic, Persian and the languages of South Asia. The Fatimid period is represented by compositions of the versatile and prolific poet Ibn Hani al-Andalusi (d. 362 AH/973 CE), famed as the ‘Mutanabbi of the Maghrib’, and the more personal, devotional verses of al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi. Nasir-i Khusraw is another one of the greatest poets of the Persian Ismaili tradition. The poems included here demonstrate his devotion to the Ismaili cause as well as his virtuosity and poetic skill. These are followed by compositions by the 13th-century Alamut-based poet Hasan-i Mahmud-i Katib, which express devotion to the imam, and the more astringent, questioning poetry of Nizari Quhistani (d. 720 AH/1320 CE). The lesser-known poets of the post-Alamut era are represented in several compositions dating from the 15th to the 18th century, which demonstrate a continuing devotion to the Ismaili imams even when the community was dispersed and fragmented. The maddah poetry of the Ismailis of Badakhshan, composed largely in Tajik Persian, is represented here in several compositions that reflect the diversity of genres and themes in devotional poetry. Rounding off the volume are selections from the ginans of the South Asian Nizaris, attributed to some of the Ismaili preacher-poets who were active in the region from the 7th AH/13th CE century. Many of the poetic compositions in this part of the anthology continue to be a source of inspiration for Nizari Ismailis today.

Although the IIS has published Ismaili texts and their English translations for over a decade, it is for the first time that a publication brings the range of the tradition to academic and lay readers. Lovers of poetry could turn to Shimmering Light: An Anthology of Ismaili Poetry (1996), translated by F. M. Hunzai and edited by Kutub Kassam. Enthusiasts of Ismaili philosophy could consult the second volume of An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia: Ismaili Thought in the Classical Age edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Mahdi Aminrazavi (2008). The present volume, however, brings to its readers a greater range of genres, new translations from the foremost scholars in the field, and brief contextual introductions to every extract. It is hoped that the bouquet of this anthology will draw readers to further explore the riches and diversity of Ismaili literature.


Contents
List of Plates xi
Foreword Azim Nanji xiii
Preface and Acknowledgements xv
Contributors xvii
List of Reprinted Works xxi
List of Abbreviations xxv

Ismaili History and Literary Traditions Farhad Daftary 1

PART ONE: HISTORY AND MEMOIR

Introduction Samira Sheikh 33
1. Ibn al-Haytham: Kitab al-munazarat 35

Ibn al-Haytham meets the da‘i Abu ‘Abd Allah 35
The Proof of the Excellence and Purity of Imam ‘Ali 37
Ibn al-Haytham Takes the Oath of Allegiance 40
The da‘is of the Kutama 41

2. Ja‘far b. ‘Ali: Sirat al-hajib Ja‘far 44

An Incident from al-Mahdi’s Journey to North Africa 44
al-Mahdi Greets his Troops 46

3. al-Qadi al-Nu‘man: Iftitah al-da‘wa 49

al-Mahdi’s Coming from Sijilmasa and his Arrival in Ifriqiya 49
Early Decrees of al-Mahdi 52
Eulogy of al-Mahdi 55
The Administrative System of al-Mahdi 56

4. Idris Imad al-Din: ‘Uyun al-akhbar 59

On the Nurturing of the Imams 59
Under the Guidance of the Imam: al-Qadi al-Nu‘man’s Compositions 62

5. al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi: Sirat al-Mu’ayyad 67

Fleeing from Shiraz to Ahwaz 67

6. Nasir-i Khusraw: Safar-nama 71

A Description of the City of Old Cairo 71
A Description of Sultan’s Banquet 75

7. Pir Sabzali: Madhya Eshiya ni rasik vigato 77

Journey to Central Asia 77

PART TWO: FAITH AND THOUGHT

Introduction Herman Landolt 85

I. GOD AND CREATION

1.Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani: al-Risala al-durriyya 89

On the Meaning of tawhid, muwahhid and muwahhad 89

2. Abu Ya‘qub al-Sijistani: Kashf al-yanabi 121

On the Pure Identity of the Originator 98
The Explanation of the World of Intellect and the World of Soul 99

3. Nasir-i Khusraw: Gushayish wa rahayish 102

Ontology 102

4. Abu Ya‘qub al-Sijistani: Kashf al-mahjub 111

That the Beauty or Adornment of Nature is Spirtual 111

5. Ikhwan al-Safa: Rasa’il Ikhwan al-Safa’ 113

The Case of the Animals versus Man before the King of the Jinn 113

II. PROPHETHOOD AND IMAMATE

1.Abu Ya‘qub al-Sijistani: Kash al-mahjub 121

On the Fifth Creation (Prophethood) 121

2.al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi: al-Majalis al-Mu’ayyadiyya 131

Reason and Revelation 131

3. Ahmad b. Ibrahim al-Naysaburi: Kitab ithbat al-imama 142

Affirming the Imamate 135

4. Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani: al-Masabih fi ithbat al-imama 142

In the Proof of the Imamate and its Necessity 142

5. Hasan-i Sabbah: al-Fusul al-arba‘a 149

The Doctrine of ta‘lim 149

6. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi: Rawda-yi taslim 153

Concerning the Various Kinds of Submission 153
On Prophethood and Imamate 158

III. INITIATION, KNOWLEDGE AND MEANING

1. Ja‘far b. Mansur al-Yaman: Kitab al-alim wa’l-ghulam 169

Initiation of the Disciple by the Master 169
Conversation between Salih and Abu Malik 174

2. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi: Sayr wa suluk 180

al-Tusi’s Search for Knowledge 180

3. Abu Ya‘qub al-Sijistani: Kitab al-yanabi‘ 186

On the Manner of the Transmission of Spiritual Inspiration 186

4. Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani: al-Masabih fi ithbat al-imama 188

In Proof of the Interpretation of the Revelation 188

5. al-Qadi al-Nu‘man: Asas al-ta’wil 192

The Story of Job 192

6. Abu Ya‘qub al-Sijistani: Kitab al-yanabi‘ 195

On the Meaning of the Profession of Faith 195
On the Meaning of the Cross 197
On the Agreement of the Cross with the Profession of Faith 197

7. Nasir-i Khusraw: Wajh-i din 199

On the Establishment of Knowledge 199
On the Description of the Subtle Spiritual World 200
On the Necessity of Obedience to the Imam of the Time 203
On the ta’wil of Inna li’llahi wa-inna ilayhi raji‘un (We Belong to Allah and unto Him we Return) 207

IV. FAITH AND ETHICS

1. al-Qadi al-Nu‘man: Da‘a’im al-Islam 211

On Faith (iman) 211
On the Distinction between iman (Faith) and islam (Submission) 219

2. Ahmad b. Ibrahim al-Naysaburi: al-Risala al-mujaza 222

Qualifications for the da‘wa 222
Qualifications for a da‘i 226

3. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi: Rawda-yi taslim 234

On the Refinement of Character 234

4. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi: Tawalla wa tabarra 241

Solidarity and Dissociation 241

5. Khayrkhwah-i Harati: Risala 247

The Epistle 247

PART THREE: POETRY

Introduction Kutub Kassam

I. ARABIC POETRY
1. Ibn Hani’ al-Andalusi 257
2. al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi 260

II. PERSIAN POETRY
1. Nasir-i Khusraw 271
2. Hasan-i Mahmud-i Katib 282
3. Nizari Quhistani 285
4. Persian Poets of the post-Alamut Era 290
5. The Poetry of Central Asia 298

III PERSIAN POETRY
1. Pir Shams 309
2. Pir Sadr al-Din 311
3. Pir Hasan Kabir al-Din 315
4. Nur Muhammad Shah 318

Glossary 322
Bibliography 328
Index 339


Bibliography

Abu Ishaq Quhistani. Haft bab, ed. and tr. W. Ivanow. Bombay, 1959.

Abu’l- Ahmad b. Ya‘qub. al-Risala fi’l-imama, ed. and tr. Sami N. Makarem as The Political Doctrine of the Isma’ilis (The Imamate). Delmar, NY, 1977.

Aga Khan III (Sultan Muhammad Shah). The Memoirs of Aga Khan: World Enough and Time. London, 1954.

Ajurlu, Layla. Kitabshinasi-yi jami‘-i Hakim Nasir-i Khusraw Qubadiyani, ed. R. Musalmaniyan Qubadiyani. Tehran, 1384 Sh./2005.

Amir-Moezzi, Mohammad Ali. The Divine Guide in Early Shi‘ism: The Sources of Eso­tericism in Islam, tr. D. Streight. Albany, NY, 1994.

An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia: Volume II, Isma‘ili and Hermetico-Pythagorean Philosophy, ed. S. Hossein Nasr with M. Aminrazavi. Oxford, 2000.

Asani, Ali S. ‘The Ginan Literature of the Ismailis of Indo-Pakistan: Its Origins, Char­acteristics, and Themes,’ in D. L. Eck and F. Mallison, ed., Devotion Divine: Bhakti Traditions from the Regions of India. Groningen, 1991, pp. 1-18.

— —, ‘The Ismaili ginans as Devotional Literature, in R. S. McGregor, ed., Devotional Lit­erature in South Asia: Current Research, 1985–1988. Cambridge, 1992, pp. 101-112.

— —, Ecstasy and Enlightenment: The Ismaili Devotional Literature of South Asia. London, 2002.

Badakhshani, Sayyid Suhrab Vali. Si va shish sahifa, ed. H. Ujaqi. Tehran, 1961.

Bayburdi, Chingiz G. A. Zhizn i tvorchestvo Nizari-Persidskogo poeta XIII-XIV vv. Moscow, 1966. Persian trans., Zindagi va athar-i Nizari, tr. M. Sadri. Tehran, 1370 Sh./1991.

Bertel’s, Andrey E. Nasir-i Khosrov i ismailizm. Moscow, 1959. Persian trans., Nasir-i Khusraw va Isma‘iliyan, tr. Y. Ariyanpur. Tehran, 1346 Sh./1967.

— —, and M. Bakoev. Alphabetic Catalogue of Manuscripts found by 1959–1963 Expedition in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, ed. B. G. Gafurov and A. M. Mirzoev. Moscow, 1967.

Bosworth, C. Edmund. The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual. Edinburgh, 1996.

Brett, Michael. The Rise of the Fatimids: The World of the Mediterranean and the Middle East in the Fourth Century of the Hijra, Tenth Century CE. Leiden, 2001.

