The 搁颈蝉腻濒补 al-m奴j膩za al-k膩fiya f墨 adabA word of many meanings usually connoting courtesy, etiquette, rules and manners, civilisation, culture and literature. 补濒-诲耻士腻迟 (A Brief and Concise Treatise on the Code of Conduct for the D膩士墨s) constitutes the only extant work in Ismaili literature that deals with specific practical aspects of the Ismaili 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 appeal and encouragement to the faith.
Written by the Fatimid author Ahmad b. Ibrahim al-Nays膩b奴r墨 (11th century CE), it represents a normative guide for the Ismaili 诲腻士墨Lit. ‘summoner,’ a term for missionary amongst various Muslim communities, especially used among the Ismailis before and during the Fatimid period as well as in the Alamut period of Ismaili…s, who functioned as the religious agents and 鈥榮ummoners鈥 responsible for the leadership, instruction and spiritual and social welfare of the Ismaili community.
Al-Nays膩b奴r墨鈥檚 enumeration of the 诲腻士墨s鈥 ideal traits and attributes in the 搁颈蝉腻濒补 al-m奴j膩za belongs to the wider genre of 鈥榩rofessional adab鈥 literature that exclusively addresses groups belonging to certain occupations and instructs them in specific ethical principles and codes of conduct, and which is prevalent in classical Muslim culture. It may also be located in the even older tradition of the Mirror of Princes literature, which dates back to pre-Islamic Persia, and which promoted the ideal practice of rulership.
Indeed, many of the characteristics of the 诲腻士墨 listed in the 搁颈蝉腻濒补 are consistent with the topoi in the Mirror of Princes literature as it relates to the ruler, namely the virtues of piety, chastity, uprightness, mercy, forgiveness, humility and generosity. In this regard, the communal functions of a 诲补鈥榠 also mirror the duties traditionally ascribed to a responsible ruler 鈥 that he has to maintain the community, protect the weak, and fight and punish crime, corruption and social disintegration 鈥 but with the one key distinction that they are, in this instance, always elaborated within the context of the Ismaili dawa.
The present work constitutes a critical edition and translation of the 搁颈蝉腻濒补 al-m奴j膩za al-k膩fiya f墨 adab 补濒-诲耻士腻迟. Al-Nays膩b奴r墨鈥檚 treatise is a fascinating testimony to the wide network of a class of individuals charged with proclaiming the 诲补士飞补t al-岣qqThe true mission’ or ‘the true summons.’ A term used by the Ismailis of the pre-Fatimid and Fatimid periods to refer to their 诲补士飞补 activities. (鈥榗all to truth鈥) over various frames of time and space. It is thus a valuable resource for students and scholars interested in medieval Islamic literature more generally and the structure and workings of the Fatimid 诲补士飞补 in particular.
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Context, author and work
Transmission of the 搁颈蝉腻濒补 al-m奴j膩za al-k膩fiya f墨 adab 补濒-诲耻士腻迟
Literary tradition
Reflections of history and intertextuality
Structure, contents and style
Manuscripts and editions
The date of the 搁颈蝉腻濒补 al-m奴j膩za by Paul E. Walker
Translation of al-搁颈蝉腻濒补 al-m奴j膩za al-k膩fiya f墨 adab 补濒-诲耻士腻迟: A Brief and Concise Treatise on the Code of Conduct for the D膩士墨s
Select Bibliography
English Index
Arabic Index
Arabic Text
Verena Klemm is Professor and Chair of the Institute of Arabic Studies at the University of Leipzig in Germany. A specialist in medieval Muslim history and Arabic literature, Professor Klemm obtained her doctorate in Islamic Studies from the University of T眉bingen in 1988 and her habilitation from the University of Hamburg in 1997. Dr Klemm has authored and edited several books including Die Mission des fatimidischen Agenten al-Muayyad Fi鈥檇-d墨n in 艩iraz (Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 1989),Literarisches Engagement im arabischen Nahen Osten: Konzepte und Debatten (W眉rzburg: Ergon, 1998), Understanding Near Eastern Literatures: A Spectrum of Interdisciplinary Approaches (with Beatrice Gruendler; Wiesbaden: Ludwig Reichart, 2000), and most recently, Memoirs of a Mission: The Ismaili Scholar, Statesman and Poet, al-Mu示ayyad f墨鈥檒-D墨n al-Shir膩z墨 (London: I. B. Tauris in association with 鸟大大影院, 2003).
An historian of ideas with a focus on Mediaeval Islamic History, Paul E. Walker has taught at McGill University, Columbia University and the University of Michigan. For several years Dr Walker was the Director of the American Research Centre in Egypt, and is currently a Visiting Scholar with the University of Chicago’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies. He has authored and edited many books on Fatimid history and the formative period of Ismaili thought including Early Philosophical 厂丑颈鈥榠蝉尘See Shi鈥榓. (Cambridge University Press, 1993), (University of Utah Press, 1994), Ab奴 Ya士q奴b al-Sijist膩n墨: Intellectual Missionary (I. B. Tauris in association with 鸟大大影院, 1996), 岣m墨d al-D墨n al-Kirm膩n墨: Ismaili Thought in the Age of al-岣つ乲im (I. B. Tauris in association with 鸟大大影院, 1999), with Wilferd Madelung, An Ismaili Heresiography (Brill, 1998) and The Advent of the FatimidsMajor Muslim dynasty of Ismaili caliphs in North Africa (from 909) and later in Egypt (973鈥1171) More: A Contemporary Shi’i Witness (I. B. Tauris in association with 鸟大大影院, 2000). Most recently, Dr Walker is the recipient of the 2001 Guggenheim Fellowship to study the Imam-Caliph al-岣つ乲im.