The Founder of Cairo: The Fatimid Imam-Caliph Al-Mu'izz and His Era

by Bloomsbury Academic

Overview

The reign of the founder of Cairo, the fourth Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah (341-365/953-975), marks a watershed in the transformation of the Fatimid state from a regional North African dynasty to an expansive Mediterranean empire. It was also under al- Mu'izz that articulations of the supreme authority of the Fatimid Ismaili imamate were written and disseminated across various regions of Fatimid influence. The writings of Idris 'Imad al-Din (d. 872/1468) provide a distinctive presentation of the Fatimid imamate from the perspective of the Ismaili da'wa itself. as the chief d'ai of the Yemeni Tayyib Ismailis, Idris composed his monumental "Uyun al-akhbar wa funun al-athar' as a record of the Ismaili imamate from its inception to his own time. in doing so, Idris drew upon the rich repertoire of Ismaili and non-Ismaili sources that had been part of the corpus of the Fatimid literary tradition, many of which have subsequently been lost due to the vagaries of time and circumstance. As the only surviving medieval Ismaili work documenting the history of the Fatimid dynasty, the "Uy-un al-akhbar' is among its principal primary sources.
This book provides the first annotated English translation of the extensive chapter on al-Mu'izz in the "Uy-un', which remains a vital yet relatively unknown Ismaili source. The introduction to this work not only outlines the salient features of al-Mu'izz's reign but also examines Idris' purpose and approach to historical writing. In providing an insider's account of the reign of one of the most influential rulers of the medieval Muslim world, this work will be of particular interest to students of Ismaili history and thought, medieval Mediterranean history and Muslim historiography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780765280
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/30/2013
Series:	Ismaili Texts and Translations , #21
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Shainool Jiwa is a specialist in Fatimid history and Head of Constituency Studies at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. She holds graduate degrees from McGill university and the University of Edinburgh, and has lectured at a number of academic institutions for over 25 years. Dr Jiwa has published several studies in the field of medieval Islamic history. Her previous publications include 'Towards a Shi'i Mediterranean Empire: Fatimid Egypt and the Founding of Cairo. The reign of the Imam-caliph al-Mu'izz from al-Maqrizi's' Itti'az al-hunafa' (London, 2009).

Table of Contents

1. Acknowledgements
2. Introduction
3. The Fatimid Framework
4. The Reign of al-Mu?izz li-Din Allah
5. Representations of al-Mu?izz: al-Maqrizi and Idris
6. Al-Mu?izz through the Lens of the ?Uyun
7. Comparative Approaches to Fatimid Historiography
8. Note to the Translation
9. Translation from the ?Uyun
10. Preamble
11. Al-Mu?izz and the Cycles of the Imamate
12. The Virtues of al-Mu?izz According to his Predecessors
13. The Merits of al-Mu?izz li-Din Allah for the Imamate
14. Reports Concerning al-Mu?izz's Inherited Knowledge
15. The Inherited Knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt
16. Additional Reports on al-Mu?izz's Inherited Knowledge
17. The Transmission of the Imamate
18. Al-Mu?izz's Sermon Announcing al-Man?ur's Demise
19. Al-Mu?izz's Campaign in the the Awras Mountains
20. Al-Qa?i al-Nu?man's Bond with the Imams
21. Sessions of Wisdom at the Caliphal Palace
22. The Virtues of al-Qa?i al-Nu?man
23. Al-Nu?man's Works on Jurisprudence
24. The Composition of the Da?a?im al-Islam
25. Impetus for al-Nu?man's Other Compositions
26. Additional Works on Jurisprudence
27. Historical Work of al-Nu?man and their Purpose
28. Other Works of al-Nu?man
29. The Virtues of Ja?far b. Man?ur al-Yaman
30. Reports on the Clemency and Patience of al-Mu?izz
31. Reports on al-Mu?izz's Quest for Knowledge
32. Reasons for Enmity toward the Imams
33. Naval Encounters with the Umayyads
34. Naval Encounters with the Byzantines
35. Umayyad Attempt to Seek Truce with al-Mu?izz
36. Al-Mu?izz Dispatches Jawhar Westwards
37. The Revolts of Ibn Wasul and A?mad b. Bakr
38. The Enlisting of the Kutama
39. Victory over the Maghribi Contenders
40. Al-Mu?izz's Favourable Treatment of the ?asanids
41. Ibn Hani?'s Poem in Praise of Jawhar's Capture of Ibn Wasul and Ibn Bakr
42. Circumcision of the Fatimid Princes
43. Account of the Fatimid da?wa in Sind
44. The Abbasid Malaise
45. Byzantine Incursions into Crete
46. Al-Mu?izz's Invitation to the Ruler of Egypt for the Defence of Crete
47. Byzantine Subjugation of Sayf al-Dawla
48. Al-Mu?izz's Letter to the da?i of Sind
49. The Death of Kafur al-Ikhshidi
50. Preparations for Jawhar's March to Egypt
51. Ustadh Jawhar's Monetary Contribution
52. Jawhar's Departure for Egypt
53. Ibn Hani?'s Poem on Jawhar's Departure for Egypt
54. Jawhar's March Westwards
55. Jawhar's Issuance of the Guarantee of Safety
56. Skirmishes with the Ikhshidids and Kafurids
57. The Reissuance of the Guarantee
58. Jawhar's Rule in Egypt and the Founding of Cairo
59. The First Fatimid Sermon
60. Ibn Hani?'s Poem about the Conquest of Egypt
61. Celebration of ??d al-Fi?r and ??d al-Na?r
62. Introduction of Ismaili Law and Rituals
63. Fatimid Armies Battle with the Qarami?a in Egypt
64. Jawhar's Gift to al-Mu?izz li-Din Allah
65. Revolt of Zunbur al-Ikhshidi
66. Ja?far b. Fala?'s Expeditions in Syria
67. Appointment of ?Abd Allah as Heir Apparent
68. Al-Mu?izz Sets Out Westwards at the Head of an Army
69. Al-Mu?izz's Defeat of the Khazari Rebellion
70. Ibn Hani?'s Poem on the Defeat of Ibn Khazar
71. Qarma?i Incursions into Syria and Egypt and the Death of Ja?far b. Fala?
72. Fatimid and Qarma?i Armies Battle Outside Egypt
73. Al-Mu?izz li-Din Allah's Migration to Egypt
74. The Demise of al-Ustadh Jawdhar
75. Al-Mu?izz's Arrival in Egypt
76. Al-Mu?izz Establishes his Authority in Egypt
77. Ziri b. Manad's Deposing of Mu?ammad b. al-Khayr
78. Resumption of the Fatimid-Qarma?i Conflict
79. Demise of Prince ?Abd Allah
80. Appointment of al-?Aziz bi'llah as the Next Imam
81. The Demise of al-Mu?izz li-Din Allah
82. Bibliography
83. Index