Brockelmann, Carl. Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur. Weimar, 1898-1902; 2nd ed., Leiden, 1943–1949. Supplementbande. Leiden, 1937–1942.

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— —, ‘Isma‘ili ta’wil of the Qur’an,’ in A. Rippin, ed., Approaches to the History of the Interpretation of the Qur’an. Oxford, 1988, pp. 199–222.

— —, ‘al-Qadi al-Nu‘man and Isma‘ili Jurisprudence,’ in MIHT, pp. 7–43.

— —, ‘The Beginning of the Ismaili Da‘wa and the Establishment of the Fatimid Dynasty as Commemorated by al-Qadi al-Nu‘man,’ in F. Daftary and Josef W. Meri, ed., Culture and Memory in Medieval Islam: Essays in Honour of Wilferd Madelung. London, 2003, pp. 338–363.

— —, ‘Hadith, iii. Hadith in Isma‘ilism,’ EIR, vol. , pp. 449–45.

al-Qurtubi, Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad b. Ahmad. al-Jami‘ li-ahkam al-Qur’an. Beirut, [1952]-1967.

Qutbuddin, Tahera. al-Mu’ayyad al-Shirazi and Fatimid Da‘wa Poetry: A Case of Com­mitment in Classical Arabic Literature. Leiden, 2005.

al-Razi, Abu Hatim Ahmad b. Hamdan. A‘lam al-nubuwwa, ed. Salah al-Sawi and G. R. A‘wani. Tehran, 1977. English trans., excerpt, as Science of Prophecy, tr. E. K. Rowson, in APP, pp. 140–172.

— —, Kitab al-islah, ed., Hasan Minuchihr and Mahdi Mohaghegh. Tehran, 1377 Sh./1998.

Rashid al-Din Fadl Allah Hamadani. Jami‘ al-tawarikh: qismat-i Isma‘iliyan wa Fatimiyan wa Nizariyan wa da‘iyan wa rafiqan, ed. M. T. Danishpazhuh and M. Mudarrisi Zanjani. Tehran, 1338 Sh./1959.

Rypka, Jan. History of Iranian Literature, ed. K. Jahn. Dordrecht, 1968.

Sabzali Ramzanali, Pir. ‘Alijah Mishanari Sabaja-ali-bhai ni musafari: Madhya Eshiya ni rasik vigato,’ The Ismaili, Mumbai (24 April 1924), p. 4 and (9 October 1924), p. 2.

Sadr al-Din, Pir. ‘Alaf nirale khalak raja,’ in 100 Ginan ni chopadi, Mumbai, n.d., vol. 4, no. 62, pp. 118–119; and in Mahan Ismaili sant Pir Sadardin rachit ginano no samgrah. Mumbai, 1952, vol. 1, no. 41, p. 49.

— —, ‘Avala tumhi akhara tumhi,’ in Mahan Ismaili sant Pir Sadardin rachit ginano no samgrah, vol. 1, no. 128, p. 133.

— —, Bujh niranjan. Karachi, 1976.

— —, ‘Dhan dhan ajano dadalore ame harivar payaji’, in 100 Ginan ni chopadi. 4th ed., Mumbai, 1934, vol. 5, no. 42.

— —, ‘Jugame phire shahaji muneri’, in 102 Ginanaji: chopadi. 3rd ed., Mumbai, 1912, vol. 4, no. 3.

— —, ‘Sakhi maha pad keri’, in 100 Ginan ni chopadi. 5th ed., Mumbai, 1935, vol. 3, no. 30.

— —, Saloko moto tatha nano. Mumbai, 1934, vv. 58, 94.

Salisbury, E. E. ‘Translation of Two Unpublished Arabic Documents Relating to the doctrines of the Isma‘ilis and Other Batinian Sects,’ JAOS, 2 (1851), pp. 257–324.

Shams, Pir, ‘Kayama dayama tum moro sami tere name bi koi koi’, in 100 Ginan ni chopadi. 3rd ed., Mumbai, 1919, vol. 2, no. 82.

— —, ‘Kesari simha sarupa bhulayo’, in Mahan Ismaili sant Pir Shams rachit ginano no samgrah. Mumbai, 1952, vol. 2, pp. 63–64, no. 59.

Shackle, Christopher and Zawahir Moir. Ismaili Hymns from South Asia: An Introduc­tion to the Ginans. 2nd ed., Richmond, 2000.

al-Shahrastani, Abu’l-Fath Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Karim. Kitab al-milal wa’l-nihal, ed. W. Cureton. London, 1842–1846; ed. A. Fahmi Muhammad. Cairo, 1948; ed. M. S. Kaylani, Beirut, 1965; ed. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Muhammad al-Wakil. Cairo, 1387/1968. Ger­man trans., Religionspartheien und Philosophenschulen, tr. Th. Haarbrucker. Halle, 1850–1851; repr., Wiesbaden 1969; Partial English trans., Muslim Sects and Divisions, tr. A. K. Kazi and J. G. Flynn. London, 1984. French trans., D. Gimaret et al. as Livre des religions et des sectes. Louvain and Paris, 1986–1993.

Sheikh, Samira. ‘Religious Traditions and Early Isma‘ili History in Western India: Some Historical Perspectives on Satpanthi Literature and the Ginans,’ in Tazim R. Kassam and Francoise Mallison, ed., Ginans, Texts and Contexts: Essays on Ismaili Hymns from South Asia in Honour of Zawahir Moir (New Delhi, 2007), pp. 149–167.

Shihab al-Din Shah al-Husayni. Khitabat-i ‘aliya, ed. H. Ujaqi. Bombay, 1963.

— —, Risala dar haqiqat-i din, ed. W. Ivanow. Bombay, 1947. English trans., True Meaning of Religion, tr. W. Ivanow. 2nd ed., Bombay, 1947.

al-Sijistani, Abu Ya‘qub Ishaq b. Ahmad. Ithbat al-nubu’at (al-nubuwwat), ed. ‘Arif Tamir. Beirut, 1966.

— —, Kashf al-mahjub, ed. H. Corbin. Tehran and Paris, 1949. French trans., Le devoilement des choses cachees, tr. H. Corbin. Lagrasse, 1988. Partial English trans., Unveiling of the Hidden, tr. H. Landolt, in APP, pp. 71–124.

— —, Kitab al-yanabi‘, ed. and tr. Henry Corbin, in Trilogie Ismaelienne, text pp. 1-97, partial translation as Le livre des sources pp. 5–127, ed. Mustafa Ghalib. Beirut, 1965. English trans. Paul E. Walker as ‘The Book of Wellsprings’ in his The Wellsprings of Wisdom. Salt Lake City, 1994, pp. 37-111.

Smoor, Pieter. ‘al-Mahdi’s Tears: Impressions of Fatimid Court Poetry,’ in U. Vermeulen and D. de Smet, ed., Egypt and Syria in the Fatimid, Ayyubid and Mamluk Eras II. Leuven, 1998, pp. 131–170.

Steigerwald, Diane. La pensee philosophique et theologique de Shahrastani (m. 548/1153). Saint-Nicolas, Quebec, 1997.

Stern, Samuel M. Studies in Early Isma‘ilism. Jerusalem and Leiden, 1983.

Stroeva, Luydmila V. Gosudarstvo ismailitov v Irane v XI-XIII vv. Moscow, 1978. Persian trans., Ta’rikh-i Isma‘iliyan dar Iran, tr. Parvin Munzavi. Tehran, 1371 Sh./1992.

al-Suri, Muhammad b. ‘Ali. al-Qasida al-Suriyya, ed. ‘Arif Tamir. Damascus, 1955.

al-Tabrisi, al-Fadl b. al-Hasan. Majma‘ al-bayan fi tafsir al-Qur’an, ed. Hashim al-Rasuli and Fadl Allah al-Tabataba’i. Tehran, 1379/1959.

Thalath rasa’il Isma‘iliyya, ed. ‘Arif Tamir. Beirut, 1403/1983.

Trilogie Ismaelienne, ed. and tr. Henry Corbin. Tehran and Paris, 1961.

al-Tusi, Nasir al-Din. Akhlaq-i Muhtashami, ed. Muhammad Taqi Danishpazhuh. 2nd ed., Tehran, 1361 Sh./1982.

— —, Majmu‘a-yi rasa’il, ed. M. T. Mudarris Radawi. Tehran, 1335 Sh./1956.

— —, Rawdat al-taslim ya tasawwurat, ed. and tr. W. Ivanow. Leiden, 1950; Rawda-yi taslim, ed. and tr. S. Jalal Badakhchani as Paradise of Submission: A Medieval Treatise on Ismaili Thought. London, 2005.

— —, ‘Risala dar tawalla wa-tabarra,’ in Akhlaq-i Muhtashami, ed. Muhammad Taqi Danishpazhuh. 2nd ed., Tehran, 1361 Sh./1982, pp. 561-570.

— —, Sayr wa suluk, ed. and tr. S. Jalal Badakhchani as Contemplation and Action: The Spiritual Autobiography of a Muslim Scholar. London, 1998.

van den Berg, Gabrielle R. Minstrel Poetry from the Pamir Mountains: A Study on the Songs and Poems of the Isma‘ilis of Tajik Badakhshan. Wiesbaden, 2004.

Virani, Shafique N. The Ismailis in the Middle Ages: A History of Survival, A Search for Salvation. Oxford, 2007.

Walker, Paul E. Early Philosophical Shiism: The Ismaili Neoplatonism of Abu Ya‘qub al-Sijistani. Cambridge, 1993.

— —, Abu Ya‘qub al-Sijistani: Intellectual Missionary. London, 1996.

— —, Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani: Ismaili Thought in the Age of al-Hakim.London, 1999.

— —, Exploring an Islamic Empire: Fatimid History and its Sources. London, 2002.

Wensinck, Arent Jan, ed. al-Mu‘jam al-mufahras li-alfaz al-hadith al-nabawi. Leiden, 1943.

— —, Concordance et Indices de la Traditions Musulmane. 2nd ed., Leiden, 1992.

