Ismaili Sources, Studies, History and Traditions

Until recently, Ismailis were studied and evaluated almost exclusively on the basis of evidence often fabricated by adversaries. Thus, a variety of legends and misrepresentations circulated in Europe as well as among other Muslim communities regarding the teachings and practices of this Shiʿi Muslim community. With the access of modern scholars to numerous Ismaili manuscript sources, preserved in Yemen, Syria, Iran, Central Asia and India, a completely new image of the Ismailis has emerged. A leading authority in Ismaili studies, Farhad Daftary draws on the results of modern scholarship in the studies collected here on Ismaili history and aspects of Ismaili thought and traditions.

Farhad Daftary, PhD (University of California, Berkeley). Held academic and governmental posts in Iran. In 1988 joined The Institute of Ismaili Studies, where he is currently Director Emeritus and a member of its Board of Governors. He has published some 30 books, which have been translated into Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu and numerous European languages.