The Ismaili-Sufi Sage of Pamir: Mubarak-i Wakhani and the Esoteri ...

Very little scholarly attention has been paid towards the study of the religious history of the peoples of Pamir and their intellectual representatives. This, however, does not mean that the subject is unimportant; on the contrary, case studies of particular individuals, like Mubārak, show that the popular religious tradition of the people of Pamir was strongly supported by the constant intellectual contributions of its eminent scholars.

At the risk of labouring the obvious, it is important to note that when the word ‘Ismāīlism’ is attached to any adjective derived from a name of a locality, such as ‘Pamiri’, it not only changes the meaning of the adjective from a geographic to a religious sense, but also redefines the application of Ismāīlī beliefs and practices accordingly. Here, the phrase ‘Pamiri Ismāīlism’ is employed in relation to the Ismāīlī religious tradition, its historical development and doctrinal enhancement among the mountain people of Wakhān, Ishkāshim, Ghārān, Shākhdara, Shughnān, Bartang, Rushān and partly Murghāb and Darvāz.⁸ It is true that the core principle of the Ismāīlī doctrine—the belief in an unrestricted religious authority and rightful guidance of the Ismāīlī Imam, whose authority is based on the concept of ahl al-bayt (the family of the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fāima and his cousin and son in law Alī)—is what unifies the entire Ismāīlī community around the world. Nevertheless, the practice of the faith had always varied from one cultural tradition to another, depending on each tradition’s historical and geographic background.⁹ The practical application of this local diversity can be observed in a variety of rites and rituals, such as madô (derived from Arabic mad, i.e., praise, a devotional poetic and musical performance), Charāgh-Rūshan (‘Candle Lighting’, an action associated with the funeral ceremony), Āshurā (ten days of moaning in honour of Imam usayn) and many others in the context of Pamir. For its theoretical expression, nevertheless, one should consider the works of the local intellectuals, like Mubārak-i Wakhānī, who indeed is a window to understanding the complexities of the Pamiri Ismāīlī tradition throughout history.

In order to determine his place in the diverse Ismāīlī tradition of the people of Pamir, the first chapter of this study presents a brief historical survey of this tradition since its establishment up until the time of Mubārak.