One of the most celebrated religious authorities and a foundational figure of Shi尪i Islam, Mu廎仟mmad ibn Ya尪q贖b al-Kulayn蘋 (d. ca. 940 CE) set out an extraordinarily wide-ranging and coherent set of doctrinal and legal traditions derived from the Shi尪i Imams, thus playing a leading role in the unification and, consequently, the consolidation of the Imami faith. His Book of the Proof (Kitb al-廎工jja), part of the Sufficient Book (Kitb al-Kf蘋), is considered the first among the four most important works on Shi尪i hadith, and its significance for the formation and development of Shi尪i beliefs and doctrines cannot be overestimated.
The present volume is an English translation of the award-winning French translation and commentary by Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi on the Book of the Proof. Amir-Moezzis approach to the study of the early Shi尪i traditions in this work is characterised by a keen interest in the esoteric, mystical aspects. By elaborating on the nature of the Proof, which in Shi尪i terminology identifies the central figure, i.e. the guide (Imam) of mystical spirituality, Amir-Moezzis study portrays Shi尪i Islam, not merely as the politico-religious ideology of its clergy, but above all as a multifaceted and inspirational religion.
Translators Preface
Notes on the English Translation
Glossary
Preface to the French Edition
Note on Transliteration
Note to the Reader (French Edition)
Introduction to the French Edition
Acknowledgements (French Edition)
Important Dates and Milestones (1st4th/7th10th Centuries)
Part One: Religion of the Divine Word Made into Man
1. At the Beginnings of History
2. The Religion of the Imam
3. Some Historical Imams
4. The Proof Beyond Time
5. The Proofs Dual Nature
6. The Continuity of Prophecy
Part Two: The Mystical Nature of the Imam in the Book of the Proof
7. Brief Remarks on Shi尪i Holy Scriptures
8. Al-Kulayn蘋 and the Book of the Proof
9. Excerpts from the Book of the Proof
Epilogue
Return to History: Between Mystical Wisdom and Political Temptation
Tables
Bibliography and Abbreviations
General Index
Index of 紮喝娶a紳ic Citations
Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi is a professor at the cole Pratique des Hautes tudes/PSL (Sorbonne), a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, and a member of the Accademia Ambrosiana and of the Advisory Board of the Societas Iranologica Europaea, while serving also on numerous academic committees. Among his monographs are: The Divine Guide in Early Shi尪ism (1994), The Spirituality of Shi尪i Islam (2013), The Silent 紮喝娶a紳Muslims believe that the Holy 紮喝娶a紳 contains divine revelations to the Prophet Muhammed received in Mecca and Medina over a period of 23 years in the early 7th century CE. More and the Speaking 紮喝娶a紳 (2015), and Ali, The Well-Guarded Secret (2022). Among the collective works directed by him are: Le Dictionnaire du Coran (2007) and Le Coran des historiens (2019).
Translators:
Maria De Cillis is a Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, where she is also the Managing Editor of the Shi尪i Heritage Series. She has authored Salvation and Destiny in Islam (2018), Free Will and Predestination in Islamic Thought (2014) and has co-edited Lsot矇risme shi尪ite, ses racines et ses prolongements.
Orkhan Mir-Kasimov is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Ismaili Studies and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He previously worked at various research centres in France and Germany. He has edited and co-edited several volumes and authored Words of Power: 廎工r贖f蘋 Teachings between Shi尪ism and Sufism in Medieval Islam (2015) and Christian Apocalyptic Texts in Islamic Messianic Discourse (2017).