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The Fatimids and Their Traditions of Learning
Abstract
The Fatimid period was the golden age of Ismaili thought and literature, when the Shi'ite Ismaili Imams ruled over the vast areas of the Muslim world as the Fatimid caliphs and the Ismailis made important contributions to Islamic civilization. In this book, Heinz Halm investigates the intellectual traditions that developed among the Ismailis from the rise of the Fatimid state in North Africa to the cultural brilliance of what the author calls 'one of the great eras in Egyptian history and in Islamic history in general.'
... these included cairo's Al-Azhar University, which, a thousand years later, is still operating and is a global centre of learning for sunni Islam. the dar al-Ilm (House of Knowledge) dealt with philosophy and the sciences, and was a model for similar institutions that were established in other Muslim lands (Halm, 1997). Fatimid Imam-caliphs delivered public sermons at mosques on major festivals (walker, 2009). ...
... However, private gatherings known as majalis al-hikma (sessions of wisdom) were held to provide Ismaili teachings to the Imam's religious adherents. the Imam personally authorized the materials read out at these gatherings (Halm, 1997). A document from the period provides the following directions to the instructor: read the majalis al-hikam, which were handed to you at the court, to the faithful (i.e. the Ismailis) [sic], male and female, and to the adepts, male and female, in the brilliant palaces of the caliphs and in the Friday mosque in al-Muiziyya al-Qahira (the Azhar Mosque of cairo) [sic]. ...
... Very rarely will the content of these publications address religious issues, which were previously to be found in a variety of Ismaili magazines until the early1990s (e.g., Hikmat in canada, Ilm in the UK, and Africa Ismaili in Kenya). on the other hand, numerous publicly distributed books funded since that time by the Institute of Ismaili studies, whose founder and chairman of the board is the Aga Khan, contain extensive discussions of batin matters from Ismaili history (e.g., Halm, 1997;Morris, 2001;ormsby 2012). ...
The complex juxtaposition of private practice and public visibility/invisibility of contemporary Ismaili Muslims has certain parallels with other religious communities, but it exhibits unique features. This community adheres to an esotericism that has shaped its hermeneutic and communication practices. In a seeming paradox, the group is also extensively engaged in the public sphere. However, its communal institutions are limiting the dissemination of texts pertaining to the religious addresses and biography of the group’s leader, Aga Khan IV. He is instead increasingly turning to architecture to communicate the community’s worldview by using design in a symbolic manner.La juxtaposition complexe entre les pratiques privées et la visibilité/invisibilité propres aux musulmans ismaéliens contemporains a certains parallèles avec d’autres communautés religieuses, mais elle comporte aussi des caractéristiques uniques. En effet, cette communauté privilégie un ésotérisme qui a formé ses pratiques herméneutiques et communicationnelles. D’autre part, dans un paradoxe apparent, ce groupe s’engage dans la sphère publique. Cependant, ses institutions communales sont en train de limiter la dissémination de textes relatifs aux discours religieux du chef du groupe, Aga Khan IV, ainsi qu’à sa biographie. De plus en plus, celui-ci se tourne plutôt vers l’architecture pour communiquer le point de vue de la communauté en utilisant le design de manière symbolique.
... The Fatimids conquered Egypt in 969 and built Cairo as the empire's new capital, which they made into a major center of culture and learning (Halm 1997). Even as control over Maghrebi domains weakened the Ismaili realm's frontiers expanded eastward, encompassing the holy cities of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. ...
Dinasti Fatimiyah adalah salah satu kekhalifahan Islam yang berdiri pada tahun 909 M dan berpusat di Mesir setelah mendirikan kota Kairo. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji sejarah Dinasti Fatimiyah, termasuk proses berdirinya, pencapaian dalam bidang politik, ekonomi, dan budaya, serta faktor-faktor yang menyebabkan kejatuhannya. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah studi literatur dengan menganalisis berbagai sumber primer dan sekunder terkait Dinasti Fatimiyah. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Dinasti Fatimiyah mencapai puncak kejayaannya pada masa pemerintahan al-Mu’izz li-Dinillah, terutama melalui pembangunan Masjid al-Azhar yang menjadi pusat keilmuan Islam hingga saat ini. Namun, konflik internal, tekanan eksternal, dan krisis ekonomi menjadi penyebab utama kejatuhan mereka pada tahun 1171 M. Warisan budaya dan intelektual Dinasti Fatimiyah, seperti toleransi agama dan pengembangan keilmuan, tetap relevan dalam perkembangan peradaban Islam modern. Kesimpulannya, Dinasti Fatimiyah memberikan kontribusi signifikan terhadap sejarah Islam dan menjadi studi penting untuk memahami dinamika kekuasaan dan keberagaman dalam Islam.
