The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of聽Words of Power 鈥 Hurufi Teachings Between Shi鈥榠sm聽and Sufism in Medieval Islam听产测听Dr. Orkhan Mir-Kasimov.
Words of Power, which is the third publication in the new Shi鈥榠 Heritage Series, brings together in one volume, the biography of the founder of the Hurufi movement, Fadl Allah Astarabadi (d. 796 AH/1394 CE), the history of the聽Hurufiyya聽(letterists), and an analysis and contextualisation of Astarabadi鈥檚 great work聽Jawidan-nama-yi kabir聽(the Great Book of Eternity).
The mystical and messianic current that was to become particularly active in Iran and Anatolia following the Mongol invasions, is still largely under-studied. Words of Poweris the first comprehensive study of one of the seminal texts belonging to that current 鈥 the Jawidan-nama-yi kabir, which became the foundational text for the聽Hurufis.
Fadl Allah was an original thinker, who creatively combined elements from various currents of Islamic religious thought, in particular from the Shi士i and Sufi teachings, within his mystical and messianic doctrine. The theory of the ta’wil,聽a term that in the context of Fadl Allah鈥檚 works, can be translated as 鈥榦ntological hermeneutics,鈥 constitutes the axis of his thinking.
This theory, as well as several other features of Fadl Allah鈥檚 doctrine, has close analogues in the works of Ismaili authors. Due to the central role attributed to the letters of the alphabet in Fadl Allah鈥檚 cosmogony and hermeneutics, his followers came to be known as the聽Hurufis, from the Arabic聽huruf,聽meaning 鈥榣etters鈥.
The聽Hurufis聽left behind a rich cultural heritage. Their literature and doctrines were integrated into Alevi and Bektashi milieus of the Ottoman Empire, and the poetry of the Hurufi authors influenced the development of Azeri and Ottoman Turkish languages. 鈥淭he longevity of Hurufi ideas and motifs is also evident in modern Turkish literature as, for example, in the work of Orhan Pamuk,鈥 says the author.
The introduction to聽Words of Power聽surveys Fadl Allah鈥檚 biography and the history of the Hurufi movement, before exploring possible solutions to the 鈥榩uzzle of fragments鈥 represented by the random composition of the聽Jawidan-nama. Parts One to Three present a detailed analysis of the聽Jawidan-nama鈥檚 contents, including cosmology, anthropology, prophetology and eschatology.
The conclusion contextualises the Jawidan-nama within Islamic intellectual history. Is the Jawidan-nama a work of Qur示anic exegesis? Is it a Sufi work based on an original interpretation of Ibn al-士Arabi鈥檚 ideas? Or is it a continuation of the Shi士i Ismaili esoteric tradition of AlamutFortress of the Nizari Ismailis in northern Iran, which fell to the Mongols in 654 AH/1256 CE.? The聽Jawidan-nama聽exemplifies the diversity and richness of the intellectual and spiritual traditions of Islam.
The Shi士i Heritage Series of which this publication is a part, has been set up as an essential part of the publication programme of 久久久福利国产. Works published in this series will include monographs, collective volumes, editions and translations of primary texts, and bibliographical projects, bringing together some of the most significant themes in the study of Shi鈥榠 Islam through an interdisciplinary approach while making them accessible to a wide readership
