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

Contents......Page 8
List of Plates......Page 12
Foreword......Page 14
Preface and Acknowledgements......Page 16
Contributors......Page 18
List of Reprinted Works......Page 22
List of Abbreviations......Page 26
Ismaili History and Literary Traditions......Page 28
Part One: History and Memoir......Page 58
Introduction......Page 60
Ibn al-Haytham meets the dai  Abu Abd Allah......Page 62
The Proof of Excellence and Purity of Imam Ali......Page 64
Ibn al-Haytham Takes the Oath of Allegiance......Page 67
The Dais of the Kutama......Page 68
An Incident from al-Mahdi\'s Journey to North Africa......Page 71
al-Mahdi Greets his Troops......Page 73
al-Madhi\'s Coming from Sijilmasa and his Arrival in Ifriqiya......Page 76
Early Decrees of al-Mahdi......Page 79
Eulogy of al-Mahdi......Page 82
The Administrative System of al-Mahdi......Page 83
On the Nurturing of the Imams......Page 86
Under the Guidance of the Imam: al-Qadi al-Numan\'s Compositions......Page 89
Fleeing from Shiraz to Ahwaz......Page 94
A Description of the City of Old Cairo......Page 98
A Description of the Sultan\'s Banquet......Page 102
The Conduct of the Sultan......Page 103
Journey to Central Asia......Page 104
Part Two: Faith and Thought......Page 110
Introduction......Page 112
I: 1 God and Creation......Page 114
On the Meaning of Tawhid, Muwahhaid and Muwahhad......Page 116
On the Pure Identity of the Originator......Page 125
The Explanation of the World of Intellect and the World of Soul......Page 126
Ontology......Page 129
That Beauty or Adornment of Nature Is Spiritual......Page 138
The Case of the Animals Versus Man Before the King of the Jinn......Page 140
II: Prophethood and Imamate......Page 146
On the Fifth Creation (Prophethood)......Page 148
Reason and Revelation......Page 158
3 Ahmad b. Ibrahim al-Naysaburi......Page 162
Affirming the Imamate......Page 163
In Proof of the Imamate and of its Necessity......Page 169
The Doctrine of Talim......Page 176
Concerning Various Kinds of Submission......Page 180
On Prophethood and Imamate......Page 185
III: Initiation, Knowledge and Meaning......Page 194
Initiation of the Disciple by the Master......Page 196
Conversation between Salih and Abu Malik......Page 201
al-Tusi\'s Search for Knowledge......Page 207
On the Manner of the Transmission of Spiritual Inspiration......Page 213
In Proof of the Interpretation of the Revelation......Page 215
The Story of Job......Page 219
On the Meaning of the Profession of Faith......Page 222
On the Agreement of the Cross with the Profession of Faith......Page 224
On the Establishment of Knowledge......Page 226
On the Description of the Subtle Spiritual World......Page 227
On the Necessity of Obedience to the Imam of the Time......Page 230
On the Tawil of Inna lillahi wa-inna ilayhi rajiun (We Belong to Allah and unto Him We Return)......Page 234
IV: Faith and Ethics......Page 236
On Faith (iman)......Page 238
On the Distinction between iman (Faith) and islam (Submission)......Page 246
Qualifications for the Dawa......Page 249
Qualifications for a dai......Page 253
On the Refinement of Character......Page 261
Solidarity and Dissociation......Page 268
The Epistle......Page 274
Part Three: Poetry......Page 278
Introduction......Page 280
I: Arabic Poetry......Page 282
1 Ibn Hani al-Andalusi......Page 284
2 al-Muayyad fil-Din al-Shirazi......Page 287
II: Persian Poetry......Page 296
1 Nasir-i Khusraw......Page 298
2 Hasan-i Mahmud-i Katib......Page 309
3 Nizari Quhistani......Page 312
4 Persian Poets of the Post-Alamut Era......Page 317
5 The Poetry of Central Asia......Page 325
III: The Poetry of South Asia......Page 334
1 Pir Shams......Page 336
2 Pir Sadr al-Din......Page 338
3 Pir Hasan Kabir al-Din......Page 342
4 Nur Muhammad Shah......Page 345
Glossary......Page 349
Bibliography......Page 355
Index......Page 366