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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
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Summary
Summary
The reign of the founder of Cairo, the fourth Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah (341-365/953-975), marks a watershed in the transformation of the Fatimid state from a regional North African dynasty to an expansive Mediterranean empire. It was also under al- Mu'izz that articulations of the supreme authority of the Fatimid Ismaili imamate were written and disseminated across various regions of Fatimid influence. The writings of Idris 'Imad al-Din (d. 872/1468) provide a distinctive presentation of the Fatimid imamate from the perspective of the Ismaili da'wa itself. as the chief d'ai of the Yemeni Tayyib Ismailis, Idris composed his monumental "Uyun al-akhbar wa funun al-athar' as a record of the Ismaili imamate from its inception to his own time. in doing so, Idris drew upon the rich repertoire of Ismaili and non-Ismaili sources that had been part of the corpus of the Fatimid literary tradition, many of which have subsequently been lost due to the vagaries of time and circumstance. As the only surviving medieval Ismaili work documenting the history of the Fatimid dynasty, the "Uy-un al-akhbar' is among its principal primary sources.
This book provides the first annotated English translation of the extensive chapter on al-Mu'izz in the "Uy-un', which remains a vital yet relatively unknown Ismaili source. The introduction to this work not only outlines the salient features of al-Mu'izz's reign but also examines Idris' purpose and approach to historical writing. In providing an insider's account of the reign of one of the most influential rulers of the medieval Muslim world, this work will be of particular interest to students of Ismaili history and thought, medieval Mediterranean history and Muslim historiography.
Author Notes
Shainool Jiwa is a specialist in Fatimid history and Head of Constituency Studies at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. She holds graduate degrees from McGill university and the University of Edinburgh, and has lectured at a number of academic institutions for over 25 years. Dr Jiwa has published several studies in the field of medieval Islamic history. Her previous publications include 'Towards a Shi'i Mediterranean Empire: Fatimid Egypt and the Founding of Cairo. The reign of the Imam-caliph al-Mu'izz from al-Maqrizi's' Itti'az al-hunafa' (London, 2009).
Reviews 1
Choice Review
This work is the first translation of one of the major sources for the Fatimid caliphate. Moreover, it is of the crucial period in which the Fatimids conquered Egypt and established their new capital by building Cairo. While the work at times serves as a panegyric for the Imam-Caliph al-Mu'izz, Idrs 'Imad al-Dn, the work's author, drew not only from his personal experience in the Fatimid court, but also from other non-Fatimid and Ismaili sources to compile his history of al-Mu'izz. The annotated translation by Shainool Jiwa is lucid with useful notes and organization. Jiwa's lengthy introduction properly sets the context of not only the period and the work, but also the Ismaili sect of Shi'a Islam. Although "Ithna Ashari" or Twelver (recognizing 12 imams) Shi'ism is the dominant sect today, during the medieval period, Sevener or Ismaili Shi'a Islam (named so after Ismail, the seventh imam who entered occultation) was the more dominant and active. This work is a welcome addition to the study of the medieval Middle East as well as of Islamic and world history, as it provides a distinctly Ismaili perspective that has otherwise eluded understanding of the Fatimid caliphate. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. T. M. May University of North Georgia
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements | p. xii |
Introduction | p. 1 |
The Fatimid framework | p. 3 |
The reign of al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah | p. 9 |
Representations of al-Mu'izz: al-Maqrizi and Idris | p. 25 |
Al-Mu'izz through the lens of the 'Uyun | p. 34 |
Comparative approaches to Fatimid historiography | p. 39 |
Note on the translation | p. 46 |
