Early Philosophical Shiism

Abstract

The Ismailis, among whom are the followers of the Aga Khan, rose to prominence during the fourth Islamic/tenth Christian century. They developed a remarkably successful intellectual programme to sustain and support their political activities, promoting demands of Islamic doctrine together with the then newly imported sciences from abroad. The high watermark of this intellectual movement is best illustrated in the writings of the Ismaili theoretician Abu Ya´qub al-Sijistani. Using both published and manuscript writings of al-Sijistani that have hitherto been largely hidden, forgotten or ignored, Dr Paul Walker reveals the scholar's major contribution to the development of philosophical Shiism. He analyses his role in the Ismaili mission (da'wa) of that time and critically assesses the major themes in his combination of philosophy and religious doctrine.

Evolving Creation: An Ismaili Muslim Interpretation of Evolution

“…The Ismailis applied this dual negation to every divine predication including existence: God is neither existent nor nonexistent and He transcends both being and nonbeing. Ismaili theology affirms God's transcendence and oneness by way of apophasis: “We establish the absolute transcendence ( tanzīh ) of our Originator through the use of these phrases in which a negative and a negative of a negative apply to the thing denied” (al‐Sijistānī quoted in Walker 1993, 78).…”

“…The Intellect is eternal in its essence and in its activity. Like the sun radiating light, Intellect continuously emanates intelligible forms and eternal truths upon all creatures (Walker 1993, 87–94; Walker 1994, 47–61). Given its exalted status, al‐Sijistānī describes the Intellect as the “Lord of Lords” ( rabb al‐arbāb ) and “the wellspring of all corporeal and spiritual light” who undertakes the governance ( tadbīr ) of the spiritual and corporeal worlds (al‐Sijistani 2016, 3).…”

“…The purpose of that activity which it develops is the search for perfection and this is attained in the eminent persons who appear in this world…The object of its producing this world was to produce souls in order that in them the Soul would become perfect.” (Khusraw 1949, 49) 2 . Thus, the corporeal world is a locus of manifestation of the Universal Intellect produced and continuously governed by the Universal Soul through the mediation of Nature; the corporeal world with its ordered behavior is “intellectual benefits corporealized” ( al‐fawā’id al‐ʿaqliyya al‐mujassama ) or “embodied intellect” ( ʿaql mujassam ) (Walker 1993, 92). Every level of being in the cosmic hierarchy functions as a limited reflection of the level superior to it: the corporeal world and human souls reflect the Universal Soul; the Universal Soul reflects the Universal Intellect; and the Universal Intellect is the receptable of God's creative command.…”

La metafísica política del Kitāb al-Yanābīʿ de Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sijistānī: del monismo ontológico al monismo político

“…128 Por ende, en el KY hay más que una imbricación accidental de lo metafísico y lo político: 129 la daʿwah es un instrumento eclesiástico que dispensa un sacramento intelectual. 130 La mediación de la daʿwah persiste hasta el 'tiempo determinado' (al-waqt almuqaddar) en el que el Qāʾim alcance la 'posición' (manzilah) que Dios 'preparó' (aʿadda) para él. Cuando 'arribe' (balagha) el 'individuo perfecto' (al-shakhṣ al-kāmil), entonces el tiempo colapsará en la 'residencia del retorno y la permanencia' (dār al-maʿād wa al-qarār).…”

The Realm of the Imām the Faṭīmids in the tenth century

“…Mu' izz, the second Seventh in line from the Prophet, would be the last of his line, having prepared the way for the return of the first, Muhammad b. Isma'II, as the Messiah, the Seventh and Last of the Prophets with whom history would come to an end. 60 Such an apocalyptic expectation and revolutionary anticipation may have brought about his death rather than his disappointment. His works, by Walker's reckoning, were all written before 971, 61 so that he presumably perished before Mu'izz himself in 975: a single, very late reference has him executed in his native Sijistan by an Amir who ruled from 964 to 1003.…”