Dr Omar Ali-de-Unzaga and Dr Daryoush Mohammad Poor presented papers at a conference honouring Professor Ismail Poonawala鈥檚 career held at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) on 23 May 2013.
The conference, 鈥楻eflecting on Ismaili Studies: Standing on Poonawala鈥檚 shoulders鈥 was organised by the G.E. Von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies of UCLA to recognise the achievements of Prof. Poonawala, one of the most prominent contemporary scholars in Ismaili Studies.
An author of numerous studies on Ismaili thought, Prof. Poonawala has produced a number of critical editions of classical Ismaili texts and is best known for his seminal work Biobibliography of Ismaili Literature, which he published in 1977. Prof. Poonawala鈥檚 Biobibliography is one of the most complete records of its kind, as it offers a survey of all known Ismaili authors (more than 200) and their works (around 1300 titles). He also identifies the collections in which these manuscripts are located. Prof. Poonawala is currently preparing a new edition of this monumental work. He has also published several edited and annotated volumes from the literary, legal and philosophical works of the Fatimid period including Qadi al-Nu鈥榤an鈥檚 Pillars of Islam and Abu Ya鈥榪ub al-Sijistani鈥檚 al-Iftikhar and al-Maqalid al-malakutiyya.
Omar Al铆-de-Unzaga鈥檚 talk was divided into two parts. First, he surveyed those publications by Prof. Poonawala that represent a contribution to our understanding of the Ismailis鈥 approaches to the 蚕耻谤鈥檃苍Muslims believe that the Holy 蚕耻谤鈥檃苍 contains divine revelations to the Prophet Muhammed received in Mecca and Medina over a period of 23 years in the early 7th century CE. More. Secondly, he analysed selected texts by Ismaili authors, particularly focusing on a fragment from al-Qadi聽al-Nu鈥榤an鈥檚 Ta鈥檞il聽al-Shari鈥榓聽and its stance on the nature and language of the 蚕耻谤鈥檃苍.
Daryoush Mohammad Poor鈥檚 presentation discussed how Prof. Poonawala may be regarded as a scholar whose work provides a foundation for a critical rationalist approach to how Ismaili thinkers dealt with philosophy. He explored the historical evidence of the favourable treatment of philosophy and rationalist traditions by Ismaili thinkers of the Fatimid and AlamutFortress of the Nizari Ismailis in northern Iran, which fell to the Mongols in 654 AH/1256 CE. periods and discussed how the IsmailisAdherents of a branch of Shi’i Islam that considers Ismail, the eldest son of the Shi’i Imam Ja士far al-峁⒛乨iq (d. 765), as his successor. engaged with cosmology and science. The paper proposed a critical rationalist reading of the Ismaili intellectual tradition not as an effort to revive the legacy of earlier generations but to demonstrate that at various junctures in their history, prominent Ismaili scholars were able to engage in dialogue and critical debate among themselves and with others.
Dr Sumayya Hamdani, an Associate Professor of History and Art History at George Mason University in Virginia, also presented at the conference, giving a nuanced analysis of Professor Poonawala鈥檚 educational trajectory from his early studies with his father onwards.
Speaking about the contribution of Professor Poonawala to Ismaili Studies, Dr Farhad Daftary, the Co-Director of the IIS has said: 鈥淚n addition to his scholarly publications in the field of Ismaili Studies, Professor Poonawala鈥檚 bio-bibliographical work has provided an indispensable resource for Ismaili studies. His unparalleled knowledge of the Ismaili manuscript sources and their locations has, thus, provided a unique foundation for further progress in the field of Ismaili scholarship.鈥