al-Sijistānī Explains the Qāʾim: who, when, what

Among the minor treatises of al-Sijistani, the important and influential 10th century Ismaili daʿi, one that he entitled Sullam al-najat (Ladder to salvation), although long available in Mohamed Alibhai’s 1983 Harvard doctoral dissertation, has not received nearly the attention it should. As a result of a new investigation, in fact a new edition of the Arabic, Paul Walker reveals and documents how its author understood the role of the Qāʾim, based first on what this text says about him and then offers some thoughts about what it might indicate about a dramatic shift in Ismaili doctrine during the author’s era. The Islamic History and Thought Lecture Series is designed to invite scholars of various international academic institutions specialising in intellectual, social and political aspects of medieval and early modern Islamic societies to present and discuss their research. IHTLS is hosted by The Institute of Ismaili Studies (London) and convened by Dr Orkhan Mir-Kasimov since November 2023 (previously by Dr Fârès Gillon).