A Short History of the Ismailis Traditions of a Muslim Community

Farhad Daftary

EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY PRESS Contents

Preface vii Note on Transliteration, Dates and Abbreviations viii

r Ismaili History and Historiography: Phases, Sources and Studies 1 Phases in Ismaili History I Evolution of Ismaili Historiography 4 Anti-Ismaili Writings of Other 9 The Assassin Legends of Medieval Westerners 13 Orientalist Perspectives 14 Modern Progress in Ismaili Studies 16 Notes 18

2 Origins and Early History: ShI'is, Ismailis and Qarma~Is 21 Diversity in Early 21 Origins of ShI'ism 23 Early History of Shi'ism: The Kaysaniyya and the Imamiyya 25 Ja'far al-$adiq's lmamate, Abu'l-Khanab and Isma'Il 29., The Earliest Ismailis 34ยท The Da'wa of the 3rd/9th Century 36 The Schism of 286/899 and its Consequences 45 Early lsmaili Doctrines 50 Notes 58

3 The Fatimid Age: Dawla and Da'wa 63 Overview 63 Foundation and Consolidation of the 68 Fatimid Achievements under al-Mu'izz 75 Philosophical Ismailism of the Iranian Dtns 8 r Fatimid Ismaili Da'wa and Dii'is: Cairo and the "Islands" 89 The NizarI-Musta'li Schism of 487 /1094 106 Later Fatimids and Early Musta'li Ismailism 108 Notes 114

4 The Period in Nizi.iri Ismaili History 120 Overview 120 }:Iasan Sabbah and the Revolt of the Persian Ismailis 122

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The Doctrine of Ta'lim and Consolidation of the NizarT State 131 The Nizan-Saljuq Stalemate 135 Proclamation of Qiyama or Resurrection 138 Rapprochement with and al-Tusi's Interpretations 145 The Final Decades 150 Notes 153

5 Later Developments: Continuity and Modernisation 159 Post-Alaml1t Patterns and Research Problems 159 Early Post-Alamut Centuries and Nizari Relations with 161 The Anjudan Revival in Nizari history 170 The and Satpanth Ismailism 177 The Bohras and TayyibI Ismailism 185 Modern Developments in the Nizari Community 193 Notes 209

Glossary 217 Select Bibliography 221 Index 231

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