— —, The Muslim Creed: its Genesis and Historical Development. Cambridge, 1932.

al-Yamani, Muhammad b. Muhammad. Sirat al-hajib Ja‘far b. ‘Ali, ed. W. Ivanow, in Bulletin of the Faculty of Arts, University of Egypt, 4 (936), pp. 107–133; tr. W. Ivanow, in his Ismaili Tradition Concerning the Rise of the Fatimids. London, etc., 1942, pp. 184-223; French tr. Marius Canard, ‘L’autobiographie d’un chambellan du Mahdi ‘Obeidallah le Fatimide,’ Hesperis, 39 (1952), pp. 279–329, reprinted in his Miscellanea Orientalia, London, 1973, article V.
Zayn al-‘Abidin, ‘Ali b. al-Husayn. al-Sahifa al-kamila al-Sajjadiyya, ed. Fayd al-Islam. Tehran, 1375/1955; tr. W. Chittick as The Psalms of Islam. London, 1988.


Content Date: August 2008

[kmaherali]

Fortresses of the Intellect: Ismaili and Other Islamic Studies in Honour of Farhad Daftary [Hardcover]
Omar Ali-de-Unzaga (Author)

This title will be released on November 9, 2010.
Pre-order now!
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Dedicated to the achievements of Farhad Daftary, the foremost authority in Ismaili Studies of our time, this volume gathers together a number of studies on intellectual and political history, particularly in the three main areas where the significance of Daftary's scholarship has had the largest impact-Ismaili Studies as well as Persian Studies and Shi'i Studies in a wider context. It focuses, but not exclusively, on the intellectual production of the Ismailis and their role in history, with discussions ranging from some of the earliest Ismaili texts, to thinkers from the Fatimid and the Alamut periods as well as relations of the Fatimids with other dynasties. Containing essays from some of the most respected scholars in Ismaili, Shi'i and Persian Studies (including Patricia Crone, M A Amir-Moezzi, C Edmund Bosworth and Robert Gleave), the book makes a significant contribution to wider scholarship in philosophical theology and medieval Islam.
About the Author
Dr Omar Ali-de-Unzaga is a Research Associate in the Department of Academic Research and Publications and Academic Coordinator of the Qur'anic Studies Project at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. He has published numerous essays and reviews on Islamic and Qur'anic themes.

http://www.amazon.com/Fortresses-Intell ... 25&sr=8-36

[kmaherali]

Degrees of Excellence: A Fatimid Treatise on Leadership in Islam
Dr Arzina R Lalani

I.B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies

ISBN (Hardback): 9781845111458
ISBN (Softback):
•Synopsis
•Contents
•Bibliography


Synopsis

Degrees of Excellence is a bilingual work of decisive importance to the philosophical curriculum of medieval Muslim thought. It introduces the first book-length study of Ahmad b. Ibrahim al-Naysaburi, a hitherto unknown scholar of the early fifth/eleventh century, who writes the most elaborate and erudite philosophical justification of the Imamate. He writes in a manner that is both logical and structured yet comparatively less complex and intricate than other such texts of the period. A distinguished scholar from the Fatimid period, al-Naysaburi came from Nishapur, noted particularly for its erudition and use of rationalistic philosophy. Although he has several works to his credit, it is the Kitab Ithbat al-Imama that allows us to capture and understand not only the significance of his own thought, but also the beliefs of his age.

Instead of basing his work exclusively on the Holy Qur’an and the traditions, al-Naysaburi applies intellectual tools to explain and expound his theology by presenting a range of arguments, foremost amongst which is the theory of ‘degrees of excellence’. As such, he argues that God created each genera and species with a unique capacity and distinct advantage not existing in others. While each category has its own differences and disparities, there are at the same time paradigms of perfect examples in each variety. Using examples from the ten Aristotelian categories and other natural metaphors from mineral, plant, tree and animal kingdoms, he reveals in a corresponding manner how the Imam stands at the zenith of humanity.

The Kitab Ithbat al-Imama provides an unparalleled insight into the intricacies of the imam-caliph al-Hakim’s rule (386-411/996-1021), not only adding considerably to our understanding of that period, but also dispelling the erroneous accusations against this caliph. Besides being annotated and contextualised, the work itself has a fluent and accessible introduction in which Dr Lalani introduces the author and his works, describes the contents of work, and elaborates several themes within the text. There is a specific section on the theme of ‘degrees of excellence’ and, for the specialist, a description of the Arabic manuscripts used alongside notes to the translation.

Amongst the highlights of the work is an explanation of how and why leadership is to be seen everywhere in the world and how, in order to guide humanity, the imam must always be present in the world, describing what is exclusive about him and why he is a necessity innately as well as intellectually. An example in question is paragraph [45]:
“Further, we say that there are disparities (tafawut) and differences in degrees of excellence (tafadul) in the organs of the body; the foremost and the best among them is the head. It is in the head that the face [is situated] by which each human being is recognized and distinguished from others. Among the internal organs, the best one is the brain, which is their chief, being the source of the intellect. So likewise the Imam has a position in the world similar to the head and in relation to the organs, similar to the brain. Around him revolve all affairs of the creation just as all actions pertaining to the body revolve around the brain. Amongst the faculties in man and the spirits, the best is the intellect, and the Imam is the Universal Intellect (‘aql al-kulli) in the world from and in whom all people of the world become united.”

Degrees of Excellence is an invaluable source on classical Fatimid thought and will prove essential reading for students of Islamic history, philosophy and theology besides serving as a useful reference for modern Shi’i communities of all persuasions.



Contents
Preface and Acknowledgements xiii

Introduction 1

The Author and his Works 4
The Contents of Kitab ithbat al-imama 9

Themes in the Text 12
Degrees of Excellence 17
Description of the Arabic Manuscripts 26

Notes on the Translation 27
Translation of Kitab ithbat al-imama:

Book on Affirming the Imamate 29

Select Bibliography 96
English Index 108

Arabic Index
Arabic Text

http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=111203

[kmaherali]

Reading Guide for Crossing the Threshold

http://www.iis.ac.uk/WebAssets/Large/Cr ... 0final.pdf

[kmaherali]

Video: Interview with Dr Toby Mayer
Publication: Keys to the Arcana: Shahrastani’s Esoteric Commentary on the Qur’an
Editor: Dr Toby Mayer
http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=111735

Questions addressed in the interview:
1. What is the significance to scholarship of presenting Shahrastani’s Keys to the Arcana?


2. Who was Shahrastani?

3. What was the historical and intellectual context of his Qur’an commentary?

4. Is Keys to the Arcana distinguished by any specific interpretative methodology?

5. How does Shahrastani's commentary reflect Shi'i or, more specifically, Isma'ili influence?

6. Does Shahrastani have a distinctive concept of the Qur’an and how is this reflected in the details of his commentary?

7. What, if any, is the modern relevance of this text?

[kmaherali]

Diversity and Pluralism in Islam: Historical and Contemporary Discourses amongst Muslims
Dr Zulfikar Hirji


I. B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2010

ISBN (Hardback): 978-1-84885-302-7
ISBN (Softback):

* Synopsis
* Contents
* Bibliography

Synopsis
Publication page on Google Books

For more than fourteen hundred years, Muslims have held multiple and diverging views about many aspects of their religious tradition including religious authority, ritual practice, political power, law and governance, civic life, and the form and content of individual and communal expressions. Muslims have regularly debated amongst themselves about these issues. Despite the diversity amongst Muslims and the plurality of understandings about Islam, Muslims are regularly portrayed as internally homogenous and monolithic. This book challenges such propositions by examining the ways in which Muslims regularly debate amongst themselves about matters of common concern, the processes by which they discursively construct notions of self, other and community, and the socio-cultural tools they employ in so doing.
The first chapter by Zulfikar Hirji introduces the main subject of the book and sets out some of the complementary and cross-cutting themes addressed in the volume. These include: (1) the paradigmatic umma; (2) the social construction of the internal other; and (3) the discourses and counter-discourses of debating Muslims. Roy Mottahedeh’s chapter examines the manner in which different Muslim thinkers such as al-Ghazali (d. 1111), Rumi (d. 1273) and Hafiz (d. 1389-1390) interpret the hadith traditions of the Prophet concerning sectarian divisions in Islam. The third chapter by Dominique-Sila Khan draws on extensive ethnographic and archival study of ‘threshold’ communities in India to point out the problems associated with defining Muslims in a highly pluralistic context; particularly as such definitions were informed by the colonial imagination and then carried forward to meet the needs of the Indian nationalist project. Patrice Brodeur’s case study of Muslims living in post-9/11 America provides a contrast to Khan’s study. Here, intra-Muslim plurality is articulated with reference to both local and global discourses about jostling definitions of the umma. The fifth chapter by James Allan surveys so-called Sunni, Shi‘a and Sufi art from the classical Islamic heritage to determine the extent to which Muslims marked out ‘self’ and ‘other’. The theme of how Muslims have constructed the internal other is explored in R. Kevin Jaques’s case study of classical biographical texts about Shafi‘i and Hanafi legal scholars. Jaques shows how madhab-based scholars used literary devices such as cross-referencing, rhetorical flourish, and ‘spin’ to build up and dismantle the reputations of their opponents. Roman Loimeier’s case study compares and contrasts the discursive strategies of successive generations of tariqa-based reformers in Senegal and Coastal Eastern Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries and shows how internal others exist within a multi-dimensional space-time context. The volume concludes with John Bowen’s study of Muslim discourses of pluralism in South-East Asia and Europe. Bowen shows how different local contexts generate different solutions to the issue of pluralism.

This volume emerged out of a series of seminars on ‘Muslim Pluralism’ hosted at The Institute of Ismaili Studies between 2002 and 2003. The seminar series and this volume were developed, in part, as a response to the events of 11 September, 2001.

September 2010
http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=111835

[agakhani]

I appreciate that KMaherali for his efforts and time to put this informative material about the new publication from IIS, we all should thank KM but this information is good for English language readers not good for other languages readers who prefer to read in their own languages.

My concern and sympathy goes towards the readers who do not know English very well and those readers from other parts of the world who prefer to read books in their own national languages.
Are not they Ismaili? and only English readers is the only Ismailis? Why IIS does not publish books in other languages and just publishing one book after another in only in English language? from these books some books are not reliable and some books directly attack on Nizari Ismailis, it's great tradition and sources, for example let take Mr. Daftari's one book name "A SHORT HISTORY OF ISMAILIS" in this book he made many mistakes that is ok but in this books he attacked on our wonderful tradition ginans saying that Ginans are not reliables and trustable!!!! in my opinion this book is garbage any may be some more books who knows?

