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Medieval Islamic philosophers were occupied with questions of cosmology, predestination and salvation and human responsibility for actions. For IsmailisAdherents of a branch of Shi’i Islam that considers Ismail, the eldest son of the Shi’i Imam Ja平far al-畊diq (d. 765), as his successor., the related notions of religious leadership, namely the imamate, and the eschatological role of the prophets and imams were equally central. These were also a matter of doctrinal controversy within the so-called Iranian school of Ismaili philosophical theology. 畍am朝d al-D朝n al-Kirmn朝 (d. after 411/1020) was one of the most important theologians in the Fatimid period, who rose to prominence during the reign of the imam-caliph al-畍つkim bi-Amr Allh (r. 386/996411/1021). He is renowned for blending the Neoplatonic philosophical heritage with Ismaili religious tradition. This book provides an analysis of al-Kirmn朝s thought and sheds new light on the many layers of allusion which characterise his writings. Through a translation and analytical commentary of the eighth chapter of al-Kirmn朝s Kitb al-檎庄霞偵畍 (Book of Meadows), which is devoted to the subject of divine preordination and human redemption, Maria De Cillis shows readers first-hand his theologically distinctive interpretation of 援温畍幣Divine decree. In the Qur’an, it does not appear as a noun, but as a verb meaning ‘to decree, determine.’ Together with qadar this concept featured in theological disputes on… and qadarDerived from Q. 33:38, etc and often translated as ‘destiny,’ ‘fate,’ or predestination. See 援温畍幣. (divine decree and destiny). Here, al-Kirmn朝 attempts to harmonise the views of earlier renowned Ismaili missionaries, Ab笛 畍つtim A畍mad b. 畍amdn al-Rz朝 (d. 322/934), Mu畍ammad b. A畍mad al-Nasaf朝 (d. 331/942) and Ab笛 Ya平q笛b Is畍ツq b. A畍mad al-Sijistn朝 (d. c. 361/971). De Cillis skilfully guides the reader through al-Kirmn朝s metaphysical and esoteric correspondences, offering new insights into Shi平i/Ismaili philosophical thought which will be of great interest to those in the field of Shi平i studies and, more broadly, to scholars of medieval philosophy.
List of Abbreviations
List of Tables
Note on the Text
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part I: Delineating al-Kirmn朝s Theoretical System
1. The Plotinian Legacy and al-Sijistn朝s Influence: A Preliminary Approach to al-Kirmn朝s Understanding of the Intellect
2. Al-Kirmn朝s Views on the Agent and the Nature of the Intellect
3. Meritorious Determination: Outlining al-Kirmn朝s Cosmological Scheme
4. The Human Soul and Providence
5. Human Actions in the Realm of Acquisition
6. The Intellects Knowledge of Particulars
7. Drawing Correspondences between the 平lam al-wa畍da and the 平lam al-d朝n
Part II: A Translation with Analytical Commentary of Chapter Eight of al-Kirmn朝s Kitb al-檎庄霞偵畍
Overview of the 援温畍幣 wal-qadar Debate in the 檎庄霞偵畍
酷温畊l One
酷温畊l Two
酷温畊l Three
酷温畊l Four
酷温畊l Five
酷温畊l Six
酷温畊l Seven
酷温畊l Eight
酷温畊l Nine
酷温畊l Ten
酷温畊l Eleven
酷温畊l Twelve
酷温畊l Thirteen
酷温畊l Fourteen
酷温畊l Fifteen
酷温畊l Sixteen
酷温畊l Seventeen
酷温畊l Eighteen
酷温畊l Nineteen
酷温畊l Twenty
酷温畊l Twenty-one
酷温畊l Twenty-two
酷温畊l Twenty-three
酷温畊l Twenty-four
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Maria De Cillis is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, where she is also the Managing Editor of the Shi平i Heritage Series. She has authored Free Will and Predestination in Islamic Thought: Theoretical Compromises in the Works of Avicenna, Ghazl朝 and Ibn 平Arab朝 (2014) and has co-edited Shi平i Esotericism: Roots and Developments (2016) as well as writing a number of journal articles and encyclopaedia entries. She has taught medieval Islamic philosophy and speculative theology at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and at Birkbeck College, University of London. Her research interests include Islamic philosophy, Sufism, Shii esotericism and Ismaili philosophy.