Al-Mu尨ayyad fil-D蘋n al-Sh蘋rz蘋 (d. 470/1087) was an outstanding Ismaili scholar of Persian origin. He excelled as a missionary-agent (餃櫻尪蘋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…), statesman and poet. Towards the end of his long and active life, al-Mu尨ayyad became the head of the Ismaili mission (餃硃尪滄硃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…) the chief 餃櫻尪蘋 in the time of the Fatimid Caliph-Imam al-Mustansir in Cairo.
Based on his memoirs, 釦蘋娶硃t al-Mu尨ayyad fi’l D蘋n, this work provides an insight into the remarkable life and achievements of al-Mu尨ayyad through important stages of his career. Written in a masterful Arabic literary style and rhetoric, the 釦蘋娶硃 describes in detail his daring attempt to win over the B贖yid 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 Salj贖k Turks invading the central Islamic lands from the East.
Through a close analysis of the 釦蘋娶硃, the author of the book demonstrates that, in addition to being a personal account of a highly dedicated Fatimid 餃櫻尪蘋, 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 (9731171) More, AbbasidsMajor Muslim dynasty of Sunni caliphs that ruled in Baghdad (750-1258)., B贖yids and Salj贖qs for political and military supremacy in the Muslim world. Thus, al-Mu尨ayyads 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-Mu尨ayyads Mission in Frs
2. The Rise and Fall of a 餃櫻尪蘋
3. Al-Mu尨ayyads Memoirs as a Source for History
4. The Self-portrayal of a 餃櫻尪蘋
Part II: Al-Mu尨ayyad in Egypt and Syria
5. Al-Mu尨ayyad at the Fatimid Court in Cairo
6. Al-Mu尨ayyads Political Mission in Northern Syria
Part III: Al-Mu尨ayyad at the Pinnacle of his Career
7. Al-Mu尨ayyad as Chief 餃櫻尪蘋 in Cairo
8. Epilogue
Appendix 1: The Works of al-Mu尨ayyad fil-D蘋n al-Sh蘋rz蘋
Appendix 2: The Hierarchy and Pedagogy of the Fatimid 餃硃尪滄硃
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 T羹bingen in 1988. Dr Klemm is the author of Die Mission des fa廜虹midschen Agenten al-Mu尨ayyad f蘋d-din in S蘋rz (Frankfurt, 1989) and other studies on Islamic subjects in German and English.