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Medieval Islamic philosophers were occupied with questions of cosmology, predestination and salvation and human responsibility for actions. For IsmailisAdherents of a branch of Shi’i Islam that considers Ismail, the eldest son of the Shi’i Imam Ja士far al-峁⒛乨iq (d. 765), as his successor., the related notions of religious leadership, namely the imamate, and the eschatological role of the prophets and imams were equally central. These were also a matter of doctrinal controversy within the so-called Iranian school of Ismaili philosophical theology. 岣m墨d al-D墨n al-Kirm膩n墨 (d. after 411/1020) was one of the most important theologians in the Fatimid period, who rose to prominence during the reign of the imam-caliph al-岣つ乲im bi-Amr All膩h (r. 386/996鈥411/1021). He is renowned for blending the Neoplatonic philosophical heritage with Ismaili religious tradition. This book provides an analysis of al-Kirm膩n墨鈥檚 thought and sheds new light on the many layers of allusion which characterise his writings. Through a translation and analytical commentary of the eighth chapter of al-Kirm膩n墨鈥檚 Kit膩b al-搁颈测腻岣 (Book of Meadows), which is devoted to the subject of divine preordination and human redemption, Maria De Cillis shows readers first-hand his theologically distinctive interpretation of 辩补岣嵞伿Divine decree. In the Qur’an, it does not appear as a noun, but as a verb meaning ‘to decree, determine.’ Together with qadar this concept featured in theological disputes on… and qadarDerived from Q. 33:38, etc and often translated as ‘destiny,’ ‘fate,’ or predestination. See 辩补岣嵞伿. (divine decree and destiny). Here, al-Kirm膩n墨 attempts to harmonise the views of earlier renowned Ismaili missionaries, Ab奴 岣つ乼im A岣ad b. 岣md膩n al-R膩z墨 (d. 322/934), Mu岣mmad b. A岣ad al-Nasaf墨 (d. 331/942) and Ab奴 Ya士q奴b Is岣ツ乹 b. A岣ad al-Sijist膩n墨 (d. c. 361/971). De Cillis skilfully guides the reader through al-Kirm膩n墨鈥檚 metaphysical and esoteric correspondences, offering new insights into Shi士i/Ismaili philosophical thought which will be of great interest to those in the field of Shi士i studies and, more broadly, to scholars of medieval philosophy.
List of Abbreviations
List of Tables
Note on the Text
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part I: Delineating al-Kirm膩n墨鈥檚 Theoretical System
1. The Plotinian Legacy and al-Sijist膩n墨鈥檚 Influence: A Preliminary Approach to al-Kirm膩n墨鈥檚 Understanding of the Intellect
2. Al-Kirm膩n墨鈥檚 Views on the Agent and the Nature of the Intellect
3. Meritorious Determination: Outlining al-Kirm膩n墨鈥檚 Cosmological Scheme
4. The Human Soul and Providence
5. Human Actions in the Realm of Acquisition
6. The Intellect鈥檚 Knowledge of Particulars
7. Drawing Correspondences between the 士膩lam al-wa岣a and the 士膩lam al-d墨n
Part II: A Translation with Analytical Commentary of Chapter Eight of al-Kirm膩n墨鈥檚 Kit膩b al-搁颈测腻岣
Overview of the 辩补岣嵞伿 wa鈥檒-qadar Debate in the 搁颈测腻岣
贵补峁 One
贵补峁 Two
贵补峁 Three
贵补峁 Four
贵补峁 Five
贵补峁 Six
贵补峁 Seven
贵补峁 Eight
贵补峁 Nine
贵补峁 Ten
贵补峁 Eleven
贵补峁 Twelve
贵补峁 Thirteen
贵补峁 Fourteen
贵补峁 Fifteen
贵补峁 Sixteen
贵补峁 Seventeen
贵补峁 Eighteen
贵补峁 Nineteen
贵补峁 Twenty
贵补峁 Twenty-one
贵补峁 Twenty-two
贵补峁 Twenty-three
贵补峁 Twenty-four
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
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 Free Will and Predestination in Islamic Thought: Theoretical Compromises in the Works of Avicenna, Ghaz膩l墨 and Ibn 士Arab墨 (2014) and has co-edited Shi士i Esotericism: Roots and Developments (2016) as well as writing a number of journal articles and encyclopaedia entries. She has taught medieval Islamic philosophy and speculative theology at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and at Birkbeck College, University of London. Her research interests include Islamic philosophy, Sufism, Shi鈥榠 esotericism and Ismaili philosophy.