An Anthology of Ismaili Literature an anthology of ismaili literature A shiʿi vision of islAm 8 edited by hermann landolt, samira sheikh & kutub kassam I.B.Tauris Publishers london • new york in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies london Published in 2008 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd 6 Salem Rd, London w2 4bu 175 Fifth Avenue, New York ny 10010 www.ibtauris.com in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies 42–44 Grosvenor Gardens, London sw1w 0eb www.iis.ac.uk In the United States of America and in Canada distributed by St Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York ny 10010 Copyright © Islamic Publications Ltd, 2008 All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. isbn 978 1 84511 794 8 A full cip record for this book is available from the British Library A full cip record for this book is available from the Library of Congress Library of Congress catalog card: available Typeset in Minion Tra for The Institute of Ismaili Studies Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall The Institute of Ismaili Studies The Institute of Ismaili Studies was established in 1977 to promote scholarship and learning on Islam, in the historical as well as contemporary contexts, and a better understanding of its relationship with other societies and faiths. The Institute’s programmes encourage a perspective which is not confined to the theological and religious heritage of Islam, but seeks to explore the re- lationship of religious ideas to broader dimensions of society and culture. The programmes thus encourage an interdisciplinary approach to the materials of Islamic history and thought. Particular attention is also given to issues of modernity that arise as Muslims seek to relate their heritage to contemporary circumstances. Within the Islamic tradition, the Institute’s programmes promote research on those areas which have, to date, received relatively little attention from scholars. These include the intellectual and literary expressions of Shi‘ism in general, and Ismailism in particular. In the context of Islamic societies, the Institute’s programmes are informed by the full range and diversity of cultures in which Islam is practised today, from the Middle East, South and Central Asia, and Africa to the industrialized societies of the West, thus taking into consideration the variety of contexts which shape the ideals, beliefs and practices of the faith. These objectives are realized through concrete programmes and activities organ- ized and implemented by various departments of the Institute. The Institute also collaborates periodically, on a programme-specific basis, with other institutions of learning in the United Kingdom and abroad. The Institute’s academic and research publications fall into a number of inter- related categories: 1. Occasional papers or essays addressing broad themes of the relationship between religion and society, with special reference to Islam. 2. Monographs exploring specific aspects of Islamic faith and culture, or the contributions of individual Muslim thinkers or writers. 3. Editions or translations of significant primary or secondary texts. 4. Translations of poetic or literary texts which illustrate the rich heritage of v vi an anthology of ismaili literature spiritual, devotional and symbolic expressions in Muslim history. 5. Works on Ismaili history and thought, and the relationship of the Ismailis to other traditions, communities and schools of thought in Islam. 6. Proceedings of conferences and seminars sponsored by the Institute. 7. Bibliographical works and catalogues which document manuscripts, printed texts and other source materials. This book falls into category four listed above. In facilitating these and other publications, the Institute’s sole aim is to encour- age original research and analysis of relevant issues. While every effort is made to ensure that the publications are of a high academic standard, there is naturally bound to be a diversity of views, ideas and interpretations. As such, the opinions expressed in these publications must be understood as belonging to their authors alone. 