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A Short History of the Ismailis: Traditions of a Muslim Community

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A masterful primer from the doyen of Isma'ili studies today. One of the best books available.

Farhad Daftary is a noted international scholor, who has reseached many publications with such noted institutions as Oxford and Cambridge, this Book is a great testment to scholorship, and as such is objective throughout, mixing Glory with Disaster and even controversy, this is recommended for those who want a true picture of ismailis and their beliefs, instead of some of the bias and emtional conjecture that is also available.

If one knows it, one cannot fail to compare this book to Dr. Momen's introduction to Twelver Shi'ism:

An Introduction to Shi`i Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver Shi`ism

that sets the standards in works of this kind. F. Daftary's book does not meet the standard in several respects, e.g.:

- missing comparison of Ismaili jurisprudence to for example the Twelver Shi'ite and Maliki schools

- missing tables showing the synchronicity of political and theological developments

- missing maps of regions other than Persia - Iraq (e.g. the Fatimide caliphate)

The author's perspective of an exoteric historian leads him to mistaken explanations of some Ismaili doctrines, e.g. the cyclical nature of time. He tends to relegate the ulama (theologians) to a role of ideological support for those holding political power. The outer (zahiri) perspective contrasts with the balanced view of the Ismailis, e.g. as exhibited in the epistles of the Brethren of Purity.

In spite of many historic details, F. Daftary fails to explain or demonstrate what the essential specificity of Ismaili Shi'ite Islam is or purports to be.