Studies In Early Ismāʻīlism

by Stern

Economy and Society in an Ottoman Bursa, 1600-1700 Prof. Haim Gerber Monograph III, 227 pp., 1988 This book is devoted to the social and economic history of the western Anatolian city of Bursa in the 17th century. During this period, Bursa was a major Middle Eastern center. The study examines the economic activity of the city (commerce, crafts and banking) and attempts to evaluate the role of the waqf in this sphere. The author has based himself primarily on legal documents preserved in the city's archives. A major concern of this book is whether a decline occurred in the Ottoman Empire at this time. The author concludes that this is primarily true for the end of the century, but that this decline was cyclical rather than long-term. The author also points out that the gap between East and West was not as great as is often assumed.

227 pages, Leather Bound

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Max Schloessinger Memorial Foundation · Rating 5 out of 5]

Studies in Early Ismā‘īlism
Prof. Samuel M. Stern
Monograph I, [ISBN 965-223-388-9], 340 pp., 1983

Studies in Early Ismā‘īlism by Samuel Miklos Stern (1920-1969) treats major aspects of the history and doctrine of Ismā‘īlī Shī‘ism, one of Stern's main fields of research. Basing himself largely on previously untapped sources, Stern deals with central questions such as the dating and authorship of the Epistles of Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ, and the historical and doctrinal affinity between the Qarmatians of Bahrayn and the Fātimīs, the two prevailing Ismā‘īlī groups in the formative period of Ismā‘īlism.
The chapter on Abū Hātim al-Rāzī's analysis of Persian religions is an exemplary study in comparative religion. It shows how Abū Hātim and other leading Ismā‘īlī philosophers accommodated sects like the Zoroastrians and Sābians to the Ismā‘īlī system, and explores their attitude to religious leaders like Mazdak, Mānī, Daysān and Zoroaster.
Another outstanding study included in the book - Abū-'l-Qāsim al-Bustī and his refutation of Ismā‘īlism - impressively demonstrates how a polemical treatise can also be used as a source for the reconstruction of early Ismā‘īlī history. This book, a unique treasure trove of erudition, will be of great interest to students of medieval Muslim doctrine, philosophy and history.
The late Samuel Stern was a senior research fellow of All Souls' College and lecturer in the History of Islamic Civilization at Oxford University.

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