Translation from Idris 'Imad al-Din's 'Uyun al-akhbar | |
1 Preamble | p. 51 |
2 Al-Mu'izz and the cycles of the imamate | p. 52 |
3 The virtues of al-Mu'izz according to his predecessors | p. 53 |
4 The merits of al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah for the imamate | p. 56 |
5 Reports concerning al-Mu'izz's inherited knowledge | p. 56 |
6 The inherited knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt | p. 60 |
7 Additional reports on al-Mu'izz's inherited knowledge | p. 63 |
8 The transmission of the imamate | p. 66 |
9 Al-Mu'izz's sermon announcing al-Mansur's demise | p. 68 |
10 Al-Mu'izz's campaign in the Awras mountains | p. 77 |
11 Al-Qadi al-Nu'man's bond with the imams | p. 82 |
12 Sessions of wisdom at the caliphal palace | p. 85 |
13 The virtues of al-Qadi al-Nu'man | p. 88 |
14 Al-Nu'man's works on jurisprudence | p. 88 |
15 The composition of the Da'a'im al-Islam | p. 89 |
16 Motivation for al-Nu'man's other compositions | p. 91 |
17 Additional works on jurisprudence | p. 93 |
18 Historical works of al-Nu'man and their purpose | p. 95 |
19 Other works of al-Nu'man | p. 96 |
20 The virtues of Ja'far b. Mansur al-Yaman | p. 99 |
21 Reports on the clemency and patience of al-Mu'izz | p. 101 |
22 Reports on al-Mu'izz's quest for knowledge | p. 106 |
23 Reasons for enmity towards the imams | p. 108 |
24 Naval encounters with the Umayyads | p. 110 |
25 Naval encounters with the Byzantines | p. 112 |
26 Umayyad attempts to seek truce with al-Mu'izz | p. 130 |
27 Al-Mu'izz dispatches Jawhar westwards | p. 133 |
28 The revolts of Ibn Wasul and Ahmad b. Bakr | p. 138 |
29 The enlisting of the Kutama | p. 139 |
30 Victory over the Maghrib! contenders Ibn Wasul and Ibn Bakr | p. 142 |
31 Al-Mu'izz's favourable treatment of the Hasanids and praise for the Kutama | p. 147 |
32 Ibn Hani's praise of Jawhar's capture of Ibn Wasul and Ibn Bakr | p. 153 |
33 Circumcision of the Fatimid princes | p. 170 |
34 Account of the da'wa in Sind | p. 173 |
35 The Abbasid malaise | p. 179 |
36 Byzantine incursions into Crete | p. 181 |
37 Al-Mu'izz's invitation to the ruler of Egypt for the defence of Crete | p. 184 |
38 Byzantine subjugation of Sayfal-Dawla | p. 186 |
39 Al-Mu'izz's letter to the da'i of Sind | p. 190 |
40 The death of Kafur al-Ikhshidi | p. 194 |
41 Preparations for Jawhar's march to Egypt | p. 197 |
42 Jawdhar's monetary contribution for the Egyptian expedition | p. 198 |
43 Jawhar's departure for Egypt | p. 199 |
44 Ibn Hani's poem on Jawhar's departure for Egypt | p. 200 |
45 Jawhar's march westwards | p. 206 |
46 Jawhar's issuance of the guarantee of safety | p. 208 |
47 Skirmishes with the Ikhsnidids and Kafurids | p. 215 |
48 The re-issuance of the guarantee | p. 217 |
49 Jawhar's rule in Egypt and the founding of Cairo | p. 219 |
50 The first Fatimid sermon in Egypt | p. 220 |
51 Ibn Hani's poem about the conquest of Egypt | p. 223 |
52 Celebration of 'Id al-Fitr and 'Id al-Nahr | p. 230 |
53 Introduction of Ismaili law and rituals in Fatimid Egypt | p. 233 |
54 Fatimid armies battle the Qaramita in Egypt | p. 234 |
55 Jawhar's gift to al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah | p. 237 |
56 Revolt of Zunbur al-Ikhshidi | p. 238 |
57 Ja'far b. Falah's expeditions in Syria | p. 240 |
58 Appointment of 'Abd Allah as the heir apparent | p. 242 |
59 Al-Mu'izz sets out westwards at the head of an army | p. 244 |
60 Al-Mu'izz's defeat of Ibn Khazar's rebellion | p. 246 |
61 Ibn Hani's poem on the defeat of Ibn Khazar | p. 247 |
62 Incursions of the Qaramita into Syria and Egypt and the death of Ja 'far b. Falah | p. 252 |
63 Fatimid and Qarmati armies battle outside Cairo | p. 253 |
64 Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah's migration to Egypt | p. 254 |
65 The demise of al-Ustadh Jawdhar | p. 256 |
66 Al-Mu'izz's arrival in Egypt | p. 261 |
67 Al-Mu'izz establishes his authority in Egypt | p. 264 |
68 Buluggin b. Ziri's defeat of Muhammad b. al-Khayr | p. 265 |
69 Resumption of the Fatimid-Qarmati conflict | p. 266 |
70 Demise of Prince 'Abd Allah | p. 270 |
71 Appointment of al-'Aziz bi'llah as the next imam | p. 272 |
72 The demise of al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah | p. 272 |
Bibliography | p. 275 |
Index | p. 285 |