[kmaherali]

CHICAGO STUDIES ON THE MIDDLE EAST

CENTER FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO


Ismaili and Fatimid Studies in Honor of Paul E. Walker

Edited by Bruce D. Craig



Contents

Hidden Imams and Mahdis in Ismaili History by Farhad Daftary

Kawn al-'Alam: The cosmogony of the Isma'ili da'i Muhammad b. Ahmad al-Nasafi by Wilferd Madelung

Maqriziana XII. Evaluating the Sources for the Fatimid Period: Ibn al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi’s History and Its Use by al-Maqrizi (with a Critical Edition of His Résumé for the Years 501–515 A.H.) by Frédéric Bauden

Sources for al-Qadi al-Nu'man’s Works and Their Authenticity by Ismail K. Poonawala

Was Nasir-e Husraw a Great Poet and Only a Minor Philosopher? Some Critical Reflections on his Doctrine of the Soul by Daniel De Smet

A Shi'i-Mu'tazili Poem of al-Sahib b. 'Abbad (d. 385/995) by Maurice A. Pomerantz

An Illustration of the Caliph al-Hakim together with his Astronomer/Astrologer Ibn Yunus by David A. King

The Almohads and the Fatimids by Maribel Fierro

Church Building, Repair, and Destruction in Fatimid Egypt by Marlis J. Saleh

Urban Violence at Baghdad in the Rivalry between the Abbasid and Fatimid Caliphates by Abbas Hamdani

ISBN 978-0-9708199-6-3
Hardcover, $59.95


Available in bookstores, or contact:
Chicago Studies on the Middle East
Pick Hall 201
5828 University Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637

Ismaili and Fatimid Studies may also be ordered online from
the Chicago Theological Seminary Bookstore:

http://www.semcoop.com

http://chicagostudiesonthemiddleeast.uc ... alker.html

[kmaherali]

My concern and sympathy goes towards the readers who do not know English very well and those readers from other parts of the world who prefer to read books in their own national languages.
Are not they Ismaili? and only English readers is the only Ismailis? Why IIS does not publish books in other languages and just publishing one book after another in only in English language?

There is The Ismaili Texts and Translations series in which the originals texts in Arabic and Persian are edited and published with translations. Below is the link to them...

http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=104893

And some of the books have been translated into other languages. Below is the link.

http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=104903

[agakhani]

I knew that information before my above post and your reply, I checked the IIS website and catalog before, as per IIS catalog A HUGE TOTAL OF 5!!!!????? (ONLY FIVE) BOOKS, so far published in Gujarati and Urdu, in " 30 + YEARS" OF IIS history, in comparison of this 5 books hundreds (I do not have exact figure) books in English. French, Arabic and Persian and other languages published and this publication are still going on every other week. Of course some are from these books are really good and some books has big question mark on it??????.

Now think about the Ismaili population from Eastern & western countries (from, where we Ismailis actually spread around the world) my thinking is most Ismailis are residing in eastern countries than western countries and I believe that they definitely prefer to read in books in their own languages like Gujarati and Urdu rather then English, French, because they are not well educated and does not know very well English, French, Arabic or Persian languages.
In my opinion IIS should not ignore Eastern side Ismailis, matter of fact they are the original Ismailis and ofcourse population wise they are more than western side Ismailis. Therefore as per my thinking IIS needs to publish more books in their own languages too. there are many valuable Gujarati, Urdu and Khojki books which are out of print (like "NOORAN MUBIN", "KALAME IMAME MUBIN" OF MSM) for a long time these books definitely need to be reprint.
ALSO THERE ARE MANY UNPUBLISHED GINANS,GRANTHS AND FARMANS IN KHOJKI, PUNJBAI, SINDHI AND OTHER INDO LANGUAGES WHICH NEVER BEEN PUBLISHED BEFORE, IIS CAN COLLECT THESE VALUABLE LITERATURE AND START TO PUBLISH THIS INSTEAD OF PUBLISHING BOOKS IN ENGLISH AND OTHER LANGUAGES.
these literature may treasure of gold for some interested Ismailis, therefore IIS needs to give more attention in this matter RATHER THAN PUBLISHING other languages books every other week.

5 VERSES 100 + BOOKS ARE NOT SMART DECISION BY IIS.

If you give attention of my above explanation then you will find clear answer by your self and you definitely agree with me brother.

One humble suggestion,
Have you ever try to find out how many Ismailis reader from this website really read your this IIS catalog information?? (it may be helpful to some but not for all ) if you able to find answer of this question then I believe that you will definitely stop to post it here be honest with you Karim, I do not read this IIS catalog post and many other posts of yours.

[MR-FORGET]

Code: Select all

 5 VERSES 100 + BOOKS ARE NOT SMART DECISION BY IIS. 

Absolutely true.

ALSO THERE ARE MANY UNPUBLISHED GINANS,GRANTHS AND FARMANS IN KHOJKI, PUNJBAI, SINDHI AND OTHER INDO LANGUAGES WHICH NEVER BEEN PUBLISHED BEFORE, IIS CAN COLLECT THESE VALUABLE LITERATURE AND START TO PUBLISH THIS INSTEAD OF PUBLISHING BOOKS IN ENGLISH AND OTHER LANGUAGES.

Dam right!!

[kmaherali]

On Logic: An Arabic critical edition and English translation of Epistles 10-14
Professor Carmela Baffioni


Oxford University Press in Association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2010

ISBN (Hardback): 978-0-19-958652-3
ISBN (Softback):

* Synopsis
* Contents
* Bibliography

Synopsis
Publication page on Google Books

Download Introduction (165 KB)

The Ikhwan al-Safa’ (Brethren of Purity), the anonymous adepts of a tenth-century esoteric fraternity based in Basra and Baghdad, hold an eminent position in the history of science and philosophy in Islam due to the wide reception and assimilation of their monumental encyclopaedia, the Rasa’il Ikhwan al-Safa’ (Epistles of the Brethren of Purity). This compendium contains fifty-two epistles offering synoptic accounts of the classical sciences and philosophies of the age; divided into four classificatory parts, it treats themes in mathematics, logic, natural philosophy, psychology, metaphysics, and theology, in addition to didactic fables. The Rasa’il constitutes a paradigmatic legacy in the canonisation of philosophy and the sciences in mediaeval Muslim civilisation, as well as having shown a permeating influence in Western culture.

The present volume is the second of this definitive series, consisting of the very first critical edition of the Rasa’il in its original Arabic, complete with the first fully annotated English translation. Prepared by Professor Carmela Baffioni, Epistles 10–14 comprise the foundations of logic, which remained a fundamental component in pedagogy until the twentieth century. The Ikhwan treat the Isagoge and the larger part of the Organon, both of which were circulating through the Islamic world at that time, as they set about detailing the ten categories of existents, the five predicables, and other such commonplaces of Aristotelian logic, including his seminal method of syllogistic inference. With the claim that logic is the noblest of man’s arts, and man the noblest of creatures, the Ikhwan cast Aristotelian tropes in a spiritual light.

http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112035

[kmaherali]

The Case of the Animals versus Man Before the King of the Jinn: An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistle 22
Professor Lenn Goodman
Dr Richard McGregor


Oxford University Press in Association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2010

ISBN (Hardback): 978 0 19958 016 3
ISBN (Softback):

* Synopsis
* Contents
* Bibliography

Synopsis

Publication page on Google Books

Author Interview with Professor Lenn Goodman

The Brethren of Purity (Ikhwan al-Safa’) were the anonymous members of a fourth-century AH (tenth-century CE) esoteric fraternity of lettered urbanites that was principally based in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, while also having a significant active branch in the capital of the ‘Abbasid caliphate, Baghdad. This secretive coterie occupied a prominent station in the history of scientific and philosophical ideas in Islam due to the wide intellectual reception and dissemination of diverse manuscripts of their famed philosophically oriented compendium, the Epistles of the Brethren of Purity (Rasa’il Ikhwan al-Safa’). The exact dating of this corpus, the identity of its authors, and their doctrinal affiliation remain unsettled questions that are hitherto shrouded with mystery. Some situate the historic activities of this brotherhood at the eve of the Fatimid conquest of Egypt (ca. 358/969), while others identify the organization with an earlier period that is set chronologically around the founding of the Fatimid dynasty in North Africa (ca. 297/909).

Encountering ‘veracity in every religion’, and grasping knowledge as ‘pure nourishment for the soul’, the Ikhwan associated soteriological hope and the attainment of happiness with the scrupulous development of rational pursuits and intellectual quests. Besides the filial observance of the teachings of the Qur’an and hadith, the Brethren also reverently appealed to the Torah of Judaism and to the Gospels of Christianity. Moreover, they heeded the legacies of the Stoics and of Pythagoras, Hermes Trismegistus, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Nicomachus of Gerasa, Euclid, Ptolemy, Galen, Proclus, Porphyry, and Iamblichus.

In general, fifty-two epistles are enumerated as belonging to the Rasa’il Ikhwan al-Safa‘, and these are divided into the following four parts: Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, Sciences of the Soul and Intellect, and Theology. The first part consists of fourteen epistles, and it deals with ‘the mathematical sciences’, treating a variety of topics in arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, geography, and music. The second part of the corpus groups together seventeen epistles on ‘the physical qua natural sciences’. It thus treats themes on matter and form, generation and corruption, metallurgy, meteorology, a study of the essence of nature, the classes of plants and animals (the latter being also set as a fable), the composition of the human body and its embryological constitution, a cosmic grasp of the human being as microcosm, and also the investigation of the phonetic and structural properties of languages and their differences. The third part of the compendium comprises ten tracts on ‘the psychical and intellective sciences’, setting forth the ‘opinions of the Pythagoreans and of the Brethren of Purity’, and accounting also for the world as a ‘macroanthropos’. In this part the Brethren also examined the distinction between the intellect and the intelligible, and they offered explications of the symbolic significance of temporal dimensions, epochal cycles, and the mystical expression of the essence of love, together with an investigation of resurrection, causes and effects, definitions and descriptions, and the various types of motions. The fourth and last part of the Rasa’il deals with ‘the nomic qua legal and theological sciences’ in eleven epistles. These address the differences between the varieties of religious opinions and sects, as well as delineating the ‘Pathway to God’, the virtues of the Ikhwan’s companionship, the characteristics of genuine believers, the nature of the divine nomos, the call to God, the actions of spiritualists, of jinn, angels, and recalcitrant demons, the species of politics, the layered ordering of the world, and, finally, the essence of magic and talismanic incantations. Besides the fifty-two tracts that constitute the Rasa’il Ikhwan al-Safa’, this compendium was accompanied by a treatise entitled al-Risala al-jami‘a (The Comprehensive Epistle), which acted as the summa summarum for the whole corpus, and was itself supplemented by a further abridged appendage known as the Risalat jami‘at al-jami‘a (The Condensed Comprehensive Epistle).