This review essay uses three books to explore some aspects of Ismailism. The books are THE FATIMIDS 2. THE RULE FROM EGYPT, by Shainool Jiwa. London/New York: I. B. Tauris / The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2023, pp. VIII + 240. ISBN: 9781780769486; COMMAND AND CREATION. A SHI‘I COSMOLOGICAL TREATISE. A Persian edition and English translation of Muḥammad al-Shahrastānī’s Majlis-i maktūb. Edited and Translated by Daryoush Mohammad Poor. London/New York: I. B. Tauris / The Institute of Ismaili Studies (Ismaili Texts and Translation Series, 25), 2021, pp. XVI + 138 + LXXXIV. ISBN: 9780755602971; and FAITH AND ETHICS: THE VISION OF THE ISMAILI IMAMAT, by M. Ali Lakhani. London/New York: I. B. Tauris / The Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2018, pp. 1 colour illustration + XXIV + 248. ISBN: 9781788312486.
The subject of this chapter comprises two independent and yet mutually intertwined complex debates: the 'ulamā' and education. The complexity of the subject derives from the fact that the two themes of this chapter are also connected with several other historical developments that influenced the historicity of both 'ulamā' and education. For this reason, it is vital to explore and analyze the historicity of the 'ulamā', their changing positions and shifting concerns and priorities as well as the evolving concept of education. In doing so, this chapter discusses the theme of this investigation in relation to (i) Islam, knowledge, and authority; (ii) territorial expansion and the rise of Muslim civilizations and quest for knowledge and education; (iii) the development of institutional and educational structures; (iv) the emergence of the 'ulamā' to the level of law-makers and their influence on education and rational sciences; and (v) nationalism and modern approaches to science and education. These themes are by no means exhaustive, but within the limited capacity of this chapter, they present fresh interpretations of the subject matter and open new debates for further research and discussion.
The discourse of religious authority and rituals in Islam, as well as in all other religions, is loaded with theological, political and ideological values. Over the course of history, different religious and cultural groups have developed different definitions, interpretations and understandings of these two concepts. Each group uses contemporary as well as historical collective (written and oral) memories, including the divine/sacred scripture, to justify and legitimise their definition and notion of authority and rituals. Generally, religious authority is associated with power, religious rituals, and community. Such a form of authority becomes meaningful when it exercises its power in a given community by way of religious rituals, consent, knowledge, and decision-making. In the context of this study, the notion of religious authority is strictly interwoven with the office of the Shia Nizari Ismaili (hereafter, Ismaili) Imamate, which is represented by a living and present imam of the time. The authority of the imam has a direct impact on the life of Ismaili communities around the world and on religious rituals they practice.
This chapter provides a synthetic overview of major architectural and urban developments of the Cordoban Umayyads and Fatimids, drawing attention to the means by which ceremonial practices and public texts served caliphal competition in the period between 909 and 1031. The Cordoban and Fatimid mosques display a closer relationship to the Mediterranean visual character of the Umayyad monuments, but in fact they synthesize elements of both the earlier Umayyad and the Abbasid models while introducing innovations that created a distinct visual character for each rival caliphate. The Cordoban Umayyads generally shared in the conception of rulership and its articulation in court culture as defined by their Umayyad predecessors as well as their Abbasid and Fatimid contemporaries. To the east, in Cairo the Fatimids continued the spirit of caliphal competition against the Abbasids after the disintegration of the Cordoban Umayyad caliphate.
According to Shiʿi tradition, the seminary (ḥawza) in Najaf, Iraq is 1,000 years old. The origins of the ḥawza are closely associated with the famous scholar Shaykh al-Ṭūsī (385/995‒459/1067). This paper addresses the question of whether or not there is sufficient historical evidence to support the tradition that the ḥawza of Najaf is indeed 1,000 years old. On the basis of Arabic sources, the article argues that although Shiʿi educational institutions in Najaf were incepted a millennium ago, Najaf was rarely the locus of Shiʿi education prior to the thirteenth/nineteenth century. Based on statistical and historical analysis of Shiʿi scholars in Najaf, this paper outlines a short history of scholarly activity in one of the oldest college towns in the world. In addition to developing a working definition of the term ḥawza, the paper situates the rise of Shiʿi educational systems in the broader context of the evolution of Islamic scholarly institutions, including colleges (madrasas).
