Jamel A. Velji
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780748690886
- eISBN:
- 9781474427104
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748690886.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
The Fatimids’ apocalyptic vision of their central place in an imminent utopia played a critical role in transfiguring the intellectual and political terrains of North Africa in the early tenth ...
More
The Fatimids’ apocalyptic vision of their central place in an imminent utopia played a critical role in transfiguring the intellectual and political terrains of North Africa in the early tenth century. Yet the realities that they faced on the ground often challenged their status as the custodians of a pristine Islam at the end of time. Through an examination of a variety of sources including works of taʾwīl or symbolic interpretation, this book illustrates some of the specific structures and functions of Fatimid apocalypticism. It then examines how various components of the apocalyptic myth—especially the utopia that it promised—evolved in response to shifting historical circumstances. The book also focuses on how the evolution of apocalyptic symbolism was related to the Fatimids’ consolidation of authority. The book ends with an extensive analysis of both the ritual and textual dimensions of another apocalyptic event linked to a Fatimid lineage: the Nizari Ismaili declaration of the end of time on August 8, 1164.Less
The Fatimids’ apocalyptic vision of their central place in an imminent utopia played a critical role in transfiguring the intellectual and political terrains of North Africa in the early tenth century. Yet the realities that they faced on the ground often challenged their status as the custodians of a pristine Islam at the end of time. Through an examination of a variety of sources including works of taʾwīl or symbolic interpretation, this book illustrates some of the specific structures and functions of Fatimid apocalypticism. It then examines how various components of the apocalyptic myth—especially the utopia that it promised—evolved in response to shifting historical circumstances. The book also focuses on how the evolution of apocalyptic symbolism was related to the Fatimids’ consolidation of authority. The book ends with an extensive analysis of both the ritual and textual dimensions of another apocalyptic event linked to a Fatimid lineage: the Nizari Ismaili declaration of the end of time on August 8, 1164.
Jamel A. Velji
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780748690886
- eISBN:
- 9781474427104
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748690886.003.0008
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
This chapter provides a historical overview and analysis of the Nizari Ismaili declaration of the Resurrection (qiyāma) on August 8, 1164. It argues that this declaration cannot be dismissed as an ...
More
This chapter provides a historical overview and analysis of the Nizari Ismaili declaration of the Resurrection (qiyāma) on August 8, 1164. It argues that this declaration cannot be dismissed as an aberrant manifestation of antinomianism. Rather, it shows how the deployment of apocalyptic symbolism provided a theological framework for the transfer of authority from hidden to present imam. This transfer of authority provided a resolution to three logistical problems facing the Nizari community.Less
This chapter provides a historical overview and analysis of the Nizari Ismaili declaration of the Resurrection (qiyāma) on August 8, 1164. It argues that this declaration cannot be dismissed as an aberrant manifestation of antinomianism. Rather, it shows how the deployment of apocalyptic symbolism provided a theological framework for the transfer of authority from hidden to present imam. This transfer of authority provided a resolution to three logistical problems facing the Nizari community.
Jamel A. Velji
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780748690886
- eISBN:
- 9781474427104
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748690886.003.0009
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
This chapter examines the Haft-Bāb, a document recounting the theology behind the Nizari Ismaili declaration of the Resurrection (qiyāma) written approximately 40 years after the event. It ...
More
This chapter examines the Haft-Bāb, a document recounting the theology behind the Nizari Ismaili declaration of the Resurrection (qiyāma) written approximately 40 years after the event. It illustrates how the Haft-Bāb disclosed a new universe in which humanity was classified into three categories, categories based upon one’s spiritual relationship with the imam. This chapter also illustrates how temporality was envisioned in this new realm, as well as how one could obtain salvation. It then illustrates how some of the ideas of the resurrection were deployed by another exegete, Naṣīr al-Dīn Ṭūsī, in eschatological ways and non-eschatological ways to construct a paradigm of ethical behaviour. This examination, in turn, illustrates how apocalyptic and eschatological symbols can be reinvested with new meanings after they become decoupled from an immediate eschatology.Less
This chapter examines the Haft-Bāb, a document recounting the theology behind the Nizari Ismaili declaration of the Resurrection (qiyāma) written approximately 40 years after the event. It illustrates how the Haft-Bāb disclosed a new universe in which humanity was classified into three categories, categories based upon one’s spiritual relationship with the imam. This chapter also illustrates how temporality was envisioned in this new realm, as well as how one could obtain salvation. It then illustrates how some of the ideas of the resurrection were deployed by another exegete, Naṣīr al-Dīn Ṭūsī, in eschatological ways and non-eschatological ways to construct a paradigm of ethical behaviour. This examination, in turn, illustrates how apocalyptic and eschatological symbols can be reinvested with new meanings after they become decoupled from an immediate eschatology.
