Matter of faith: Dr Daftary's book on Ismailism reviewed

Reviewed by Mansoor Murad


In this, the Islamic republic of Pakistan, talking about matters of faith is something that is considered a sensitive issue. This is truer still when talking of the differences between the various sects of Islam, and the sects which are small in numbers tend to be concentrated in specific catchment areas and almost secretive about their doctrines and practices.
And with the current climate in the nation, where expression of religious orthodoxy as well as any non-regulation beliefs are increasingly taboo, having an open and honest discussion about theology in any form is difficult at best, and impossible under normal circumstances, where non-orthodoxy seems to be threatened with ever greater intolerance.
Therefore, it was with anticipation that I picked up Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines by Farhad Daftary. The book is meticulously researched and, for a scholarly text, reasonably easy to read. The language is quite plain, and sentences clearly constructed and easy to understand.
This text should not be inaccessible to people of any level of proficiency in the language, and there is no attempt to impress the reader with impressive vocabulary. Quite the reverse, in fact, as things are explained in as plainly as possible.
Readers may initially be daunted by the size of the book, but much of the latter third is taken is taken up with meticulous and highly detailed endnotes. It is an extremely wise decision to transfer a great deal of secondary exposition to the endnotes as, although the information contained in these can be very important for a scholarly study, a reader seeking a broader understanding can choose which areas to seek more in-depth information about.
I found myself dipping into the endnotes at intervals throughout my read. Although this process did interrupt the flow of the narrative somewhat, it also meant that I could skim over areas where the main text sufficed for my requirements.
Dr Daftary is clearly an expert in the field, and the great strength of the book is the detailed discussion of the evolution of the Ismailis from their origin to the modern day. This is a vast period of time to encompass, and the author does it well, dealing with the history in chronological order. He refers heavily to the historical accounts maintained by Ismaili scholars, but also refers to other sources of research, predominantly stemming from the West.
He also spends a significant amount of space in the beginning of the book both detailing and debunking many of the legends associated with the Ismailis, particularly in the West.
The most popular of these, of course, is the ‘Assassins’ legend, which talks about a fearless band of killers who, high on mind-altering substances and visions of an Eden-like reward, committed some of the most adacious murders of high-ranking political officials of the time.
The origin of the work assassin is from Persian Hashisheen, which the author explains was a word used by orthodox Muslims to disparage the Ismailis, whom they saw as heretics.
This is relevant information but it sets a defensive tone for the volume as a whole. Since the start of the book is preoccupied with listing the different sources of erroneous and defamatory writings about the Ismailis, and detailing and debunking the various legends surrounding them, there is certain apologist flavour to the introductory section.
Although this does explain why the sources of historical data are selected from where they are, sources considered biased negatively in the opinion of the author are ignored completely.This means that question of orthodoxy and heresy are, in main, side-stepped.
The only other disappointment with the book is that it does not really go into any great depth about the doctrines, articles of faith or practices. I had hoped that some light would be shed on these aspects of Ismailism which are normally surrounded by a certain amount of misinformation. On that front the volume is largely silent, choosing more to focusing almost exclusively on the history of the sect.
For the students of Islamic history, the book will be a very valuable resource. It is well written and well researched, and covers the entire history of the Ismailis with relative ease – This is Daftary’s real achievement without compromising on relevant details or readability.
However, it is in essence one point of view, and those wishing for s further understanding may wish to also refer to some other texts whose basic assumption are not as charitable as those of Daftary, who seems predisposed to dismiss all unflattering reports as disinformation. This may well be true, but for a serious students, both sides of the coin must be examined and one’s own conclusion drawn.



The Ismailis: Their history and doctrines

By Farhad Daftary

Cambridge University Press, UK

ISBN 0-521-61636-2

77pages, Rs3995.
Courtesy Dawn's Books & Authors