The role of the political and religious crises of the Fatimid Caliphate in shaping the idea of the Ismaili Imamate; A Case Study of Ithbāt al-Imāma by Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Nīsābūrī

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of History, Department of History, Faculty of Literature and Humanities , Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

2 Associate Professor of history of Islam, Shahid Chamran university of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

3 Master in History of islam, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

10.22111/jhr.2025.52328.3802

Abstract

Unlike the Sunni conception, the Shi‘i theory of imamate is fundamentally a priori. Nevertheless, the practical requirements of governance in Egypt produced notable shifts in the Fatimid interpretation of the doctrine of imamate. The caliphate of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah marked a critical moment that pushed the Ismaili da‘wa organization from a purely a priori theorization toward a more a posteriori engagement with political realities. Given the significance of this transition in the history of Shi‘i thought, the present article seeks to answer the following question: What role did the political and religious crises of al-Hakim’s caliphate play in shaping the Ismaili conception of the imamate?
To address this question, the study adopts a conceptual-history approach to examine the treatise Ithbat al-Imama by al-Nishaburi as a case study. The application of this method demonstrates that the extreme fluctuations in al-Hakim’s policies, the doubts cast by the Abbasid caliph al-Qadir regarding the Alid lineage of the Fatimids, and the weakening of Fatimid legitimacy under the influence of extremist claims of al-Hakim’s divinity constituted the crises that compelled al-Nishaburi to formulate a retrospective reinterpretation of the Ismaili doctrine of imamate.
Thus, al-Nishaburi not only defended the necessity of a divinely designated imamate in its Shi‘i sense but also sought to persuade Fatimid supporters who had become doubtful under al-Hakim’s erratic governance. He therefore attempted to draw the public back to the Fatimid polity through concepts such as the necessity of obeying a benevolent imam and justified the caliph's inconsistent political temperament by appealing to the demands of ruling a community characterized by diverse and shifting dispositions.

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References

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Journal of Historical Researches of Iran and Islam
Volume 19, Issue 37
November 2025
Pages 304-339

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History

  • Receive Date: 30 July 2025
  • Revise Date: 09 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 02 November 2025

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