|
|
As a result of this schism, several groups developed within the Shī
ī Islam, including the Ismāīlīs—the partisans of al-
ādiq’s eldest son, Ismāīl. During the long and complicated course of their history, the Ismāīlīs managed to establish themselves not only as an organised religious community, but also as a strong political power, such as the Fā
imids in Egypt and the Nizarīs in Iran. From the fall of the Alamūt (13th AC) strongholds until the new Ismāīlī revival in Anjudān, Iran (15th AC), there was a period of anxiety and sorrow for the Ismāīlīs, during which they were persecuted as heretics. Consequently, it was a time of concealment (satr) when the Ismāīlīs had to conceal their real identity (the so-called method of taqiyya) under the umbrellas of Sufism, the Twelver Shīism and even Sunnism. In modern times, under the leadership of the Aga Khans, especially the last two (Aga Khan III, d.1957 and the current Ismāīli Imam, Aga Khan IV), the Ismāīlī community firmly established itself in India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Syria, North Africa, Europe and North America. The socio-economic and cultural branch of the Ismāīlī Imamate—the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)—is a powerful NGO, aiming to improve the quality of life in the developing countries. For a detailed account of the Ismāīlī history and doctrines, refer to Farhad Daftary, The Ismāīlīs: Their History and Doctrines (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990).
ī Islam, including the Ismāīlīs—the partisans of al-ādiq’s eldest son, Ismāīl. During the long and complicated course of their history, the Ismāīlīs managed to establish themselves not only as an organised religious community, but also as a strong political power, such as the Fāimids in Egypt and the Nizarīs in Iran. From the fall of the Alamūt (13th AC) strongholds until the new Ismāīlī revival in Anjudān, Iran (15th AC), there was a period of anxiety and sorrow for the Ismāīlīs, during which they were persecuted as heretics. Consequently, it was a time of concealment (satr) when the Ismāīlīs had to conceal their real identity (the so-called method of taqiyya) under the umbrellas of Sufism, the Twelver Shīism and even Sunnism. In modern times, under the leadership of the Aga Khans, especially the last two (Aga Khan III, d.1957 and the current Ismāīli Imam, Aga Khan IV), the Ismāīlī community firmly established itself in India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, Syria, North Africa, Europe and North America. The socio-economic and cultural branch of the Ismāīlī Imamate—the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)—is a powerful NGO, aiming to improve the quality of life in the developing countries. For a detailed account of the Ismāīlī history and doctrines, refer to Farhad Daftary, The Ismāīlīs: Their History and Doctrines (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990).
11. To date, one of the best examples of Sufi poetic influence on the Ismāīlī tradition of the post-Alamut period is Nizārī Quhistānī (d.1321). For a detail examination of him, see Nadia Jamal, Surviving the Mongols: Quhistānī and the Continuity of Ismāīlī Tradition in Persia (London: Tauris, IIS, 2002). Leonard Lewishon, “Sufism and Ismāīlī Doctrine in the Persian Poetry of Nizārī Quhistānī (645–721/1247–1321)” Iran: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies 12 (2003): 229–251.
īlī tradition of the post-Alamut period is Nizārī Quhistānī (d.1321). For a detail examination of him, see Nadia Jamal, Surviving the Mongols: Quhistānī and the Continuity of Ismāīlī Tradition in Persia (London: Tauris, IIS, 2002). Leonard Lewishon, “Sufism and Ismāīlī Doctrine in the Persian Poetry of Nizārī Quhistānī (645–721/1247–1321)” Iran: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies 12 (2003): 229–251.
12. Rūmī is very popular in Badakhshan under the name of his spiritual guide, Shams-i Tabrīzī, to whom he dedicated almost all his works. His lyrics, like those of Aār, Sanā
ī, 
āfi
and many other Sufi mystics constitute the main body of the local sacred songs, referred to as the madô or qa
āid (plural of qaīda). For a comprehensive study on Pamiri poetic and musical tradition, see G. Van Den Berg, “Minstrel Poetry from the Pamir Mountains: A Study of the Songs and Poems of the Ismailis of Tajik Badakhshan” (PhD thesis, State University of Leiden, 1997).
Aār, Sanāī, āfi and many other Sufi mystics constitute the main body of the local sacred songs, referred to as the madô or qaāid (plural of qaīda). For a comprehensive study on Pamiri poetic and musical tradition, see G. Van Den Berg, “Minstrel Poetry from the Pamir Mountains: A Study of the Songs and Poems of the Ismailis of Tajik Badakhshan” (PhD thesis, State University of Leiden, 1997).