Ismāʿīlī Theology

Under the influence of Arabic Neoplatonism, the Ismā‘īlī branch of Shī‘ite Islam developed such a radical conception of the absolute transcendence of God that ‘theology’—in the sense of a ‘discourse about God’—becomes for them an impossible science. Overtly hostile to both Ashʿarism and Muʿtazilism,...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: De Smet, Daniel (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Oxford University Press 2014
In: The Oxford handbook of Islamic theology
Year: 2014
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:Under the influence of Arabic Neoplatonism, the Ismā‘īlī branch of Shī‘ite Islam developed such a radical conception of the absolute transcendence of God that ‘theology’—in the sense of a ‘discourse about God’—becomes for them an impossible science. Overtly hostile to both Ashʿarism and Muʿtazilism, Ismā‘īlī authors of the Fātimid period (tenth–eleventh centuries) nevertheless introduced doctrines borrowed from Kalām, but they applied them to the first created being, the Intellect, and not to the Ultimate Principle. Hence, the Word (kalima), the Will (irāda), and the Command (amr) are identified with the Intellect; the ‘most sublime names of God’ are considered as attributes of the Intellect; their plurality does not affect the absolute unity of its essence; moreover, the Intellect is presented as the source of divine revelation.
ISBN:0199696705
Contains:Enthalten in: The Oxford handbook of Islamic theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199696703.013.010