Shahrastani and the Ismaili Dawah: Investigating Shahrastani’s Influence By and On the Missionaries (dais) and Thoughts of the Fatimid and Nizari Periods

This research project investigates the esoteric thoughts of the 12th-century Muslim thinker, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Karim Shahrastani, focusing on how his works shaped the theological identity of the Ismaili Shii tradition. By analyzing Shahrastani’s unique use of symbolic narratives to represent spiritual authority, the study seeks to fill a significant gap in our understanding of how medieval Islamic philosophy was transmitted and preserved. A research residency at the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) in London is essential to this work, as it provides direct access to the world’s primary repository of Ismaili manuscripts and allows for high-level consultation with the leading global experts on Shahrastani’s corpus, Dr. Toby Mayer and Dr. Daryoush Mohammad Poor. This project will strengthen the historic academic ties between McGill University and the IIS as well, fostering an intellectual exchange that enhances McGill’s profile in specialized Shii studies while contributing original textual analysis to the IIS’s ongoing mission to publish and interpret Ismaili intellectual heritage.

Faculty Supervisor:

Prashant Keshavmurthy

Student:

Partner:

Institute of Ismaili Studies

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Other

University:

McGill University

Program: