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The 干偵敬庄糸偵稼-稼偵馨温-yi kab朝r (Great Book of Eternity) was the magnum opus of Fa畍l Allh Astarbd朝 (d. 796/1394) and provided the basis of the 畍ur笛f朝 movement. Today it is one of the most important known texts belonging to the mystical and messianic current that became particularly active in Iran and Anatolia following the Mongol rule. It illuminates the contemporary reconfiguration of religious and political authority along messianic and charismatic lines that took place in the Islamic East, which arguably contributed to the rise and consolidation of the Ottoman, Safawid and Mughal dynasties. Words of Power is the first comprehensive study of Fa畍l Allh’s seminal work. Orkhan Mir-Kasimov summarises Fa畍l Allh’s biography, charts the history of the 畍ur笛f朝 movement, contextualises the 干偵敬庄糸偵稼-稼偵馨温 within Islamic intellectual history, and considers its lasting impact in the Muslim world.
Note on Transliteration and Conventions
Preface and Acknowledgements
Introduction
Fa畍l Allh Astarbd朝 and his Followers
Overview of Academic Research and the Purpose of the Present Book
Puzzle of Fragments: Structure and Language of the 干偵敬庄糸偵稼-稼偵馨温-yi kab朝r
Part I. Cosmogony and Cosmology: The Language of the Creation
1. Primordial Unity: The Semantics of the Creation
2. Manifestation of the Invisible: The Morphology of the Creation
3. Adam and Eve: The Form of the Word
4. Excursus on Knowledge and Love
5. Time: The Receptacle of the Word
6. The Universe: Diversity in the Unity of the Word
Part II : Prophetology: The Descent of the Word and its Return to the Origin
7. Adam and Eve: The Prototype of Prophetic Experience and the Personification of the Prophetic Cycle
8. The Revelation (意温稼噛朝鉛): From the Divine to the Human Language
9. From the Human Word to the Divine Word: Stages of the Return to the Origin (意温幣敬朝鉛)
Joseph: The 意温幣敬朝鉛 of Compound Units
Moses: Fragmentation and 意温幣敬朝鉛
Solomon: The Language of the Birds
10. Jesus and Mu畍ammad: The Motherly (雨馨馨朝) Prophets between 意温稼噛朝鉛 and 意温幣敬朝鉛
Jesus, Son of Mary
Mu畍ammad and the Revelation of the Mother of the Book
11. From Idr朝s to Moses: Other Significant Features of the Prophetic Missions
Part III : Soteriology and Eschatology
12. Ways of Individual Salvation: Paradise of Knowledge and Hell of Ignorance
13. The Last Stage of the Cycle of the Word: The 雨馨馨朝s and the End of Time
Conclusion: The 干偵敬庄糸偵稼-稼偵馨温 in the Context of Islamic Thought
The 干偵敬庄糸偵稼-稼偵馨温 as Qur幣nic Commentary
The 干偵敬庄糸偵稼-稼偵馨温, Sufism and Esoteric Shi平ism
The Messianic Project of the 干偵敬庄糸偵稼-稼偵馨温 and the Use of Christian Apocalyptic Texts
Final Notes
Glossary of Key Technical Terms
Inventory I: 畍ad朝ths and Sayings
Inventory II: Biblical Citations
Index of Qur幣nic Quotations
Persian Text of the Citations
Anonymous Note concerning the Thematic Organisation of the Fragments of the 干偵敬庄糸偵稼-稼偵馨温
Citations from the 干偵敬庄糸偵稼-稼偵馨温
Citations from the Works of Fa畍l Allhs Followers
Astarbd朝 Vocabulary
Bibliography
General Index
Orkhan Mir-Kasimov obtained his PhD in Islamic studies from the cole Pratique des Hautes tudes (Sorbonne University, Paris), and has lectured at the cole Pratique as well as the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilisations (INALCO) in Paris. He is currently a Research Associate at 今叔利 in London. He has published several articles and book chapters on various aspects of 畍ur笛f朝 thought as well as on broader issues related to Islamic mysticism and messianism. His edited volume, Unity in Diversity: Mysticism, Messianism and the Construction of Religious Authority in Islam, was published in 2013.