An Apocalyptic History of the Early Fatimid Empire
How can religion transform a society? This book investigates the ways in which a medieval Islamic movement harnessed Qur'anic visions of utopia to construct one of the most brilliant empires in Islamic history.

The Fatimids' apocalyptic vision of their central place in an imminent utopia played a critical role in transfiguring the intellectual and political terrains of North Africa in the early tenth century. Yet the realities that they faced on the ground often challenged their status as the custodians of a pristine Islam at the end of time. As well as examining the organisational features of the Fatimid revolution, Jamel Velji shows how the Fatimids viewed their mission as bringing about an imminent utopia. He then looks at how they re-examined their place in history when the expected end failed to materialise.
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An Apocalyptic History of the Early Fatimid Empire
How can religion transform a society? This book investigates the ways in which a medieval Islamic movement harnessed Qur'anic visions of utopia to construct one of the most brilliant empires in Islamic history.

The Fatimids' apocalyptic vision of their central place in an imminent utopia played a critical role in transfiguring the intellectual and political terrains of North Africa in the early tenth century. Yet the realities that they faced on the ground often challenged their status as the custodians of a pristine Islam at the end of time. As well as examining the organisational features of the Fatimid revolution, Jamel Velji shows how the Fatimids viewed their mission as bringing about an imminent utopia. He then looks at how they re-examined their place in history when the expected end failed to materialise.
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An Apocalyptic History of the Early Fatimid Empire

An Apocalyptic History of the Early Fatimid Empire

by Jamel Velji
An Apocalyptic History of the Early Fatimid Empire

An Apocalyptic History of the Early Fatimid Empire

by Jamel Velji

Paperback(Reprint)

$29.95 
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Overview

How can religion transform a society? This book investigates the ways in which a medieval Islamic movement harnessed Qur'anic visions of utopia to construct one of the most brilliant empires in Islamic history.

The Fatimids' apocalyptic vision of their central place in an imminent utopia played a critical role in transfiguring the intellectual and political terrains of North Africa in the early tenth century. Yet the realities that they faced on the ground often challenged their status as the custodians of a pristine Islam at the end of time. As well as examining the organisational features of the Fatimid revolution, Jamel Velji shows how the Fatimids viewed their mission as bringing about an imminent utopia. He then looks at how they re-examined their place in history when the expected end failed to materialise.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781474432207
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Publication date: 02/22/2018
Series: Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Apocalypticism and Eschatology
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 184
Product dimensions: 6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jamel Velji is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introducing Ismaili Apocalypses
1. From zahir to batin: An Introduction to Fatimid Hermeneutics
2. Oaths, Taxes, and Tithes: Organizing an Imminent Utopia
3. Ta'wil of an Apocalyptic Transcript I: Kitab al-kashf (Book of unveiling)
4. Ta'wil of an Apocalyptic Transcript II: Kitab al-rushd wa-l-hidaya (Book of righteousness and true guidance)
5. To Temper an Imminent Eschatology: The Contributions of al-Mahdi and Qadi l-Nu'man
6. A Spiritual Progression to a New Eschatological Center: The Ta'wil al-da'a'im on the Hajj
7. Actualizing the End: The Nizari Declaration of the Resurrection
8. From Movement to Text: The Haft-bab
Conclusion
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