Book of Unveiling

Fârès Gillon is Associate Professor in Islamic Studies and Arabic at Aix-Marseille University, France. He received his PhD from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Paris), and specializes in the intellectual history of early Shiism, with a particular focus on Fatimid Ismailism. He has published several articles on these topics, and has also co-edited with Mathieu Terrier Anthologie de la philosophie en Islam (Paris, 2023). Previously, he was a Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies. His research interests include Shi'i history and doctrines, Ismailism, Nusayrism and Islamic Philosophy

• 1. Introduction Historical and intellectual contextTransmission: manuscripts, editions, and receptionThe problematic authorship of the Kitab al-Kashf: some remarks on the corpus attributed to Ja’far b. Mansur al-YamanThe six treatises of the Kitab al-Kashf and their contentsBetween chaos and order: the art of compilation and structure in the Kitab al-KashfNotes on the translations and commentaries 2. Treatise I TranslationCommentary The divine trust (amana), walaya and the covenant The da’wa, an esoteric family God’s ‘order’ (amr) and its continuity The continuity of antagonism: the enemies of the ImamAl-musukhiyya: from literal to metaphoric metamorphosisThe Mahdi and his returnConclusion3. Treatise IITranslationCommentaryDivine transcendence The throne, the footstool and the problem of anthropomorphismThe alphabetic cosmogonyConclusion4. Treatise IIITranslation CommentaryIdentifying the ‘Sage’ (al-?akim) and dating Treatise III The da’wa: an organization and its enemies The Orphan: evolution of a concept, from ghuluww to Fatimid IsmailismSalman, a Shi’i figure in support of the Fatimid reformThe ‘Bearer of the Sword’ and the raj’aConclusion5. Treatise IVTranslationCommentarySeveral hadith fragments A hadith on language Conclusion6. Treatise VTranslationCommentaryThe Imam and his proof, the ‘Ayn and the Fa’The rejection of antinomianismOrganizing the da’wa: instruction to the missionaries and refutation of the false Mahdi Conclusion7. Treatise VITranslationCommentaryGod’s choice challenged by human caprice‘Ali and Aaron as books of GodProofs and summonersConclusionBibliography