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The Kit膩b al-Kashf is one of the earliest Ismaili texts to have reached the present day. Transmitted by the 峁琣yyib墨 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 驳丑耻濒腻迟Exaggerators’ or ‘extremists.’ A term of disapproval in classical Muslim sources against what they regarded as ‘heretical’ exaggeration in matters of doctrine. and 狈耻峁测谤墨 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 FatimidsMajor Muslim dynasty of Ismaili caliphs in North Africa (from 909) and later in Egypt (973鈥1171) More. 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.
Introduction
- Historical and intellectual context
- Transmission: manuscripts, editions, and reception
- The problematic authorship of the Kit膩b al-Kashf: some remarks on the corpus attributed to Ja士far b. Man峁Ｅ玶 al-Yaman
- The six treatises of the Kit膩b al-Kashf and their contents
- Between chaos and order: the art of compilation and structure in the Kit膩b al-Kashf
Notes on the translations and commentaries
Treatise I
Translation
Commentary
- The divine trust (补尘腻苍补), 飞补濒腻测补Friendship or assistance. In Sufism the term is used for qualities that can be translated roughly as 鈥榮ainthood鈥; in Islam, it is used specifically for devotion to theImam (see wil膩ya)…. and the covenant
- The 诲补士飞补Lit. ‘summons’, ‘mission’ or invitation to Islam. Amongst Shi’i Muslims, it was the invitation to adopt the cause of the Imamat. It also refers more specifically to the hierarchy of…, an esoteric family
- God’s ‘order’ (amr) and its continuity
- The continuity of antagonism: the enemies of the Imam
- 惭耻蝉奴办丑颈测测补: from literal to metaphoric metamorphosis
- The Mahd墨 and his return
Conclusion
Treatise II
Translation
Commentary
- Divine transcendence
- The throne, the footstool and the problem of anthropomorphism
- The alphabetic cosmogony
Conclusion
Treatise III
Translation
Commentary
- Identifying the ‘Sage’ (补濒-岣办墨尘) and dating Treatise III
- The 诲补士飞补: an organization and its enemies
- The Orphan: evolution of a concept, from ghuluww to Fatimid Ismailism
- Salm膩n, a Shi士i figure in support of the Fatimid reform
- The ‘Bearer of the Sword’ and the 谤补箩士补
Conclusion
Treatise IV
Translation
Commentary
- Several 岣诲墨迟丑Lit. 鈥榬eport鈥 or 鈥榥arrative,鈥 used for the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad and in Shi鈥榠 Islam also for those of the Imams. fragments
- A 岣诲墨迟丑 on language
Conclusion
Treatise V
Translation
Commentary
- The Imam and his proof, the 士础测苍 and the 贵腻示
- The rejection of antinomianism
- Organizing the 诲补士飞补: instruction to the missionaries and refutation of the false Mahd墨
Conclusion
Treatise VI
Translation
Commentary
- God’s choice challenged by human caprice
- 士Al墨 and Aaron as books of God
- Proofs and summoners
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index of Qur鈥檃nic Verses
Index of Names and Places
Index of Technical Terms
F芒r猫s Gillon is Associate Professor in Islamic Studies and Arabic at Aix-Marseille University, France. He received his PhD from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Paris), and specializes in the intellectual history of early Shi士ism, with a particular focus on Fatimid Ismailism. He has published several articles on these topics, and has also co-edited with Mathieu Terrier an Anthologie de la philosophie en Islam (Paris, 2023). Previously, he was Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies. His research interests include Shi士i history and doctrines, Ismailism, Nusayrism and Islamic Philosophy.