| Publication |
2011.
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| Summary/Abstract |
As a key primary source for the history of the eleventh-century Isma'ili majlis, the Fatimid chief missionary al-Mu'ayyad fi al-Din al-Shirazi's autobiographical Sira offers a prime opportunity to consider the application of centralizing features of the Fatimid state in eleventh-century Buyid Shiraz. Previous studies on the Fatimid majlis have raised questions about an Isma'ili core curriculum as well as the intended audience/s of Fatimid da'wa teachings. This article situates al-Mu'ayyad's memoir in the broader context of the Persian and Arabic historiographical traditions in order to provide new insights into the transmission of Isma'ili doctrines in different social settings outside of Fatimid Cairo. It concludes that Abu Kalijar's study sessions with al-Mu'ayyad suggest that Qadi al-Nu'man's Kitab Da'a'im al-Islam was used as a core text for introducing some of the main principles of Fatimid religio-political rule in addition to Isma'ili doctrines to non-Isma'ili audiences.
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