Fatimid History and Ismaili Doctrine (Variorum Collected Studies) [Hardcover]

Paul E. Walker (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0754659526 | ISBN-13: 978-0754659525 | Publication Date: March 12, 2008

The thirteen studies in this volume explore critical problems in Fatimid history and historiography, many specifically focused on the content of doctrinal writings produced by the Ismaili supporters and agents of this caliphate who worked on behalf of the dynasty both within the empire and outside. Several concern issues in disputes that separated the various factions of Medieval Islam and served to distinguish the Ismailis from the rest, often branding the Fatimids with the charge of heterodoxy. Others deal with the consequence of Shiite rule over a largely non-Shiite populace. Yet others involve the relationship between religious ideology and the administration of government.Among the themes featured in this collection there are separate investigations of institutions of learning, of succession to the imamate, the da'wa, the judiciary, relations with the Byzantines and with the Abbasids, and works on heresiography, doctrines of time and the accusation that the Ismailis upheld the metempsychosis of the human soul. The latter topics help to situate the Ismailis, and hence the Fatimids, within the broader context of Islamic thought.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul E. Walker is a Visiting Scholar at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of Chicago, USA.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ashgate (March 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0754659526
• ISBN-13: 978-0754659525
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,948,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.