Command and Creation: A Shi‘i Cosmological Treatise: A Persian edition and English translation of Muhammad al-Shahrastani’s Majlis-i maktub (Ismaili Texts and Translations)

Among the considerable oeuvre of Muhammad al-Shahrastani (1086–1153), the prominent Persian theologian and heresiographer, the Majlis-imaktub (‘The Transcribed Sermon’) is his only known work in Persian. First delivered as a sermon in Khwarazm in Central Asia, this treatise invokes the theme of creation and command, providing an esoteric cosmological narrative where faith, revelation, prophecy and the spiritual authority of the Household of the Prophet are interwoven. The Majlis-imaktub further discusses themes such as the evolution of religious law (shari’at) and its culmination in the qiyamat (resurrection), the relation between free will and predestination, the interplay between the exoteric and esoteric aspects of faith, and the role and function of the Shiʿi Imams in the cosmological narrative. This treatise is arguably the most dense expression of al-Shahrastani’s thought, and it demonstrably indicates the Ismaili inclination of this Muslim scholar who has usually been regarded as a Shafi’i-Ash’ari. Daryoush Mohammad Poor’s comparative study of this treatise and the corpus of Nizari Ismaili literature from the Alamut period (1090–1256) reveals the massive impact of al-Shahrastani’s thought on every aspect of the doctrines of NizariIsmailis. I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies Among the considerable oeuvre of Muhammad al-Shahrastani (1086–1153), the prominent Persian theologian and heresiographer, the Majlis-i maktub ('The Transcribed Sermon') is his only known work in Persian. First delivered as a sermon in Khwarazm in Central Asia, this treatise invokes the theme of creation and command, providing an esoteric cosmological narrative where faith, revelation, prophecy and the spiritual authority of the Household of the Prophet are interwoven. The Majlis-i maktub further discusses themes such as the evolution of religious law ( shari'at ) and its culmination in the qiyamat (resurrection), the relation between free will and predestination, the interplay between the exoteric and esoteric aspects of faith, and the role and function of the Shi?i Imams in the cosmological narrative. This treatise is arguably the most dense expression of al-Shahrastani's thought, and it demonstrably indicates the Ismaili inclination of this Muslim scholar who has usually been regarded as a Shafi'i-Ash'ari. Daryoush Mohammad Poor's comparative study of this treatise and the corpus of Nizari Ismaili literature from the Alamut period (1090–1256) reveals the massive impact of al-Shahrastani's thought on every aspect of the doctrines of Nizari Ismailis. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page The Institute of Ismaili Studies Dedication Contents Preface Introduction Early life Scholarly activity Posthumous connections with the Nizārī Ismailis The Majlis-i Maktu ̄b and its significance for Ismaili studies The genre and content of the Majlis Al-Shahrastānī’s influence on Nizārī Ismaili doctrine51 The Nizārī doctrine of qiyāmat80 The debate over al-Shahrastānī’s faith Inter-textuality: parallels between al-Shahrastānī and later Nizārī sources Fatimid precedents or a shift ing narrative? Ashʿarism modified? Theistic subjectivism or ethical voluntarism: Ashʿarism evolved The present edition of the Majlis Tāj al-Dīn Muhạmmad b. ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Shahrastānī The Transcribed Sermon in Khwā razm Appendix Bibliography Index Index of Qurʾanic citations Opening page of Majlis-i maktub Index of Qurʾanic citations Index of Qurʾanic citations (Arabic) Majlis-i maktūb-i munʿaqid dar Khwārazm (Persian edition)