‘The Case of the Animals versus Man Before the King of the Jinn’ (Epistle 22) is the longest of the fifty-two epistles, and in this one, widely read and translated in the Middle Ages and since, the Brethren break away from their usual expository format and fly up into the realm of fable. Their aim, as they explain, is ‘to survey the merits and fine points of animals, their admirable traits and wholesome natures, and to touch on man’s overreaching, oppression, and injustice against the creatures that serve him — the beasts and cattle — and his heedless ingratitude for God’s blessings.’

Once given words, the animals have much to say, both about their own plight and about the human condition. They present themselves not as mere objects of study but as subjects with an outlook and interests of their own. That casts the essay into a moral mode: the animals warmly appreciate the bounty of Creation but passionately criticize human domination and systematically indict its underlying rationales as the products of human arrogance. The ingenious and insightful design of every creature, say the animals, testifies to God’s creative and providential beneficence. But the natural piety, generosity, courage, and trust of the animals model virtues that human beings too often lack. The animals become living, speaking rebukes of human waywardness, faithlessness, negligence, and insensitivity.

Although it is actually the animals that have brought their case before Biwarasp the Wise, King of the Jinn, the humans see themselves as the plaintiffs. They expect animals simply to serve their needs. Outside the precincts of the court, in their own domains, they readily berate and belabour any domestic beasts that seem to shirk that role. Some even question God for creating beasts that they find useless, noxious, or repulsive. All creatures, the animals argue, have a place in God’s plan. All play their roles in Nature. But, beyond such merely defensive remarks, the animals turn the tables on their adversaries, goaded to a wide-ranging denunciation of human weaknesses. Their aim is to discredit the claim that man’s innate superiority makes humans the owners of Nature and gives them a perfect right to treat all creatures as they please. Much of the fable is taken up with the animals’ ripostes to such arrogance. In the end, most but not all of the claims the humans make are found groundless.

The zoological and ethological information that the Ikhwan table, whether scientific in the Galenic and Aristotelian mode or fanciful in the manner of midrashic tales and ancient bestiaries, is never dry or merely technical. By allowing the animals to speak, the Ikhwan clearly hope to sweeten the didactic pill. But by letting them speak critically, they add a bit of salt as well. The method that serves their moral aim is Aesopian. But the fable embedded in the essay form rapidly bursts the bounds of the familiar Aesopian tale. It is longer, broader in scope, and more varied in focus. Without the great battle scenes or stagey clinches of the epic, the fable’s narrative is far more arresting to the interests of a grown-up than any simple allegory or morality play; and the narrative ends with no single pithy punchline but by integrating its insights into a single thesis, promised at the outset: ‘Man at his best, we shall show, is a noble angel, the finest of creatures; but at his worst, an accursed devil, the bane of creation.’ To this the Ikhwan add: ‘We’ve put these themes into the mouths of animals, to make the case clearer and more compelling — more striking in the telling, wittier, livelier, more useful to the listener, and more poignant and thought-provoking in its moral.’

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=111173&l=en

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Video: Interview with Professor Lenn Goodman
Publication: The Case of the Animals versus Man Before the King of the Jinn: An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistle 22
Editors and Translators: Professor Lenn Goodman and Dr Richard McGregor


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Questions addressed in the interview:

1. What drew you to devote 7 years to translating The Case of the Animals vs Man and then to spend another 7 years collaborating with Richard McGregor on preparing a new translation, manuscript based critical edition, and expanded commentary on this ancient text?

2. I notice that you call this risala an essay. What is it that you mean by that? Isn't the work a piece of fiction?

3. Why do you call The Case of the Animals vs Man an Aesopian fable, and what do you mean by calling it an ecological fable?

4. How do you understand the role of the jinn (or genies) in this work? What makes it different from a fairy tale or a romance like the Thousand and One Nights or the Antar cycle?

5. Beyond the animals’ complaints of mistreatment by human beings, what other themes do you find in this work?

6. What do you mean in saying that the Ikhwan al-Safa voice cosmopolitan values in The Case of the Animals vs Man before the King of the Jinn?

7. What do you think is the contemporary relevance of a work of this kind in today's scientific, technological and multicultural age?

8. Who is the intended audience of this book?

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112045&l=en

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An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries: Volume I – On the Nature of the Divine

An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries: Volume I – On the Nature of the DivineThe IIS is pleased to announce the paperback edition of An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries: Volume I – On the Nature of the Divine. Edited by Feras Hamza, Sajjad Rizvi and Farhana Mayer, the Anthology analyses the works of Sunni, Shi‘i, Ibadi, Mu‘tazili and Sufi commentators on six Qur’anic verses, revealing varied approaches to the scripture and its meaning. Contextual introductions and annotated translations allow the reader to follow the genesis of key intellectual debates and religio-political attitudes still relevant to the lives of Muslims today.

On the Nature of the Divine is the first of the Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries Series, which aims to make the reception and interpretation of the Qur’an accessible to anyone interested in cultural and religious studies. The main research question underlying the Series is: how do historical, intellectual and social circumstances affect interpretation? The multiple volumes of the Anthology will, collectively, emphasise the historicity of tafsir, the fact that each commentator and commentary is a product of his own time. The volumes are designed as a standard reference work and textbook for university courses, but they also contribute towards a ‘mapping’ of how ideas, concepts, dogmas and fields of knowledge have evolved along a fluid history to the present time. The Anthology is a reflection of the plurality of meanings that the Qur’an itself allows for, and which have produced a vast and venerable tradition of diverse interpretations.

This multi-volume work hopes to add to our understanding of the evolutionary and context-dependent character of many Islamic religious and theological concepts, and to the Muslim Ummah’s conception of its own intellectual history. Such an approach calls for an examination of Muslim thought as an evolving phenomenon which responded, and continues to respond, to the circumstances of each period. This research supports the conception of Islam as a fluid intellectual civilisation with internal variety, in contrast to the view of Islam as a rigid, monolithic and unchanging community and set of norms.

In his review of An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries: Volume I – On the Nature of the Divine, Professor Andrew Rippin of University of Victoria stated that it is “a marvellous piece of work that brings the tafsir tradition alive... [A] true masterpiece of translation, editing and annotation.” Dr Scott Lucas, Associate Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Religious Studies Programme at University of Arizona refers to it as a “sumptuous book that is copiously annotated and immensely rewarding... [T]his anthology is as rich, if not richer, than any single tafsir work, and provides an unparalleled journey through the entire gamut of Qur’anic commentaries.” With regard to this series of publications, Dr. Walid Saleh, Associate Professor in the Department and Centre for the Study of Religion at University of Toronto noted that this is “a significant advance in the field of tafsir studies... [by] a first rate specialist team. It repositions tafsir as a central discipline in Islamic studies, an overdue development and a major achievement.”

Related Pages on the IIS Website
# IIS Publication Page: An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries - Volume I: On the Nature of the Divine
# Video: Author Interview with Dr Feras Hamza

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112125&l=en

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Shi'i Interpretations of Islam: Three Treatises on Theology and Eschatology [Hardcover]
S. J Badakhchani (Author), S. J. Badakhchani (Editor)
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Product Description

One of the most prominent Muslim scholars and scientists of the medieval era, the Persian polymath Nasir al-Din Tusi (1201-1274) joined the Shi‘a Nizari Ismaili community at a young age, as the armies of Genghis Khan poured across his homeland. In the course of a long and eminent career, first under the patronage of the Ismailis at the fortress of Alamut, and later with the conquering Mongols, he produced over 150 works on diverse subjects from theology and philosophy to mathematics and astronomy. His principal works on Ismaili doctrine, the Rawda-yi taslim (The Paradise of Submission) and the autobiographical Sayr wa suluk (Contemplation and Action), are already available in English translation by S. J. Badakhchani. In this volume, he offers new critical editions and translations of three shorter Ismaili works by Tusi, namely Aghaz wa anjam (The Beginning and the End), Tawalla wa tabarra (Solidarity and Dissociation), and Matlub al-mu’minin (Desideratum of the Faithful). In these three treatises, Tusi provides concise interpretations of key motifs in Ismaili doctrine, with special reference to the primordial nature of man, his earthly existence in relation to the imam, and his destiny in the hereafter.
About the Author

S. J. Badakhchani is a Research Associate at The Institute of Ismaili Studies. His publications include Contemplation and Action: The Spiritual Autobiography of a Muslim Scholar(1998) and Paradise of Submission: A Medieval Treatise on Ismaili Thought(2005), both published by I.B.Tauris.

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/184885594X/ref=snp_dp

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New publication of Nasir al-Din Tusi’s works

The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Shi‘i Interpretations of Islam: Three Treatises on Islamic Theology and Eschatology, by the prolific 13th century Persian scholar, Nasir al-Din Tusi (1201-1274 CE). In this volume, Dr Sayyad Jalal Badakhchani translates three shorter but significant works of Tusi on Nizari Ismaili doctrines, namely Solidarity and Dissociation (Tawala wa tabarra), Desideratum of the Faithful (Matlub al-mu’minin)and Origin and Destination (Aghaz wa anjam). In these treatises, Tusi provides concise philosophical interpretations of key motifs in Nizari Ismaili thought, with special reference to the existential condition of human beings, their primordial origin and nature, their earthly existence in relation to the Imam, and their destiny in the hereafter.

Previously, the IIS has published English translations of two principal works on Ismaili doctrines by Nasir al-Din Tusi, including Contemplation and Action: The Spiritual Autobiography of a Muslim Scholar (Sayr wa suluk) and Paradise of Submission: A Medieval Treatise on Ismaili Thought (Rawda-yi taslim)in 1998 and 2005, respectively. This latest publication, Shi‘i Interpretations of Islam is in the same style, bringing together the original texts in the Persian language and in English translations.

