Al-Muʾayyad fi’l-Dīn al-Shīrāzī (d. 470/1087) was an outstanding Ismaili scholar of Persian origin. He excelled as a missionary-agent (ʿīLit. ‘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…), statesman and poet. Towards the end of his long and active life, al-Muʾayyad became the head of the Ismaili mission (岹ʿɲLit. ‘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…) – the chief ʿī – in the time of the Fatimid Caliph-Imam al-Mustansir in Cairo.
Based on his memoirs, īt al-Muʾayyad fi’l Dīn, this work provides an insight into the remarkable life and achievements of al-Muʾayyad through important stages of his career. Written in a masterful Arabic literary style and rhetoric, the ī describes in detail his daring attempt to win over the Būyid rulers of western Iran to the Fatimid cause; his flight to Cairo where his ambitions to be near the Imam are initially frustrated by powerful court officials; and finally, his expedition to Syria and Iraq as a Fatimid plenipotentiary to forge an alliance of local rulers against the Saljūk Turks invading the central Islamic lands from the East.
Through a close analysis of the ī, the author of the book demonstrates that, in addition to being a personal account of a highly dedicated Fatimid ʿī, this is a rich historical source on the organisation and function of the Ismaili mission. It is also an extensive and valuable source for Islamic history in the 5th/11th century, dealing with crucial events in the struggle between the FatimidsMajor Muslim dynasty of Ismaili caliphs in North Africa (from 909) and later in Egypt (973–1171) More, AbbasidsMajor Muslim dynasty of Sunni caliphs that ruled in Baghdad (750-1258)., Būyids and Saljūqs for political and military supremacy in the Muslim world. Thus, al-Muʾayyad’s memoirs serve as a unique magnifying glass concentrating the international political dynamics of the age in the narrative of one life and destiny.
Preface
Introduction
Part I: Al-Muʾayyad’s Mission in Fārs
2. The Rise and Fall of a ʿī
3. Al-Muʾayyad’s Memoirs as a Source for History
4. The Self-portrayal of a ʿī
Part II: Al-Muʾayyad in Egypt and Syria
5. Al-Muʾayyad at the Fatimid Court in Cairo
6. Al-Muʾayyad’s Political Mission in Northern Syria
Part III: Al-Muʾayyad at the Pinnacle of his Career
7. Al-Muʾayyad as Chief ʿī in Cairo
8. Epilogue
Appendix 1: The Works of al-Muʾayyad fi’l-Dīn al-Shīrāzī
Appendix 2: The Hierarchy and Pedagogy of the Fatimid 岹ʿɲ
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Verena Klemm is professor at the Institute of Arabic Studies at the University of Leipzig. A specialist in Islamic history and Arabic Literature, she obtained her doctorate in Islamic studies from the University of Tübingen in 1988. Dr Klemm is the author of Die Mission des faṭimidschen Agenten al-Muʾayyad fī’d-din in Sīrāz (Frankfurt, 1989) and other studies on Islamic subjects in German and English.