Publication

  • Ismaili law is a largely unexplored field of study. Al-Qadiinfo-icon Abu Hanifa al-Nu‘man is generally considered the founder and greatest exponent of Ismaili Jurisprudence. Many of his works have been lost, and information on some others is scattered; yet other works remain in manuscript form, and only a few have been published.

    The present book is a critical edition and translation of al-Nu‘man’s Minhaj al-fara’id, based on its three known copies. It deals with the law of inheritance, one of the most complex in Islamic law. This book determines the time of the composition of the Minhaj al-fara’id, the development and the originality of Ismaili Jurisprudence, and its relation to other schools of law.

    In comparing the Minhaj with two published works (the Da‘a’im al-Islam and Kitab al-iqtisar) as well as a manuscript (Mukhtasar al-athar) of al-Nu‘man, a significant doctrinal evolution clearly emerges, reflecting his early Maliki training and then his work under four Fatimid Imams.

    Download the PDF of the Introduction

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    Acknowledgements

    xi

    Introduction

    1

    1. The life and works of al-Qadiinfo-icon Abu Hanifa al-Nuʿman

    5

    2. Differences among al-Nuʿman’s five Ismaili works, and a comparison of their doctrines with Imami and Sunni doctrines on inheritance

    43

    Conclusion

    81

    Note on the edition

    87

    Translation of the Minhaj al-fara’id

    91

    Bibliography

    125

    English Index

    137

    Arabic Index

    		  

    Arabic Text

    		  

     

     

  • Agostino Cilardo

    English
    Agostino Cilardo is a Full Professor at the ‘Orientale’ (Naples), where he has been the Dean of the Faculty of Arabic-Islamic and Mediterranean Studies. He is the Editor of Studi Magrebini (Naples) and of the series ‘Arabic-Islamic Culture’ (Naples). He is a member of the editorial Board of the Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies and of the Honorary Scientific Board of Studia Asiatica. A specialist in Islamic law, Professor Cilardo has authored several books, includingTeorie sulle origini del diritto islamico (Rome, 1990), Diritto ereditario islamico delle scuole giuridiche ismailita e...Read more