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I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies.The is one of the earliest Ismaili texts to have reached the present day. Transmitted by the Tayybi Ismaili tradition, it is composed of six treatises, most of which, as this open access study and first English translation argues, go back to the early years of the Fatimid rule.The importance of this work is predicated upon the unique insight it offers on the early stages of the elaboration of Ismaili doctrine. A number of parallels with Twelver Shi''i, as well as ghulat and Nusayri sources, are highlighted throughout this study, which, by contrast, allow for the identification of specifically Ismaili themes and doctrines, before and after the rise to power of the Fatimids. The Kashf is thus an essential witness to the way early Ismailism, while drawing from a pool of themes common to several Shi''i trends, nevertheless formed its own distinctive identity.Since it was edited by Rudolf Strothmann for the first time in 1952, the Kashf has attracted the attention of several generations of scholars, but did not benefit from a full annotated translation and extensive study highlighting its structure and aims until now. The eBook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by The Institute of Ismaili Studies.
List of contents
1. Introduction Historical and intellectual context
Transmission: manuscripts, editions, and reception
The problematic authorship of the
Kitab al-Kashf: some remarks on the corpus attributed to Ja'far b. Mansur al-Yaman
The six treatises of the
Kitab al-Kashf and their contents
Between chaos and order: the art of compilation and structure in the
Kitab al-Kashf Notes on the translations and commentaries
2. Treatise I Translation
Commentary
The divine trust (
amana),
walaya and the covenant
The
da'wa, an esoteric family
God's 'order' (
amr) and its continuity
The continuity of antagonism: the enemies of the Imam
Al-musukhiyya: from literal to metaphoric metamorphosis
The
Mahdi and his return
Conclusion
3. Treatise IITranslation
Commentary
Divine transcendence
The throne, the footstool and the problem of anthropomorphism
The alphabetic cosmogony
Conclusion
4. Treatise IIITranslation
Commentary
Identifying the 'Sage' (
al-?akim) and dating Treatise III
The
da'wa: an organization and its enemies
The Orphan: evolution of a concept, from
ghuluww to Fatimid Ismailism
Salman, a Shi'i figure in support of the Fatimid reform
The 'Bearer of the Sword' and the
raj'aConclusion
5. Treatise IVTranslation
Commentary
Several hadith fragments
A hadith on language
Conclusion
6. Treatise VTranslation
Commentary
The Imam and his proof, the
'Ayn and the
Fa' The rejection of antinomianism
Organizing the
da'wa: instruction to the missionaries and refutation of the false
Mahdi Conclusion
7. Treatise VITranslation
Commentary
God's choice challenged by human caprice
'Ali and Aaron as books of God
Proofs and summoners
Conclusion
Bibliography
About the author
Fârès Gillon