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: Kitāb al-munāẓarāt 35 Ibn al-Haytham meets the dāʿī Abū ʿAbd Allāh 35 The Proof of the Excellence and Purity of Imam ʿAlī 37 Ibn al-Haytham Takes the Oath of Allegiance 40 The dāʿīs of the Kutāma 41 2. Jaʿfar b. ʿAlī: Sīrat al-ḥājib Jaʿfar 44 An Incident from al-Mahdī’s Journey to North Africa 44 al-Mahdī Greets his Troops 46 3. al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān: Iftitāḥ al-daʿwa 49 al-Mahdī’s Coming from Sijilmāsa and his Arrival in Ifrīqiya 49 Early Decrees of al-Mahdī 52 Eulogy of al-Mahdī 55 The Administrative System of al-Mahdī 56 4. Idrīs ʿImād al-Dīn: ʿUyūn al-akhbār 59 On the Nurturing of the Imams 59 Under the Guidance of the Imam: al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān’s Compositions 62 5. al-Muʾayyad fi’l-Dīn al-Shīrāzī: Sīrat al-Muʾayyad 67 Fleeing from Shīrāz to Ahwāz 67 6. Nāṣir-i Khusraw: Safar-nāma 71 A Description of the City of Old Cairo 71 A Description of the Sultan’s Banquet 75 The Conduct of the Sultan 76 7. Pīr Sabzālī: Madhya Eshiyā nī rasik vigato 77 Journey to Central Asia 77 PART TWO: FAITH AND THOUGHT Introduction Hermann Landolt 85 i. god and creation 1. Ḥamīd al-Dīn al-Kirmānī: al-Risāla al-durriyya 89 On the Meaning of tawḥīd, muwaḥḥid and muwaḥḥad 89 2. Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sijistānī: Kitāb al-yanābīʿ 98 On the Pure Identity of the Originator 98 The Explanation of the World of Intellect and the World of Soul 99 3. Nāṣir-i Khusraw: Gushāyish wa rahāyish 102 Ontology 102 4. Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sijistānī: Kashf al-maḥjūb 111 That the Beauty or Adornment of Nature is Spiritual 111 5. Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ: Rasāʾil Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ 113 The Case of the Animals versus Man before the King of the Jinn 113 ii. prophethood and imamate 1. Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sijistānī: Kashf al-maḥjūb 121 On the Fifth Creation (Prophethood) 121 2. al-Muʾayyad fi’l-Dīn al-Shīrāzī: al-Majālis al-Muʾayyadiyya 131 Reason and Revelation 131 3. Aḥmad b. Ibrāhīm al-Naysābūrī: Kitāb ithbāt al-imāma 135 Affirming the Imamate 135 4. Ḥamīd al-Dīn al-Kirmānī: al-Maṣābīḥ fī ithbāt al-imāma 142 In Proof of the Imamate and of its Necessity 142 5. Ḥasan-i Ṣabbāḥ: al-Fuṣūl al-arbaʿa 149 The Doctrine of taʿlīm 149 6. Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī: Rawḍa-yi taslīm 153 Concerning Various Kinds of Submission 153 On Prophethood and Imamate 158 iii. initiation, knowledge and meaning 1. Jaʿfar b. Manṣūr al-Yaman: Kitāb al-ʿālim wa’l-ghulām 169 Initiation of the Disciple by the Master 169 Conversation between Ṣāliḥ and Abū Mālik 174 2. Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī: Sayr wa sulūk 180 al-Ṭūsī’s Search for Knowledge 180 3. Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sijistānī: Kitāb al-yanābīʿ 186 On the Manner of the Transmission of Spiritual Inspiration 186 4. Ḥamīd al-Dīn al-Kirmānī: al-Maṣābīḥ fī ithbāt al-imāma 188 In Proof of the Interpretation of the Revelation 188 5. al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān: Asās al-taʾwīl 192 The Story of Job 192 6. Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sijistānī: Kitāb al-yanābīʿ 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. Nāṣir-i Khusraw: Wajh-i dīn 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 taʾwīl of Innā li’llāhi wa-innā ilayhi rājiʿūn (We Belong to Allah and unto Him we Return) 207 iv. faith and ethics 1. al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān: Daʿāʾim al-Islām 211 On Faith (īmān) 211 On the Distinction between īmān (Faith) and islām (Submission) 219 2. Aḥmad b. Ibrāhīm al-Naysābūrī: al-Risāla al-mūjaza 222 Qualifications for the daʿwa 222 Qualifications for a dāʿī 226 3. Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī: Rawḍa-yi taslīm 234 On the Refinement of Character 234 4. Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī: Tawallā wa tabarrā 241 Solidarity and Dissociation 241 5. Khayrkhwāh-i Harātī: Risāla 247 The Epistle 247 PART three: POETRY Introduction Kutub Kassam 253 i. arabic poetry 1. Ibn Hāniʾ al-Andalusī 257 2. al-Muʾayyad fi’l-Dīn al-Shīrāzī 260 ii. persian poetry 1. Nāṣir-i Khusraw 271 2. Ḥasan-i Maḥmūd-i Kātib 282 3. Nizārī Quhistānī 285 4. Persian Poets of the post-Alamūt Era 290 5. The Poetry of Central Asia 298 iii. the poetry of south asia 1. Pīr Shams 309 2. Pīr Ṣadr al-Dīn 311 3. Pīr Ḥasan Kabīr al-Dīn 315 4. Nūr Muḥammad Shāh 318 Glossary 322 Bibliography 328 Index 339 List of Plates The illustrations in this book are from the collections of the Library of The Insti- tute of Ismaili Studies (IIS), the Bodleian Library at University of Oxford and the British Library, London. Copyright of the illustrations is reserved by the respective libraries. 1. Page from a 19th-century manuscript of the Iftitāḥ al-daʿwa (Commencement of the Mission) of al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān (© IIS MS 1242, f.