The Shia Ismaili Dawat in Khurasan: From its Early Beginning to the Ghaznawid Era
Article: Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies Vol 8 Issue 1
Abstract: This paper focuses on the rise and development of the Shi’a Isma'ili (hereafter, Isma'ili) history in Khurasan, from its earliest beginning to the end of the Ghaznawid era. It demonstrates that the Isma'ili da‘wat (summons) in Khursan has been a successful endeavour. Its success has mainly been due to the fact that the Isma'ili imams always valued Khurasan as an important and promising land for their da wat mission, which was led and carried by the hard work of the Isma'ili da'is (summoners), who were able to create a strong and resilient dawat network, and convert both laypeople as well as intellectual, military and political elites to the Isma'ili esoteric doctrine. However, this history has often been overlooked and largely remains underexplored because of at least two factors. First, conventional historiography, which still dominates mainstream historiography, mainly focuses on big narratives, and rarely pays attention to the history and events of minority groups. Secondly, anti-Ismaili polemicists intentionally fabricated many narratives about Isma'ili history in order to obscure and disrepute the origin of the Isma'ili imams, their da'is, da wat school, and history. Until the mid-twentieth century, the fabricated accounts, which were considered to be historical facts, dominated the field of Ismaili history. With these two historical realities in mind, this article aims at (a) opening a space for Ismaili history in Khurasan, which has often been kept in the margin of mainstream interpretations; and (b) contributing to our knowledge of the subject by analysing it, from its earliest beginning until the end of the Ghaznawid era, in the light of modern scholarship.
Author: Dr. Yahia Baiza
Link to Full Paper: Academia.edu