Cover -- Contents -- List of Plates -- Foreword -- Preface and Acknowledgements -- Contributors -- List of Reprinted Works -- List of Abbreviations -- Ismaili History and Literary Traditions -- Part One: History and Memoir -- Introduction -- 1 Ibn al-Haytham -- Ibn al-Haytham meets the dai Abu Abd Allah -- The Proof of Excellence and Purity of Imam Ali -- Ibn al-Haytham Takes the Oath of Allegiance -- The Dais of the Kutama -- 2 Jafar b. Ali -- An Incident from al-Mahdi's Journey to North Africa -- al-Mahdi Greets his Troops -- 3 al-Qadi al-Numan -- al-Madhi's Coming from Sijilmasa and his Arrival in Ifriqiya -- Early Decrees of al-Mahdi -- Eulogy of al-Mahdi -- The Administrative System of al-Mahdi -- 4 Idris Imad al-Din -- On the Nurturing of the Imams -- Under the Guidance of the Imam: al-Qadi al-Numan's Compositions -- 5 al-Muayyad fil-Din al-Shirazi -- Fleeing from Shiraz to Ahwaz -- 6 Nasir-i Khusraw -- A Description of the City of Old Cairo -- A Description of the Sultan's Banquet -- The Conduct of the Sultan -- 7 Pir Sabali -- Journey to Central Asia -- Part Two: Faith and Thought -- Introduction -- I: 1 God and Creation -- 1 Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani -- On the Meaning of Tawhid, Muwahhaid and Muwahhad -- 2 Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani -- On the Pure Identity of the Originator -- The Explanation of the World of Intellect and the World of Soul -- 3 Nasir-i Khusraw -- Ontology -- 4 Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani -- That Beauty or Adornment of Nature Is Spiritual -- 5 Ikhwan al-Safa -- The Case of the Animals Versus Man Before the King of the Jinn -- II: Prophethood and Imamate -- 1 Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani -- On the Fifth Creation (Prophethood) -- 2 al-Muayyad fil-Din al-Shirazi -- Reason and Revelation -- 3 Ahmad b. Ibrahim al-Naysaburi -- Affirming the Imamate -- 4 Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani -- In Proof of the Imamate and of its Necessity -- 5 Hasan-i Sabbah.

The Doctrine of Talim -- 6 Nasir al-Din al-Tusi -- Concerning Various Kinds of Submission -- On Prophethood and Imamate -- III: Initiation, Knowledge and Meaning -- 1 Jafar b. Mansur al-Yaman -- Initiation of the Disciple by the Master -- Conversation between Salih and Abu Malik -- 2 Nasir al-Din al-Tusi -- al-Tusi's Search for Knowledge -- 3 Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani -- On the Manner of the Transmission of Spiritual Inspiration -- 4 Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani -- In Proof of the Interpretation of the Revelation -- 5 al-Qadi al-Numan -- The Story of Job -- 6 Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani -- On the Meaning of the Profession of Faith -- On the Meaning of the Cross -- On the Agreement of the Cross with the Profession of Faith -- 7 Nasir-i Khusraw -- On the Establishment of Knowledge -- On the Description of the Subtle Spiritual World -- On the Necessity of Obedience to the Imam of the Time -- On the Tawil of Inna lillahi wa-inna ilayhi rajiun (We Belong to Allah and unto Him We Return) -- IV: Faith and Ethics -- 1 al-Qadi al-Numan -- On Faith (iman) -- On the Distinction between iman (Faith) and islam (Submission) -- 2 Ahmad b. Ibrahim al-Naysaburi -- Qualifications for the Dawa -- Qualifications for a dai -- 3 Nasir al-Din al-Tusi -- On the Refinement of Character -- 4 Nasir al-Din al-Tusi -- Solidarity and Dissociation -- 5 Khayrkhwah-i Harati -- The Epistle -- Part Three: Poetry -- Introduction -- I: Arabic Poetry -- 1 Ibn Hani al-Andalusi -- 2 al-Muayyad fil-Din al-Shirazi -- II: Persian Poetry -- 1 Nasir-i Khusraw -- 2 Hasan-i Mahmud-i Katib -- 3 Nizari Quhistani -- 4 Persian Poets of the Post-Alamut Era -- 5 The Poetry of Central Asia -- III: The Poetry of South Asia -- 1 Pir Shams -- 2 Pir Sadr al-Din -- 3 Pir Hasan Kabir al-Din -- 4 Nur Muhammad Shah -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index.