Dr. Badakhchani describes Nasir al-Din Tusi as “one of the most prolific and outstanding scholars of the 7th/13th century Muslim world. Being a man of science, with a special interest in mathematics, astronomy, Islamic philosophy and theology, he was able to render the Ismaili theological literature in a masterly manner.” Indeed, the religious thought of the Alamut period of Ismaili history has only survived in the works of Nasir al-Din Tusi.Dr. Badakhchani notes that Tusi’s employment of the Persian language ensured his appreciation by the Ismaili da‘wa of the time.

The third and longest of the treatises collected in this latest volume, Origin and Destination (Aghaz wa anjam),is notable for Tusi’s spiritual and hermeneutical exegesis of the Qur’anic doctrine of Qiyama (Resurrection), including his perspectives on the sounding of the Trumpet and the in-gathering for Resurrection, the reading of the Scroll of Deeds, Heaven and Hell, angels and Satan, the rivers of Paradise, the Tree of Bliss and its counterpart the Infernal Tree, etc. Tusi’s interpretations are quite distinctive from those of the Sunni and the Twelver Shi‘i authors of his time.

Dr. Badakchani believes that the picture of Tusi’s Ismaili writings will not be complete, “without translating Muhtashamid Ethics (Akhlagh-i Muhtashami), Attributes of the Noble (Awsaf al-ashraf) and Tusi’s commentary on Ibn Sina’s most famous philosophical work, The Remarks and Admonitions (al-Isharat wa al-tanbihat).” In addition to these, he sees The Nasirean Ethics (Akhlaq-i -Nasiri) and the treatise on Free Will and Predestination(Jabr wa ikhtiyar)as deserving re-translation.

Shi‘i Interpretations of Islam: Three Treatises on Islamic Theology and Eschatology will be of special interest to scholars and students of Ismaili studies, Shi‘a literature and the tradition of Islamic eschatology in general.

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112240&l=en

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Spiritual Quest: Reflections on Daily Prayers in the Traditions of Shi'i Islam (I.I.S. Occasional Papers) [Paperback]
R. Shah Kazemi (Author)

Editorial Reviews
Product Description

The Qur'an is the sacramental foundation of prayer in Islam. Its inspirational power is perpetually renewed through being recited and meditated upon by Muslims on a daily basis throughout their lives. This succinct and readable study offers unique contemporary insights into the spiritual, intellectual and moral interplay set in motion by the short Qur'anic chapters that are recited in their prayers by Muslims of all traditions, but which are particularly recommended within Shi'i Islam. Reza Shah-Kazemi engages closely and creatively with the Qur'anic chapters, basing his philosophical reflections on traditional exegetical principles, and focusing in particular on the relationship between the moral and the mystical aspects of the texts. The result is a stimulating meditation that probes the depths of meaning contained within the verses of a revelation by which the spiritual life of Muslims has for many centuries been nourished and fulfilled.
About the Author

Reza Shah-Kazemi is a Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, where he specializes in Sufism, Shi'ism and comparative mysticism. His books include Justice and Remembrance: Introducing the Spirituality of Imam Ali (I.B.Tauris, 2007), Doctrines of Shi'i Islam (I.B.Tauris, 2001), and Avicenna (1997). He has published numerous articles in academic journals.

http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Quest-R ... lmf_tit_11

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IIS Publishes The Spirituality of Shi`i Islam
May 2011

rightAs part of its on-going commitment to the field of Shi`i Studies, the IIS is pleased to announce the publication of The Spirituality of Shi`i Islam: Beliefs and Practices, a study that illuminates the centrality and creativity of the very nature of spirituality to the development of Shi`i Islam, as well as to classical Muslim civilisation as a whole.

Despite critical studies on Shi`i Islam having increased in scope in the last few decades, to this day most Shi`i beliefs and practices remain relatively unknown and poorly understood. One reason for this is that Western specialists in this field make up no more than thirty in number, in addition to a few rare Shi`i scholars who apply historico-critical methodology and publish only in languages of Muslim-majority countries. This depicts a limited scope when compared with the hundreds of scholars specialising in Sunni Islam who, for more than a century and a half, have been studying a wide range of disciplines in the relevant areas of Arabic and Islamic studies. As a result, one of the richest intellectual and spiritual traditions in Islam, made up of the lives and work of thousands of brilliant theologians, exegetes, philosophers, artists, scholars, jurists, mystics and men of letters has remained largely obscured.

Professor of Classical Islamic Theology and Qur'anic Studies at the Ecole Pratique des hautes Etudes, Sorbonne (Paris) and Senior Research Fellow at The Institute of Ismaili Studies (London), Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi is one of few scholars who has managed to bridge the gap between East and West, and is widely recognised as one of the most distinguished scholars of Shi`i history and theology currently at work. With The Spirituality of Shi`i Islam he has provided an introduction to the spiritual and veiled aspects of Shi`ism.

These aspects have contributed significantly to the dearth of scholarship on Shi`i Islam because it has historically defined itself in its core sources as an essentially mystical and spiritual doctrine that does not reveal itself easily. In a tradition that is traced back to many of the Shi`i imams, it is stated: `Our teaching is secret, it is a secret about a secret. It includes an exoteric (zahir), esoteric (batin) and esoteric of the esoteric (batin al-batin) dimension.' Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi has written a work that is pioneering in its import and an invaluable contribution to the field of Shi`i Studies, for academics, students and laypersons alike.

http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112487

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The Spirituality of Shi'i Islam: Belief and Practices (Ismaili Texts and Translations) [Hardcover]
Ali Amir-Moezzi (Author)

http://www.amazon.com/Spirituality-Shii ... 1845117387

Product Description

Shi'ism is the second most numerous branch of Islam in the modern world, with between 130 and 190 million adherents across the globe. Shi'i Islam is becoming an increasingly significant and resurgent force in contemporary politics, especially in the Middle East. This makes a good and informed treatment of its fundamental spiritual beliefs and practices both necessary and timely. Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi is one of the most distinguished scholars of Shi'i history and theology currently at work, and in this volume he offers precisely such a wide-ranging and engaging survey of the core texts of Shi'i Islam. Examining in turn the origins and later developments of Shi'i spirituality, the author reveals the profoundly esoteric nature of the beliefs which accrued to the figures of the Imams, and which became associated with the latters' interaction between material and spiritual worlds. These beliefs were often designated as being ghulat, or "extreme," by other Muslims, and as a result of such criticisms from within the tradition they have remained little known and much misunderstood. Furthermore, Western scholarship has tended to follow the lead of the earlier Islamic critics, viewing these concepts as deviant and marginal. The author shows, by contrast, how central an imaginative and creative spirituality was to the development of Shi'i Islam, as well as to classical Islamic civilization, as a whole. In this comprehensive treatment, the esoteric nature of Shi'i spirituality is an essential factor in understanding Shi'ism.
About the Author

Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi is a Director of Studies at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes at the Sorbonne, where he is Professor of Shi'i Muslim Exegesis and Theology, and joint Director of the Centre d'Etude des Religions du Livre/Laboratoire d'Etudes sur les Monotheismes (CNRS-EPHE).

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On Music: An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistle 5
Professor Owen Wright


Oxford University Press in Association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2011

ISBN (Hardback): 9780199593989

* Synopsis
* Contents
* Bibliography

Synopsis

Download Introduction (434 KB)


The Ikhwan al-Safa (Brethren of Purity), the anonymous adepts of a tenth-century esoteric fraternity based in Basra and Baghdad, hold an eminent position in the history of science and philosophy in Islam due to the wide reception and assimilation of their monumental encyclopaedia, the Rasail Ikhwan al-Safa (Epistles of the Brethren of Purity). This compendium contains fifty-two epistles offering synoptic accounts of the classical sciences and philosophies of the age; divided into four classificatory parts, it treats themes in mathematics, logic, natural philosophy, psychology, metaphysics, and theology, in addition to didactic fables. The Rasail constitutes a paradigmatic legacy in the canonization of philosophy and the sciences in mediaeval Islamic civilization, as well as having shown a permeating influence in Western culture.

The present volume is the third of this definitive series consisting of the very first critical edition of the Rasail Arabic, complete with the first fully annotated English translation. Prepared by Professor Owen Wright, Epistle 5: ‘On Music’ presents technical concepts such as rhythm, tone, and metre, alongside more subtle aspects such as the psychological applications drawn from the fourfold theory of humours and the correspondence of numeric proportions, which emphasize the Ikhwan’s view of music as ultimately spiritual in nature.


Content Date: February 2011

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112160&l=en

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IIS Publishes Nasir Khusraw’s Zad al-Musafirin in Tajik

The Central Asian Studies unit of the IIS, in collaboration with the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan (AST), has published a new Tajik edition of Nasir Khusraw’s Zad al-Musafirin: The Nourishment of the Wayfarers.

This is the second publication in Tajik after Nasir Khusraw’s Diwan of poetry which was published in 2009. The present volume incorporates a comprehensive glossary of archaic and philosophical terms which make the edition accessible to Tajik readership.

A celebrated philosopher, poet and traveller, Nasir Khusraw has captivated the hearts and minds of many generations of scholars, thinkers and philosophers for almost a thousand years. In addition to his Diwan of poetry, six doctrinal treatises in Persian prose have survived. He has been known in Tajikistan as a great Tajik and Persian poet and philosopher, but it is only in the post-Soviet period that his philosophical and doctrinal works have become accessible to the Tajik readership. Since the celebration in 2003 of the millennium anniversary of Nasir Khusraw’s birth, the intellectual legacy of the philosopher is increasingly gaining prominence and draws the interest of scholars in Tajikistan and elsewhere.

Zad al-Musafirin is among the earliest works of Nasir Khusraw, written after his return from Cairo and settlement in the Yumgan valley of Badakhshan. The treatise is considered his most significant work in terms of coverage of his philosophical and theoretical framework as well as his worldview. This work also touches upon many philosophical and historical issues while introducing and exploring various philosophical schools of his time.

The treatise comprises an introduction and 27 chapters. Describing the purpose of composing Zad al-Musafirin, Nasir Khusraw states in the introduction:
The wise traveller should explore where he came from and where he will go. And when he understands where he came from and where he would end up, he will know what is required for the journey. Therefore, a human being should acquire provision for the journey, because a traveller without food is prone to death, and the Almighty Allah has said: ‘Take a provision with you for the journey, but the best of the provisions is piety.’ (2:197)



Publication of the original works of Nasir Khusraw provides an important resource for the understanding and exploration of the philosophical issues which he grappled with in the 10th century. His works depict the formidable debate amongst philosophers and theologians on a range of themes, some of which retain their significance even today.