This article discusses the major scholarly developments in the study of Ismaili Muslim history and thought. Scholarship on the Ismailis, the second largest branch of Shi‘i Islam, once relied on hostile depictions produced by their adversaries. With the recovery of more primary sources over the last several decades, Ismaili studies is now progressing at a rapid pace. The Ismaili movement originated from a schism in the Imami Shi‘i community over the succession to Ja‘far al-Sadiq, the fifth Shi‘i Imam. The Ismailis upheld the succession rights of al-Sadiq's son and designated heir, Isma‘il, and his lineal descendants. The earliest Ismailis directed a revolutionary da‘wah in the ninth century and established the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171). Ismaili doctrine during these periods evolved from a gnostic cosmology into a Neoplatonic metaphysics. It also featured cyclical conceptions of Prophethood and Imamat and stressed the distinction between the exoteric (zahir) and esoteric (batin) dimensions of Islam. Major scholarly debates and thematic areas in the study of the pre-Fatimid and Fatimid periods of Ismaili history pertain to the doctrinal character of early Imami Shi‘ism, Ismaili historiography, the origins of the earliest Ismailis, the emergence of the Ismaili da‘wah, the earliest Ismaili conceptions of Imamat, the different facets of Fatimid rule, the genealogy of the Fatimid Imam-Caliphs, and the philosophical dimensions of Fatimid Ismaili thought.
Al-Ghazali (1058-1111 CE) is arguably one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Islam and his writings have received greater scholarly attention in the West than those of any other Muslim scholar. This study explores and important dimension of his thought that has not yet been fully examined, namely, his polemical engagement with the Ismailis of the Fatimid and early Alamut periods. Al-Ghazali's debate with the Ismailis constitutes an important chapter in the history of Muslim thought and this book also explores the wider intellectual and political significance of this encounter, and especially the light it sheds on the central tensions and questions of the age in which al-Ghazali lived.
This chapter examines the role of women within the Canadian Ismaili Muslim community. Among the mosaic of cultural backgrounds that characterize Islam, are the voices of women within the Ismaili Tariqah from the South Asian, Central Asian and Middle Eastern Traditions. Highlighting historical accounts of prominent Ismaili women, particularly from the Fatimid era and through the guidance of Fatimid Imam-Caliphs, enables us to understand how women within this milieu envisioned their own role. In turn, this sheds light on the nature of the role of Ismaili women today. The ethical framework of the Imamate Institutions, inspired by the Qur’an itself, places importance on meritocracy regardless of gender and cultural background, thereby enabling women to envision their role from a nuanced perspective. This allows the Ismaili woman to see her role not so much as rooted to a past as much as a lived and dynamic experience within a particular context, bringing fluidity to faith, practice and communal engagement.
Drawing on a number of primary and secondary sources, the paper identifies major perspectives and debates on themes, issues, challenges, developments important in the field of Islamic education. Against the backdrop of the rise of religious discourse and politics in the public sphere, this paper (i) discusses the sources and evolution of the concept of education as a discipline in the Muslim world; (ii) situates Islamic education within the wider Islamization project and examines the need to re-conceptualize the concept within the epistemological and ethical perspectives while balancing it with a re-examination of self and the appreciation of the ‘other’; (iii) explores the educational implications of the Muslims vs. the West divide, (iv) highlights the proliferation of Islamic schools and the concomitant innovative ideas globally; and (vi) suggests insights into improving Islamic education in the twenty-first century. The paper highlights the continuity and change in these themes across time and space. The paper finally concludes that Islamic education has reached a cross-road. To succeed in the new millennium will require ingenuity and collaboration, learning not only from the past, but also from the present and looking into the future.
This thesis sets out to examine the significance of al-Ghazali's text entitled Fada' ih al-Batiniyya wa fada' il al-Mustazhiriyya, by placing it against the environment--political and social--in which it was written, and by focussing on the varying styles of argumentation contained in it. This examination shows that, in addition to being a polemical tract against the Ismailis of his time, al-Ghazali also wrote this work in order to confront the intellectual challenges posed by the so-called Ismaili doctrine of talim. Challenges which impinged on the status of the Sunni Caliph per se and, by extension, on the Caliph's relationship with the Saljuq Sultan. More importantly, for al-Ghazali these intellectual challenges also impinged on the authority of Sunni fiqh and kalam, and hence carried implications for the role and status of the ulama'. In responding to these challenges, al-Ghazali draws upon styles of argumentation shaped by the textual traditions of: adab al-firaq, kalam, fiqh, siyasa shariyya and nasihat al-muluk. The intellectual diversity of the ideas and arguments in this text is emblematic of the complex set of concerns with which al-Ghazali was engaged, embracing the broad themes of orthodoxy, reason and authority in medieval Islamic thought and society. Above all, in writing this text al-Ghazali brought to bear a degree of sophistication and originality which has hitherto been inadequately studied by other researchers.
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