Intellectual interactions in the Islamic world : the Ismaili thread / edited by Orkhan Mir-Kasimov.

Published in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction / Orkhan Mir-Kasimov -- PART I: In the Eyes of Others: Mutual Reflections in Polemical and Doctrinal Literature. 1. Sunni Perceptions of the Ismailis: Medieval Perspectives / Farhad Daftary -- 2. Ismaili Polemics Against Opponents in the Early Fatimid Period / Paul E. Walker -- 3. On the Limited Representation of the Ismailis in al-Saduq's (d. 381/991) Kamal al-din / Roy Vilozny -- 4. 'The Places where the Wrestler is Thrown Down' (Masari' al-musari') and the Question of Tusi's Rejection of his Prior Nizari Identity / Toby Mayer -- PART II: Authority and Law. 5. Ismaili and Sunni Elaborations of the Sources of Law: The Kitab al-Majalis wa'l-musayarat by al-Qadi Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man and the Risala of al-Shafi'i: A Comparative Study -- Agostino Cilardo -- 6. Sacrifice, Circumcision and the Ruler in the Medieval Islamic West: The Ismaili-Fatimid Legacy / Maribel Fierro -- 7. Human Action, God's Will: Further Thoughts on the Divine Command (amr) in the Teachings of Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-'Arabi (560-638/1165-1240) / Michael Ebstein -- PART III: The Ikhwan al-Safa', Theosophical and philosophical trends. 8. Onto-cosmology and Hierohistory in the Manuscript Tradition of the Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa' / Carmela Baffioni-- 9. Extra-Ismaili Sources and a Shift of Paradigm in Nizari Ismailism / Daryoush Mohammad Poor-- 10. Nature according to Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani (d. after 411/1020-21) and Mulla Sadra (d. 1050/1640): Ismaili Influence on a Twelver Thinker or Dependence on Common Sources / Janis Esots -- PART IV: Mystical Trends. 11. Early Ismailis and Other Muslims: Polemics and Borrowing in Kitab al-Kashf / Mushegh Asatryan -- 12. The Intellectual Interactions of Yemeni Tayyibism with the Early Shi'i Tradition / Daniel De Smet -- 13. The Nizari Ismaili Theory of the Resurrection (Qiyama) and Post-Mongol Iranian Messianism / Orkhan Mir-Kasimov -- PART V: Ismaili-Sufi Relationships in Badakhshan. 14. Ismaili-Sufi and Ismaili-Twelver Relations in Badakhshan in the Post-Alamut Period: The Chiragh-nama / Nourmamadcho Nourmamadchoev -- 15. The Concept of Wilaya in Mubarak-i Wakhani's Chihil Dunya: A Traditional Ismaili-Sufi Perspective on the Origins of Divine Guidance / Abdulmamad Iloliev -- PART VI: The Interaction and Circulation of Knowledge across Religious and Geographical Boundaries. 16. Beyond Space and Time: The Itinerant Life of Books in the Fatimid Market Place / Delia Cortese -- 17. On the Cusp of 'Islamic' and 'Hindu' Worldviews The Ginan Literature and the Dialectics of Self and Other / Wafi A. Momin -- 18. Spring's Equinox: Nawruz in Ismaili Thought / Shafique N. Virani -- 19. Yemeni Ismailism in Jewish Philosophy, 6th/12th to 11th/17th Centuries: A General Historical Sketch / Mauro Zonta

How has the Ismaili branch of Shi'i Islam interacted with other Islamic communities throughout history? The groups and movements that make up Islamic civilisation are diverse and varied yet, while scholarship has analysed many branches of Islam in isolation, the exchanges and mutual influences between them has not been sufficiently recognised. This book traces the interactions between Ismaili intellectual thought and the philosophies of other Islamic groups to shed light on the complex and interwoven nature of Islamic civilisation.Based on a broad range of primary sources from the early medieval to the late nineteenth century, the book brings together different disciplines within Islamic Studies to cover polemical and doctrinal literature, law, mysticism, rituals and philosophy. The main Ismaili groups, such as the Fatimids, Nizaris and Tayyibis, are represented, as well as lesser known traditions such as that associated with the mountain region of Badakhshan in Central Asia. Religious syncretism, particularly in the Indian subcontinent and in Yemen, is considered alongside cultural interactions as reflected in the circulation of books in Fatimid markets, and various literary and mythical traditions, some still little explored.