Hamid Al-din Al-kirmani: Ismaili Thought In The Age Of Al-hakim (ismaili Heritage)

Among the most outstanding Ismaili thinkers, Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani was at the forefront of the intellectual advances of his time and almost on a par with his famous contemporary, Ibn Sina, with whom he shared many philosophical ideas. His ideas on the intellect and the order of creation are a departure from those expressed by early Ismaili thinkers which he endeavoured to amend, thus providing insights into to early Ismaili debates about philosophical and scientific concepts. This book presents a systematic investigation of al-Kirmani's life and thought. It focuses on the principal themes of his the nature of human recognition and veneration of God; an understanding of the cosmic order; and the repose and tranquillity of the intellect. The author also examines a number of problems in the biography of al-Kirmani, the affiliations between his metaphysical system of thought and those of al-Farabi and Ibn Sina, and the importance of his writings for the Ismaili da'wa during the late-10th and 11th centuries. "A major Ismaili Muslim scholar and writer who flourished during the first half of the eleventh century AD, Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani possessed a profoundly creative mind, which allowed him to master the theological, philosophical and scientific discourse of his time and to integrate this learning in numerous influential treatises on Ismaili thought." "Paul E. Walker, an authority on Fatimid Ismaili history and thought, here provides the first systematic account in English of the life, works and accomplishments of al-Kirmani. Particularly valuable is his penetrating analysis of the intellectual debates and arguments that arose in the Ismaili community and of their significance in the wider context of general Ismaili thought, at a time when the Fatimid state was at the height of its glory and influence in the Muslim world."--Jacket A systematic investigation of the life and thought of the Ismaili thinker, Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani. It focuses on the principal themes of his writings: the nature of human recognition and veneration of God; an understanding of the cosmic order; and the repose and tranquillity of the intellect.