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The Scent of the Scarlet Pimpernels: Ismaili Leaders of the 11th Century AH/17th Century AD
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Shafique N. Virani *    , Seddigheh Kardan |
| Distinguished Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Toronto, Founding Director of the Center for South Asian Civilizations, University of Toronto, Canada , shafique.virani@utoronto.ca |
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Abstract: (2727 Views) |
Ismaili and anti-Ismaili sources differ dramatically in how they depict the Ismaili “inviters” (dāʿīs). To Ismaili authors, the inviters were noble, kind, and pious believers who propagated the true message of Islam, while to their detractors the inviters were sinister, unscrupulous villains. However, all agreed on one feature: the inviters generally worked discreetly and anonymously, far from the prying eyes of hostile authorities. Thus, the 11th/17th-century poem of the Ismaili Khālū Maḥmūd ʿAlī, edited and analyzed in this article, is a rarity. The poet enumerates Ismaili notables in locations scattered throughout Khurāsān, Quhistān, Badakhshān, ʿIrāq, Turkistān, and Hindūstān in a period in which we know almost nothing about the Ismailis. The article discusses the existing manuscripts of the poem and its prosody. It continues by providing a critical edition, discusses elements in the poem that reflect the literary genre of “prayers of proximity” (duʿā-yi taqarrub), and analyzes what we can deduce about the poet himself.
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| Keywords: Ismaili, pious circumspection (taqīyyah), Scarlet Pimpernel, inviter (dāʿī), prayers of proximity (duʿā-yi taqarrub), Khurāsān, Quhistān, Badakhshān, ʿIrāq, Turkistān, Hindustān (India), Shāh ʿAbbās II. |
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Full-Text [PDF 1385 kb]
(2063 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Iran History of Safavid Period
Received: 2022/06/24 | Revised: 2023/04/7 | Accepted: 2022/11/23 | Published: 2022/12/31 | ePublished: 2022/12/31
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