The Proof of God Shi士i Mysticism in the Work of Kulayn墨 (9th鈥�10th Centuries)
I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies
One of the most celebrated religious authorities and a foundational figure of Shi士i Islam, Mu岣mmad ibn Ya士q奴b al-Kulayn墨 (d. ca. 940 CE) set out an extraordinarily wide-ranging and coherent set of doctrinal and legal traditions derived from the Shi士i Imams, thus playing a leading role in the unification and, consequently, the consolidation of the Imami faith. His Book of the Proof (Kit膩b al-岣jja), part of the Sufficient Book (Kit膩b al-K膩f墨), is considered the first among the four most important works on Shi士i hadith, and its significance for the formation and development of Shi士i beliefs and doctrines cannot be overestimated.
The present volume is an English translation of the award-winning French translation and commentary by Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi on the Book of the Proof. Amir-Moezzi鈥檚 approach to the study of the early Shi士i traditions in this work is characterised by a keen interest in the esoteric, mystical aspects. By elaborating on the nature of the 鈥楶roof鈥�, which in Shi士i terminology identifies the central figure, i.e. the guide (Imam) of mystical spirituality, Amir-Moezzi鈥檚 study portrays Shi士i Islam, not merely as the politico-religious ideology of its 鈥榗lergy鈥�, but above all as a multifaceted and inspirational religion.
Translators鈥� Preface
Notes on the English Translation
Glossary
Preface to the French Edition
Note on Transliteration
Note to the Reader (French Edition)
Introduction to the French Edition
Acknowledgements (French Edition)
Important Dates and Milestones (1st鈥�4th/7th鈥�10th Centuries)
PART ONE: Religion of the Divine Word Made into Man
1. At the Beginnings of History
2. The Religion of the Imam
3. Some Historical Imams
4. The Proof Beyond Time
5. The Proof鈥檚 Dual Nature
6. The Continuity of Prophecy
PART TWO: The Mystical Nature of the Imam in the Book of the Proof
7. Brief Remarks on Shi士i Holy Scriptures
8. Al-Kulayn墨 and the Book of the Proof
9. Excerpts from the Book of the Proof
Epilogue
Return to History: Between Mystical Wisdom and Political Temptation
Tables
Bibliography and Abbreviations
General Index
Index of Qur鈥檃nic Citations
Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi is a professor at the 脡cole Pratique des Hautes 脡tudes/PSL (Sorbonne) and member of the Advisory Board of the Societas Iranologica Europaea. He is a Scientific Consultant for the Encyclopaedia Iranica and Encyclopaedia Islamica and Senior Fellow at the Institute of Ismaili Studies. He is also a member of the Ambrosian Academy and the scientific committees of numerous journals and reviews. Among his monographs: The Divine Guide in Early Shi士ism (1994), The Spirituality of Shi士i Islam (2013), The Silent Qur鈥檃n and the Speaking Qur鈥檃n (2015), and Ali, The Well-Guarded Secret (2022). Among the collective works directed by him are: Le Dictionnaire du Coran (2007) and Le Coran des historiens (2019).
Translators:
Maria De Cillis is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, where she is also the Managing Editor of the Shi士i Heritage Series. She has authored Salvation and Destiny in Islam (2018), Free Will and Predestination in Islamic Thought (2014) and has co-edited L鈥櫭塻ot茅risme shi士ite, ses racines et ses prolongements as well as having written a number of journal articles and encyclopaedia entries.
Orkhan Mir-Kasimov is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and teaches on the IIS graduate programmes. Previously, he lectured at the 脡cole Pratique des Hautes 脡tudes and the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilisations (INALCO) in Paris, and worked at various research centres in France and Germany, including the Nantes Institute for Advanced Study and the Free University of Berlin. He has edited and co-edited several volumes and authored Words of Power: 岣r奴f墨 Teachings between Shi士ism and Sufism in Medieval Islam (2015) and Christian Apocalyptic Texts in Islamic Messianic Discourse (2017).