Zad al-Musafirin was edited by scholars from the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of AST, Dr. Amriyazdon Alimardonov, Dr. Saidanvar Shokhumorov, and Dr. Tojiniso Murodova. Regrettably, the first two of these scholars passed away before the publication of the volume, which is dedicated to their memory.

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112295&l=en

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A Modern History of the Ismailis: Continuity and Change in a Muslim Community (Ismaili Heritage Series) [Hardcover]
Farhad Daftary (Editor)

Product Description

The Ismailis have enjoyed a long, eventful and complex history dating back to the 8eigth century CE and originating in the Shi'i tradition of Islam. During the medieval period, Ismailis of different regions--especially in central Asia, south Asia, Iran and Syria--developed and elaborated their own distinctive literary and intellectual traditions, which have made an outstanding contribution to the culture of Islam as a whole. At the same time, the Ismailis in the Middle Ages split into two main groups who followed different spiritual leaders. The Nizari Ismailis came to have a line of imams now represented by the Agha Khans, while the Tayyibi Ismailis – known in South Asia as the Bohras – came to be led by da'is (vicegerents of the concealed imams).

This collection is the first scholarly attempt to survey the modern history of both Ismaili groupings since the middle of the 19th century. It covers a variety of topical issues and themes, such as the modernizing policies of the Aga Khans, and also includes original studies of regional developments in Ismaili communities worldwide. The contributors focus too on how the Ismailis as a religious community have responded to the twin challenges of modernity and emigration to the West.

A Modern History of the Ismailis will be welcomed as the most complete assessment yet published of the recent trajectory of this fascinating and influential Shi'i community.
About the Author

Farhad Daftary is Associate Director and Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London. An international authority on Ismaili studies, his many acclaimed books in the field include The Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines, The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Ismailis, and A Short History of the Ismailis.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/184511 ... YXDTK6KHS2

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http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112372&l=en

A Modern History of the Ismailis: Continuity and Change in a Muslim Community
Dr Farhad Daftary


I. B. Tauris Publishers in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London 2010.

ISBN (Hardback): Hardback

Synopsis
Contents
Bibliography

Synopsis
Publication page on Google Books

The second largest Shi‘i Muslim community after the Ithna‘ashari or Twelvers, the Ismailis have had a long and complex history dating back to the formative period of Islam. Subsequently, they became subdivided into a number of major branches and minor groups. However, since the beginning of the 12th century CE, the Ismailis have existed in terms of two main branches, the Nizaris and the Tayyibi Must‘alians, who have been respectively designated as Khojas and Bohras in South Asia. The Tayyibis themselves were in due course split into the dominant Da’udi and minority Sulaymani and ‘Alavi communities. Currently, the Ismailis of different communities are dispersed as religious minorities in more than 25 countries of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America.

Numbering several millions, the Ismailis represent a diversity of ethnicities and literary traditions, and speak a variety of languages and dialects. The majoritarian Nizari Ismaili community now recognises His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV as their 49th hereditary Imam or spiritual leader. The Da’udi, Sulaymani and ‘Alavi Tayyibi Ismailis are led by different lines of da‘is with supreme authority while all the Tayyibi Imams have remained in concealment and are inaccessible to their followers.

Until the middle of the 20th century, the Ismailis were by and large misrepresented with a variety of myths and legends circulating about their teachings and practices. This was due to the fact that they were almost exclusively studied and evaluated, in both Western and Muslim countries, on the basis of evidence collected or fabricated by their detractors. These perceptions of the Ismailis have been drastically revised, however, by the results of modern scholarship in Ismaili studies, based on an increasing number of manuscript sources produced in different phases of Ismaili history. The rich and varied Ismaili literature recovered and studied in modern times, especially since the 1940s, has particularly enhanced our knowledge of the mediaeval history and traditions of the Ismailis.

But the modern period in Ismaili history, covering approximately the last two centuries, has not received its deserved share of benefit from the recent progress in Ismaili studies. A major reason for this stems from the fact that adequate textual sources on the modern history of the Ismailis in various regions have not always been available, while it remains extremely difficult for non-Ismaili scholars who do not have the relevant language skills to tap into the rich oral traditions existing in the regions where the Ismailis have lived for centuries.

In sum, it seems that a suitable modern history of the Ismailis still awaits much preparatory work. Only then may we begin to have a better understanding of the evolution of the Ismaili communities of various regions together with their heritage and literary traditions. A Modern History of the Ismailis represents a first attempt in that direction.

This book contains chapters on the modern history of the Nizari Ismailis of several regions where these communities have traditionally lived. These chapters are mostly written by Ismaili scholars, both young and well established, who have the necessary language skills as well as familiarity with these communities’ oral and literary traditions. There is a chapter devoted to the issue of Nizari settlement in the West, an important phenomenon since the mid-twentieth century. A few chapters also deal with the reforms and institutional initiatives of the last two Nizari Imams, Aga Khan III and Aga Khan IV, and their achievements.

A separate section is devoted to the modern history of the Tayyibi Must‘alian Ismailis, now dominated by the Da’udi Bohras of South Asia. The authors of the Tayyibi chapters too are well placed as young scholars belonging to a prominent family within the leadership hierarchy of the Da’udi Bohra community and, as such, have had access to the sources of information required for approaching their subjects.

These collected studies should not be taken to represent the final word on their subject matters. Several chapters, in fact, may reflect work in progress, as the state of our knowledge on modern Ismaili history is still continuously undergoing revision and enhancement. One main aim here, as with all research and publications at the Institute, has been to facilitate scholarship and to contribute to further progress in the field of Ismaili studies.


Content Date: March 2011

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Mount of Knowledge, Sword of Eloquence: Collected Poems of an Ismaili Muslim Scholar in Fatimid Egypt (Ismaili Texts and Translations)

Product Description

A distinguished scholar, author and statesman, al-Mu'ayyad fi'l-Din al-Shirazi (1000-1078 CE) lived during one of the most turbulent periods in Islamic history. The 11th-century was characterized, among other things, by an acute struggle for supremacy between the Sunni and Shi'a braches of Islam, represented politically by the 'Abbasid and Fatimid caliphates. Al-Mu'ayyad was originally a Fatimid missionary; but his outstanding intellectual and literary skills eventually gained him important positions in the Fatimid administration. Eventually he attained the highest ranks in the religious hierarchy, and won widespead acclaim for his scholarship and sagacity. "The Diwan", the work here translated, is notable for its exceptional poetic quality and covers a wide range of facinating political and religious issues, from al-Mu'ayyad's intellectual disputations to devotions in praise of the Prophet Muhammad and his family. This first complete English translation seeks to recapture some of the poetic power and flavour of one of the undoubted masterpieces of medieval Arabic literature.

About the Author
Mohamed Adra is an independent scholar of Ismaili literature based in Salmiyya, Syria. A graduate of Damascus University, he is currently preparing an English translation of the first volume of al-Mu'ayyad's al-Majalis al-Mu'ayaddiya (The Counsels of al-Mu'ayyad).

http://www.amazon.com/Mount-Knowledge-S ... 33&sr=1-17

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Fortresses of the Intellect - Ismaili and other Islamic Studies in Honour of Farhad Daftary
Dr Omar Ali-de-Unzaga

Video: Interview with Dr Omar Ali-de-Unzaga
Publication: Fortresses of the Intellect: Ismaili and other Islamic Studies in Honour of Farhad Daftary
Editor: Dr Omar Ali-de-Unzaga

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=113097&l=en

******

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112912&l=en


I. B. Tauris Publishers in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London 2011.

ISBN (Hardback): 978 1 84885 626 4
ISBN (Softback):

* Synopsis
* Contents
* Bibliography

Synopsis

Publication page on Google Books

Dedicated to the achievements of Dr Farhad Daftary, a leading authority on Ismaili Studies and eminent scholar of Islamic history, this volume brings together a number of studies on Islamic intellectual and political history, particularly in the three areas where his scholarship has had the greatest impact – Ismaili Studies, Persian Studies and the wider context of Shi‘i Studies.

The volume covers issues in the fields of history, thought and language focusing, though not exclusively, on the intellectual contributions of the Ismailis and their role in broader Islamic history. It includes discussions on subjects ranging from early Ismaili texts, the scholars of the Fatimid and Alamut eras of Ismaili history, Persian contributions to Islamic culture and literature, the presence of the Central Asian Turks and the Franks in lands under Muslim dominion, and aspects of Shi‘i thought in the Safavid era.
Edited by Omar Ali-de-Unzaga

The contributors include:

I. Afshar, H. Algar, M. A. Amir-Moezzi, S. J. Badakhchani, C. Baffioni, C. E. Bosworth, D. Cortese, P. Crone, D. De Smet, R. Gleave, H. Haji, I. Hajnal, A. H. Hamdani, C. Hillenbrand, A. C. Hunsberger, H. Landolt, L. Lewisohn, W. Madelung, A. Nanji, A. J. Newman, I. K. Poonawala and P. E. Walker.

Fortresses of the Intellect: Ismaili and Other Islamic Studies in Honour of Farhad Daftary (Hardback)
(ISBN: 1848856261 )
Omar Ali-de-Unzaga

Description:

Brand New Book with Free Worldwide Delivery. Dedicated to the achievements of Farhad Daftary, the foremost authority in Ismaili Studies of our time, this volume gathers together a number of studies on intellectual and political history, particularly in the three main areas where the significance of Daftary's scholarship has had the largest impact-Ismaili Studies as well as Persian Studies and Shi'i Studies in a wider context. It focuses, but not exclusively, on the intellectual production of the Ismailis and their role in history, with discussions ranging from some of the earliest Ismaili texts, to thinkers from the Fatimid and the Alamut periods as well as relations of the Fatimids with other dynasties. Containing essays from some of the most respected scholars in Ismaili, Shi'i and Persian Studies (including Patricia Crone, M A Amir-Moezzi, C Edmund Bosworth and Robert Gleave), the book makes a significant contribution to wider scholarship in philosophical theology and medieval Islam. Bookseller Inventory # AA79781848856264
Editorial Reviews:
Synopsis:

Dedicated to the achievements of Farhad Daftary, the foremost authority in Ismaili Studies of our time, this volume gathers together a number of studies on intellectual and political history, particularly in the three main areas where the significance of Daftary's scholarship More...

