Ismaili-Sufi Relationships in the Light of the Ni'mat Allahi Manuscripts in the Holdings of the Institute of Ismaili Studies
Book Chapter in "Texts, Scribes and Transmission: Manuscript Cultures of the Ismaili Communities and Beyond"
“Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walī (d. 834/1430–1431) was a famous Sufi master and the founder of an influential Sufi order. It is well known that the Ismailis and the Niʿmat Allāhīs had a long history of close and friendly relationships. However, while the historical aspect of this relationship has attracted some scholarly attention, our knowledge concerning its intellectual aspect, that is, each group’s awareness of the other’s doctrines, is still very limited. The present paper aims at addressing this latter point by focussing on some manuscripts attributed to Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walī and preserved in the Ismaili Special Collections Unit at The Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) in London. These manuscripts, which include prose and poetry, come from private Ismaili libraries in Badakhshān (Tajikistan and Afghanistan). Ismaili communities of these regions regard Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walī as their co-religionist and his works, especially the poetry attributed to him, are still popular and are recited during religious ceremonies. This seems also confirmed by the existence of very recent (20th century) copies among the manuscripts collected and preserved at the IIS. Is there anything in the nature and contents of these works attributed to Shāh Niʿmat Allāh Walī that explains their incorporation as part of the Ismaili spiritual and intellectual heritage? Information concerning the reception and transmission of the Niʿmat Allāhī texts in Ismaili milieus could provide some useful highlights to complement our knowledge of historical relationships between the Ismailis and Niʿmat Allāhis.” (Orkhan Mir-Kasimov)
Author: Dr. Orkhan Mir-Kasimov
Link to Full Chapter: Texts, Scribes and Transmission: Manuscript Cultures of the Ismaili Communities and Beyond