Abstract
The study presents and analyzes Kitàb al-ma'àrif by Abù Sa'ìd Maymùn b. al-Qàsim al- Tabarànì (d. 426/1034-35), an outstanding Nusayrì leader and a prolific author in the formative period of the Nusayrì religion. Inner knowledge (ma'rifa) constitutes the conceptual core of the treatise, whose twenty-three chapters deal with esoteric knowledge of various aspects of religion. The article focuses on the central theological issues discussed by al-Tabarànì, such as manifestations of the deity, in human form and in the historical Si'i Imams, and knowledge of God through visual perception. It further discusses certain ritual issues - such as the antinomian stance toward Muslim law, especially regarding the five pillars of Islam, as well as al-Tabarànì's uncommon view of taqiyya.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 43-65 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Arabica |
Volume | 52 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Jan 2005 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cultural Studies
- Language and Linguistics
- Religious studies
- Literature and Literary Theory