Historical Dictionary of the Ismailis WEB

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HISTORICAL DICTIONARIES OF PEOPLES AND CULTURES

Jon Woronoff, Series Editor

Inuit, by Pamela R. Stern, 2004. Druzes, by Samy Swayd, 2006. Southeast Asian Massif, by Jean Michaud, 2006. Berbers (Imazighen), by Hsain Ilahiane, 2006. Tamils, by Vijaya Ramaswamy, 2007. Gypsies, 2nd ed., by Donald Kenrick, 2007. Kurds, 2nd ed., by Michael M. Gunter, 2011. Jews, by Alan Unterman, 2011. Catalans, by Helena Buffery and Elisenda Marcer, 2011. Australian Aboriginals, by Mitchell Rolls and Murray Johnson, 2011. Ismailis, by Farhad Daftary, 2012.

Historical Dictionary of the Ismailis

Farhad Daftary

The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham ? Toronto ? Plymouth, UK

2012

Published by Scarecrow Press, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom

Copyright ? 2012 by Farhad Daftary Reprinted 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Daftary, Farhad.

Historical dictionary of the Ismailis / Farhad Daftary. p. cm. -- (Historical dictionaries of peoples and cultures)

Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-8108-6164-0 (cloth : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-8108-7970-6 (ebook) 1. Ismailites--History--Dictionaries. I. Title. BP195.I8D323 2012 297.82203--dc23

2011033226

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences--Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

Editor's Foreword

The Ismailis are the second largest branch of Shi`a Islam, which itself is smaller than the total communities of Sunni Islam. This makes the Ismailis a minority within a minority. But they have always been a significant component of what is gradually becoming the largest world religion and, for this reason alone, it is worthwhile learning more about them. This is particularly so since they have not always been a small community; among other things, they established the Fatimid empire during the 10th through 12th centuries while the Aga Khans are known worldwide. Moreover, size has hardly constrained the influence of Ismaili Islam, and its contribution to Islam has always been substantial and it is probably the most internationalist branch of the religion. Still, being a minority and on the defensive has not helped outsiders to know its major beliefs, institutions, and leaders. Worse, over the centuries, its enemies have repeatedly heaped abuse on them while its adherents found that secrecy was the wisest, or at least safest, policy. Thus, a clear and enlightened study is particularly necessary.

This is provided, in its own way, by Historical Dictionary of the Ismailis. And it has its work cut out for it. First of all, the chronology has to cover one and a half millennia of history, this being particularly rich in details and many of these only recently elucidated. Next, the introduction has to provide a broad overview, this being partially historical and partially conceptual, again a very difficult task. But the bulk of the material takes the form of concise but comprehensive entries in the dictionary section. These include topics like all the major branches of the Ismailis, as well as the numerous subgroupings of one sort or another, some based on history, others on theology, and yet others on location. Then, there are the countless battles and conflicts, external and internal. While those on significant persons are most numerous, in some ways those on institutions, traditions, and concepts are even more important. Indeed, the latter not only merit but require a special glossary, which the reader should keep handy while consulting other works. And the easiest path to further reading is clearly the extensive bibliography.

This book was written by Farhad Daftary who is far and away the best known and also the most accomplished authority on the topic. Dr. Daftary studied economics for many years in the United States before shifting his specialization to Ismaili studies, to which he has contributed more than any other scholar. This has also taken the form of teaching, especially at The Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, where he is now the codirector and head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications. But he is best known for countless articles and a dozen outstanding books, some written and others edited by him, including The Ism`ls: Their History and Doctrines, A Short History of the Ismailis, and A Modern History of the Ismailis. On top of this, he is a consulting editor of the Encyclopaedia Iranica and coeditor of the Encyclopaedia Islamica as well as the general editor of the Ismaili Heritage Series and the Ismaili Texts and Translations Series. The historical dictionary thus has a very solid foundation, the sort of thing that is needed in such a controversial area, but also benefits from Dr. Daftary's experience and ability in imparting his knowledge to others.

Jon Woronoff Series Editor

Preface

In recent times, few fields of Islamic studies have witnessed as drastic a change as Ismaili studies. This change, and indeed complete reevaluation, has resulted from the discovery and study of a large number of Ismaili texts, manuscript sources that have been preserved secretly in numerous private collections in Yaman (Yemen), Syria, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and India. These primary sources, written mainly in Arabic and Persian during various phases of Ismaili history, provided the foundation for modern scholarship in Ismaili studies, which was initiated in the 1940s. Over the last few decades many of these texts have been published and studied closely by relatively small groups of scholars. As a result, a completely new picture has emerged of Ismaili history, traditions, and the different dimensions of Ismaili thought, as well as the contributions of this minoritarian Shi`i Muslim community to Islamic thought and culture.

The present dictionary, the first of its kind, presents in summary form the findings of modern scholarship on the Ismailis and different facets of their heritage. It covers all the major phases of Ismaili history and thought, from its origins in the second/eighth century until our day, also covering the main regions of the world inhabited by the Ismailis. There are entries also on all the major and minor divisions and subgroupings of the Ismaili community. The main theological and doctrinal concepts are also covered here. Designed as a mini-encyclopedia, this dictionary might hopefully serve as a first point of reference for information on all the key Ismaili figures, concepts, institutions, and traditions, as well as regions in Ismaili history. Major Ismaili texts are also cited in the dictionary. In addition, numerous Muslim dynasties and figures with whom the Ismailis came into contact are included. Key non-Ismaili Muslims who wrote on the Ismailis, and some of their polemical writings, in addition to some orientalists who did pioneering work in the field, are also represented.

It remains for me to thank Jon Woronoff, this series editor, who kindly invited me to contribute this dictionary on the Ismailis to this illustrious series of publications. I also owe a special debt of gratitude to Nadia Holmes who meticulously prepared the typescript for publication.

F. D. May 2011

London

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