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... %26sts%3Dt

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IIS Publishes Arabic Critical Edition of al-Maqrizi’s Itti‘az al-hunafa’
September 2011

The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Itti‘az al-hunafa’ bi-akhbar al-a’imma al-Fatimiyyin al-khulafa’ (Lessons for the Seekers of Truth on the History of the Fatimid Imams and Caliphs) by the great Mamluk-era historian Taqi al-Din al-Maqrizi (d.1442 CE).


The Itti‘az is perhaps the most important single primary source for the history of the Fatimids. Although the Fatimids had long ceased to exist by the time of al-Maqrizi, he nonetheless endeavoured to investigate this Shi‘i dynasty and its reign with care and sympathy, although he was himself a Sunni Muslim. He tried to avoid sectarian partisanship whilst seeking accuracy and fairness in historical documentation. The Itti‘az is also unique amongst al-Maqrizi’s writings in the sense that it was devoted exclusively to Fatimid historiography.

This classical source in historiography is presented in a four-volume Arabic critical edition that is primarily based on manuscripts from the collections housed at the IIS Library, and forms part of the Institute’s Ismaili Texts and Translations Series. This edition of the Itti‘az was edited by the distinguished Egyptian scholar, Professor Ayman Fu’ad Sayyid, who is one of the foremost authorities on Fatimid history in Egypt as well as on al-Maqrizi’s corpus. The volumes are also prefaced with a synoptic English introduction by Professor Paul E. Walker.

Al-Maqrizi’s Itti‘az presents comprehensive historical accounts from the earliest periods of Muslim history until the end of the Fatimid epoch. The first volume includes biographies of the early Ismaili Imams and traces their genealogy to the first Shi‘i Imam, ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (d. 661 CE), taking into account key periods in Ismaili history such as the dawr al-satr, or period of concealment, the initiation of the Ismaili da‘wa in Yemen and North Africa, the establishment of the Fatimid state in 909 CE, and the era of the Fatimid Imam-Caliphs al-Mu‘izz li-Din Allah and al-‘Aziz bi’llah (d.996 CE).

The second volume deals with the rule of the Fatimid Imam-Caliphs al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (d. 1021 CE), al-Zahir li-I‘zaz Din Allah (d. 1035 CE), and al-Mustansir bi’llah (d. 1094 CE). The dispute over Imam al-Mustansir’s succession, which revolved around the claims of the eldest son Abu Mansur Nizar, who had been designated as the successor, and his much younger half-brother Abu’l Qasim Ahmad al-Musta‘li bi’llah, caused a split in the Ismaili community. The third volume focuses on the eras of al-Musta‘li bi’llah (d.1101 CE) whose followers continued in Egypt as the Fatimids and then successive Musta‘lian imams in this line, al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah (d.1130 CE), al-Hafiz li-Din-Allah (d.1149 CE), al-Zafir bi-Amr Allah (d.1154 CE), al-Fa‘iz bi- Nasr Allah (d.1160 CE), and al-‘Adid li-Din Allah (d.1171 CE). Finally, the fourth volume presents detailed indexes covering names, terms, places and urban sites in Fatimid Cairo, including specific topographies and architectural settings, the particulars of governmental offices, ranks and titles of nobility, tribal affiliations, inventories of palatial possessions and even types of food and diets. Supported by an extensive bibliography, this volume also includes Qur’anic and poetic verses, names of manuscript authors and book titles.
This publication represents a major achievement in scholarship on the history of Egypt in its Fatimid period (969 –1171 CE), and is the outcome of an ongoing institutional collaboration between the Institut Français du Proche Orient (IFPO) in Damascus, Syria and the IIS. The Itti‘az also complements the joint IIS-IFPO publication of ‘Uyun al-akhbar, published in seven volumes. Both projects were coordinated by Dr Nader El-Bizri and Dr Sarab Atassi-Khattab.


Related Pages on the IIS website:

Publication Content: Towards a Shi‘i Mediterranean Empire: Fatimid Egypt and the Founding of Cairo
News Archive: IIS Publishes an Account of Imam –Caliph al-Mui ‘zz’s Reign
Gallery: ‘Uyun al-akhbar from the Sayyidi Muhammad ‘Ali Hamdani Collection

http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=112907

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IIS Publishes A Companion to Muslim Cultures
December 2011


The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of A Companion to Muslim Cultures, edited by Dr Amyn B. Sajoo. The third in the Muslim Heritage Series, this volume embarks on a journey that celebrates the many ways in which Muslims live and understand their faith.

At the heart of A Companion to Muslim Cultures is the idea that culture frames the relationship between God and the believer, as well as how believers relate to one another and to those amongst whom they live. The book takes the reader into the creative realms of architecture and book arts, music, technology and cosmopolitanism, the richly textured nature of the shari‘a and even culinary styles and etiquette. With numerous images, it locates these themes in their historical context as well as in today’s Muslim landscapes, including the Western diaspora. Pluralism emerges as a core reality of what Islam has fostered in civilisations and communities across time — even as the umma seeks avenues of solidarity in an age of global dispersal.

An accomplished group of writers have strived to make the chapters in this Companion accessible in style, yet firmly grounded in sound scholarship. The book will appeal to both academics and students with an interest in how culture and faith have intertwined in shaping one of the world’s great religious traditions and indeed their shared experience of modernity.

The contributors include Abdullahi An-Na’im, Jonathan Bloom, Elena Caprioni, Morgan Clarke, Carl Ernst, Karim H. Karim, Hussein Keshani, Eva Sajoo, Amyn B. Sajoo, Jonathan Shannon, Earle Waugh and Mai Yamani.

Related Pages on the IIS website:
News Story: IIS Launches A Companion to Muslim Ethics in Canada and the UK
Video: Interview with Dr Amyn Sajoo
Publication Content: A Companion to the Muslim World

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=113157&l=en

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IIS Launches Hamdani Collection Catalogue in London
February 2012

The IIS launched one of its new publications, Arabic, Persian and Gujarati Manuscripts: The Hamdani Collection, at the Ismaili Centre in London. The publication is a catalogue of rare and unique manuscripts generously donated by Professor Abbas Hamdani to the Library of the IIS.

These manuscripts were compiled by several generations of Indian religious scholars from the Hamdani family, and reflect important doctrinal and cultural changes through the centuries as well as the social history of the family from the Da’udi Bohra community in India and the Yemen.

The event began with Opening Remarks by Professor Eric Ormsby, Deputy Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications at the IIS, who facilitated the receipt of the Hamdani collection and its transfer to the IIS. He introduced Professor Abbas Hamdani, one of the main speakers at the launch event, along with the editor of the catalogue, Professor François de Blois.

Professor Hamdani provided an insightful account of his family’s collection of manuscripts through the centuries describing the challenge of accumulating this collection from various members of the family world-wide. In this regard, he also discussed a second collection of manuscripts that he was hoping to gather and also donate to the IIS. Professor Hamdani thanked Professor de Blois for his efforts in cataloguing the complex collection with care and attention.

Professor François de Blois then made an in-depth presentation on the seven generations of scholars in the Hamdani family who were instrumental in putting the collection together. He also detailed the contents of the collection and discussed several manuscripts in detail, explaining their provenance and symbolism and using images of the originals to illustrate his points.

Professor de Blois emphasised the significance of the Hamdani collection for both the preservation of Ismaili heritage and for the wider field of Shi‘i studies. The presentation was followed by questions from the audience, which included scholars in the field and members of the local Ismaili community. Professors de Blois and Hamdani also signed copies of the catalogue for members of the audience.

Arabic, Persian and Gujarati Manuscripts: The Hamdani Collection follows on from other catalogues of manuscripts in the Institute’s collection:

Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by Adam Gacek
Ismaili and Other Arabic Manuscripts by Delia Cortese
Arabic Ismaili Manuscripts: The Zahid ‘Ali Collection by Delia Cortese


Related Pages on the IIS Website:

News Archive, 2011: IIS Publishes a Catalogue of the Hamdani Collection
Gallery: The Sayyidi Muhammad ‘Ali Hamdani Collection
News Archive, 2007: IIS Receives the Hamdani Collection of Rare Manuscripts

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=113212

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Lifelong Learning Articles
Ethics in Action: The Role of Waqf in Early Muslim Society


Mr Hasan Al-Khoee

This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared in issues of The Ismaili magazine in December 2010 and March 2011.


Abstract
In this article the author references certain key hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, Qur’anic verses and examples from the Prophet’s sunna to highlight the importance in Islam of an ethical standpoint in all walks of life including giving charity, helping the poor and needy, and aiding those who are unable to care for themselves. The article also explores the importance, particularly in Shi‘i Islam, of the waqf, a legal document that sets aside certain property or resources for the purpose of a perpetual endowment, to be used for the betterment of the community.

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=113197

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The Vernacular Qur’an: Translation and the Rise of Persian Exegesis

Oxford University Press in Association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London 2012.

ISBN (Hardback): 978-0-19-726512-3

•Synopsis
•Contents
•Index


Synopsis


This book examines how early juridical and theological debates on translatability and the nature of revelation and language informed the development of Persian translations and commentaries of the Qur’an. While it is generally believed that Muslims were averse to translating the Qur’an, the historical record proves to be much more nuanced. Through a study of a range of sources, spanning from the eighth to thirteenth centuries CE, this book re-evaluates the role of translation in spheres of ritual praxis, religious conversion and Qur’anic hermeneutics.

The Vernacular Qur’an explores the history behind the juridical resistance to translating the Qur’an, the theological debates concerning the nature of the divine speech and the rise of Persian exegetical translations. These early translations retained the original Arabic text of the Qur’an through the interlinear and marginal presentation of the vernacular, thereby preserving the sacred script while expanding the text, making it accessible to a wider audience.

Travis Zadeh gives a thorough overview of the development of Persian exegetical writing, from rhyming translations to major commentaries. He begins with the emergence of New Persian literature in the tenth century CE and traces its development over the ensuing centuries as the use of Persian came to rival Arabic in courts and in institutions of religious education.

Through a series of detailed case studies, this book explores the relationship between Qur’anic hermeneutics and vernacular cultures, the religious elite, institutions of education and dynastic authority. It presents for the first time to an English readership a broad array of archival material, drawn from the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, covering several centuries of Islamic history.


Contents

http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=113247