Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: Anti-Ismaili works frequently argued that the Ismailites abrogated the Islamic Law/Shariat. But a closer examination of Ismailite and nonIsmailite works about this subject will indicate that early Ismailite practice varied from region to region. We noticed that in the earliest Ismailism before the Fatimid-Qarmati schism in 286/899 the Shariat wasn't abrogated. After the schism most Qarmati groups seem to have cancelled the Shariat, while the Fatimids continued to obey to the Shariat. However, it may also be said that there were some groups in Qarmatis which didn't caneel the Shariat, but kept to obey it. The main reason lying in the abrogation of the Shariat by the Qarmatis was their belief that the seventh epoch in which the Mahdi would appear now inaugurated. According to them, with the disappearance of Muhammad b. ısmail, as the Qaim and Mahdi, the Shariat had come to an end and thus starting the seventh and last period during which the Shariat would no langer be in force. This idea was held particularly by the Qrmati groups in Bahrain and Khurasan and Transoxania whose one of the most prominent leader was aiNasafı (ca. 343/954). Nevertheless, same other groups for example those were led t;ıy AbO Hatim al-Razi (d. 322/934-35) continued to adhere to the Shariat. Accordingly, it will not be true to claim that all the Qarmati groups cancelled the Shariat
Source: DergiPark (Istanbul University)
Author: Avcu, Ali
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2946486825