An Apocalyptic History of the Early Fatimid Empire

186 Pages·2016·4.14 MB·English

by  Jamel A. Velji

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An Apocalyptic History of the
Early Fatimid Empire
Not for distribution or resale. For personal use only.
EDINBURGH STUDIES IN ISLAMIC APOCALYPTICISM AND
ESCHATOLOGY
This series features studies devoted to end-t ime expectations in
Islam and the intellectual, social and political contexts in which they
occur and become virulent, from the beginning of Islam until the
twenty-firstcentury.Concerningtheapocalypticaspect,theseries
is dedicated to investigating apocalypticism in Muslim thought
and history: notions of the catalytic events ushering in the end of
history, mahdism and other forms of (political and non-p olitical)
millenarianism.Eschatologically,studiesinthisserieswillexamine
traditions of imagining and reasoning about the hereafter: judgment,
salvation,andrewardandpunishmentinparadiseandhell.
Series Editors
ProfessorDavidCook(RiceUniversity)andProfessorChristian
Lange(UtrechtUniversity)
Editorial Advisory Board
Professor Abbas Amanat, Professor Fred Donner, Professor Jean-
Pierre Filiu, Professor Yohanan Friedman, Professor Mercedes
García- Arenal, Professor Mohammed Khalil, Professor Daniel De
SmetandProfessorRobertoTottoli
Titles in the series
Eschatology in Classical Islamic Mysticism From the 9th to the 12th
Centuries
The World of Image in Islamic Philosophy: Ibn Sina, Suhrawardi,
MichaelEbstein
Shahrazuri and Beyond
An Apocalyptic History of the Early Fatimid Empire
L.W.C.vanLit
JamelA.Velji
edinburghuniversitypress.com/series/ESIAE
Not for distribution or resale. For personal use only.
An Apocalyptic History of the
Early Fatimid Empire
Jamel A. Velji
Not for distribution or resale. For personal use only.
EdinburghUniversityPressisoneoftheleadinguniversitypressesintheUK.
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Contents
Acknowledgements vii
IntroducinẓāghIsirmaibliāAṭipnocalypses 1
1 From to : An Introduction to Fatimid
Hermeneutics 14
2 OTaaʾtwhsīl,TaxesandTithes:OrganisinganThIme Bmoionke noft UUntovpeiilaing 22
3 Taʾwīl of an Apocalyptic Transcript I: The Book of 42
Righteousness and True Guidance
4  of an Apocalyptic Transcript II:
61
5 ToTemperanImminentEschatology:TheContributions
ofal-MahdīandQāḍīl-Nuʿmān 75
Taʾwīl al-d aʿāʾim
6 ASpiritualProgressiontoaNewEschatologicalCentre:
The on the Hajj 97
7 ActualisingtheEnd:TheNizariDeclarationofthe
Resurrection Haft- bāb 109
8 FromMovementtoText:The 123
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vi | an apocalyptic history of the early fatimid empire
Conclusion 142
Bibliography 150
IndexofNames 162
SubjectIndex 165
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Acknowledgements
t is a great delight to acknowledge the generosity of those who
helpedthisprojectcometofruition.
Michael Sells, David Dawson and Anne McGuire initially cultivated
Imy interest in the study of religion as an undergraduate at Haverford,
and it was under the careful and inspiring guidance of Michael Sells
qiyāma
that I wrote my undergraduate thesis on the Nizari declaration of
the .AtMcGill’sInstituteofIslamicStudiesIhadthepleasure
of working with Eric Ormsby and A. Üner Turgay on matters apoca-
lyptic and Islamic. At the University of California at Santa Barbara I
benefitted from the outstanding guidance of Richard Hecht, a model
mentorwhogavemethetoolstocallmyselfareligionist.AsItrainmy
own students I continue to draw on his wisdom and that of my other
UCSBcommitteemembers:StephenHumphreys,RachaEl-Omari,and
ChristineThomas.AhmadAhmad,RudyBusto,MarkJuergensmeyer,
StefaniaTutino,andThomasCarlsonwerealwaysgenerouswiththeir
adviceandtheirtime,aswasSallyLombrozo,whosomehowensured
thatallofuswererightontrack.
I had the great fortune of spending a very fruitful year at the
UniversityofTorontoworkingwithToddLawson.ProfessorLawson
Kitāb al-k ashf
encouragedmyinterestinShiaapocalypticism,suggestingthatItake
acloserlookatthe .Myworkwithhimoverthecourseof
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vii
viii | an apocalyptic history of the early fatimid empire
thatyearwasformativeformythinkingandIamgratefulthathewas
abletoserveasanexternalmemberofmydissertationcommittee.
At the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, I had the pleasure of
discussing an iteration of my project with the many scholars there:
-
ProfessorsFarhadDaftary,DeliaCortese,NaderEl-Bizri,AzizEsmail,
Azim Nanji, Rashida and Faquir Hunzai, Omar Alí de-Unzaga and
Professor Eric Ormsby. Professor Michael Brett from SOAS was also
incrediblygenerouswithhiskeeninsights.Atawonderfulconference
on Islamic eschatology in Germany, Professor Hermann Landolt pro-
videdexceptionalorganisationaladvice.ProfessorsFredDonnerand
CarelBertrampatientlylistenedtoadescriptionoftheprojectandalso
offered their valuable suggestions. Professors Jonathan Bloom and
SheilaBlairhelpedmetosharpenthefocusofthisproject.Professor
AliAsanikindlyinvitedmetopresentmyworkinprogresstohisclass
on Ismaili history and thought at Harvard University. The Goldberg
family,RebeccaMackenzie,andBenjaminMartinezwereinstrumen-
tal with this book’s cover design. Professor Ismail Poonawala kindly
readthroughtheentiremanuscriptandofferedexcellentfeedback.
AlongwithRachaEl-Omari,AndrewLaneandHimmetTaskomur
deservespecialthanksfortheirArabiclanguagetraining,whichwas
crucial in helping me to decipher the complexities of Ismaili texts.
Alnoor Dhanani meticulously reviewed the translations in this book.
Itwasagreatpleasuretoworkwithhimonthisproject.
DuringmyreturntoHaverfordCollegeasafacultymember,Iben-
efittedtremendouslyfromtheadviceofmydepartmentalcolleagues:
David Dawson, Tracey Hucks, Terrence Johnson, Anne McGuire,
Ken and Naomi Koltun-Fromm, and Travis Zadeh. James Gulick pro-
videdveryhelpfulsupportforresearchandteaching,andRobHaley
located many difficult to obtain sources. Members of the Provost’s
Office helped to facilitate researchand teaching at the College, espe-
cially Arpi Harnett, Julie Sheehan, Susan Penn, Lisa Griffin, Wendy
Sternberg,RobFairman,JudyYoung,andFranBlase.
OneofthebenefitsofworkingintheTri-Collegeconsortiumisthe
opportunity for intellectual exchange across campuses. The depart-
mentofReligionatSwarthmoreCollegehasbecomeafamiliarplace,
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