Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Nasafi

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Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Nasafi
TitleChief
Nasaf
ChildrenMas'ud
Notable work(s)Kitāb al-Maḥṣūl
Known forConversion of Nasr II, introduction of Neoplatonism into Isma'ili theology
Senior posting
PredecessorHusayn ibn Ali al-Marwazi

Abu'l-Hasan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Bazdawi al-Nasafi (or al-Bazdahi, al-Nakhshabi) (died 943/945) was an early 10th-century

antinomian by Isma'ili theologians aligned with the Fatimid Caliphate
.

Life

Al-Nasafi's life is mainly known through later, and mostly hostile

Barda'a, but this has been shown to be erroneous.[3]

The Samanid Empire around the time of al-Nasafi's death

He succeeded

Samanid dynasty under Nasr II (r. 914–943). From early on, al-Nasafi focused his efforts in converting members of the Samanid court at Bukhara, leaving a certain Abu al-Hasan ibn Sawada as his deputy in Marw al-Rudh. His initial efforts apparently failed, and al-Nasafi had to leave Bukhara and returned to his native Nasaf.[3][6] In c. 937/8 he succeeded in converting several high-ranking Samanid officials to Isma'ilism;[6] Nizam al-Mulk provides a list of these initial converts, whose accuracy is open to question, as many of these names are otherwise unknown: al-Nasafi's compatriot Abu Bakr al-Nakhshabi, a boon companion of the Emir, Abu Ash'ath, the Emir's private secretary, Abu Mansur al-Shaghani, inspector of the army, the chamberlain Aytash, Hasan Malik, governor of Ilaq, and the chief court steward (wakil khass), Ali Zarrad.[3][7]

Returning to Bukhara in person, with their aid al-Nasafi finally managed to convert Emir Nasr II and his

Abu Ali Muhammad al-Jayhani.[6] Al-Tha'alibi's account however ascribes the final conversion of Nasr to two other figures, the da'i Ibn Sawada and the secretary Abu al-Tayyib al-Mus'abi.[8] Backed by the emir and his court, al-Nasafi began preaching openly, and even extended his missionary efforts into Sistan.[6] The Isma'ili secretary, al-Mus'abi, even appears to have become vizier in 941/42, succeeding al-Jayhani.[9]

These developments provoked a vehement opposition among the Sunni establishment, and especially the Samanids' Turkic soldiery. According to the story as relayed by Nizam al-Mulk, they began to conspire for a coup, even going as far as offering the throne to one of their commanders. According to Nizam al-Mulk, the Emir's son, Nuh I (r. 943–954), got wind of the conspiracy and persuaded his father to abdicate in his favour.[10][11] As the British historian Samuel Miklos Stern noted in 1960, "it is difficult to disentangle the legendary elements from the true facts" of Nizam al-Mulk's account,[12] especially since the Fihrist does not mention a military plot, but has Nasr 'repenting' of his conversion,[13][14] and al-Tha'alibi's account does not even have Nasr abdicating in favour of his son. Based on al-Tha'alibi, Nasr appears to have remained on his throne until his death in April 943, and it is very likely that he died as an Isma'ili, but that a long illness forced him to withdraw from public affairs earlier than that.[15]

Al-Tha'alibi reports that after Nasr's death and the accession of Nuh, the Isma'ilis tried to convert the new emir as well, but failed.

AH 331 (943 CE), AH 332 (944 CE), or even AH 333 (944/45 CE).[16] Despite the implication in the medieval sources of a systematic anti-Isma'ili purge, this does not appear to have been the case, as several Isma'ili officials—including Ali Zarrad and Abu Mansur al-Shaghani—remained in their place during Nuh's reign.[19] Furthermore, al-Nasafi's son Mas'ud, known by the sobriquet Dihqan, survived, and continued the Isma'ili missionary effort.[6]

Teachings and writings

Al-Nasafi is considered the first Isma'ili theologian to introduce concepts from

Muhammad ibn Isma'il, as the Mahdi, the Islamic messiah.[21]

In c. 912, al-Nasafi wrote a theological treatise, the Kitab al-Mahsul ('Book of the Yield'). It was widely circulated, but it has not survived, except in extensive quotations in the work of the later da'i, Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani.[22] He espoused the idea that the sharia, the religious law of Islam announced by Muhammad, was suspended with the coming of Muhammad ibn Isma'il, and that the subsequent era was one of lawlessness, which would last until Muhammad ibn Isma'il's imminent return, when the true, inner meaning of religion would be revealed.[23]

These views were denounced as

antinomian by more mainstream Isma'ili theologians belonging to the Fatimid-sponsored da'wa, but were popular with the dissident Isma'ili Qarmatians.[22] The Kitab al-Mahsul was thus attacked by al-Nasafi's contemporary da'i, Abu Hatim Ahmad ibn Hamdan al-Razi, in the latter's Kitab al-Islah ('Book of the Correction'); in turn, al-Nasafi's successor, Abu Ya'qub al-Sijistani, wrote the treatise Kitab al-Nusra ('Book of the Support') in defence of al-Nasafi.[4][24]

Two other manuscripts, held at a private library in India, are also ascribed to al-Nasafi.[4]

References

  1. ^ Stern 1960, pp. 56, 79–80.
  2. ^ Crone & Treadwell 2003, pp. 37, 41–42.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Stern 1960, p. 79.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Poonawala 1993, p. 968.
  5. ^ Daftary 2007, p. 225.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Daftary 2007, p. 113.
  7. ^ Crone & Treadwell 2003, pp. 52–53.
  8. ^ Crone & Treadwell 2003, pp. 38, 42.
  9. ^ Crone & Treadwell 2003, pp. 38, 43–45, 55.
  10. ^ Barthold 1968, pp. 243–244.
  11. ^ Crone & Treadwell 2003, pp. 45–46.
  12. ^ Stern 1960, p. 80.
  13. ^ Barthold 1968, p. 244.
  14. ^ Crone & Treadwell 2003, pp. 42–43.
  15. ^ Crone & Treadwell 2003, pp. 43–47.
  16. ^ a b Crone & Treadwell 2003, p. 47.
  17. ^ Crone & Treadwell 2003, pp. 42, 48.
  18. ^ Crone & Treadwell 2003, pp. 42, 47.
  19. ^ Crone & Treadwell 2003, pp. 48, 53.
  20. ^ Daftary 2007, pp. 113, 225, 228.
  21. ^ Crone & Treadwell 2003, pp. 61–67.
  22. ^ a b Daftary 2007, pp. 225–226.
  23. ^ Daftary 2007, p. 226.
  24. ^ Daftary 2007, pp. 225–227.

Sources

  • OCLC 317105274
    .
  • ISBN 978-9-00412864-4
    .
  • ISBN 978-0-521-61636-2
    .
  • Poonawala, I. (1993). "al-Nasafī". In
    ISBN 978-90-04-09419-2
    .
  • S2CID 162532568
    .
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