The Early History of Ismaili Jurisprudence: Law Under the Fatimids (Ismaili Texts and Translations)

Since the early 1930s, researchers have shed light on the literary production of the Ismailis. The cataloguing of these works has been carried out by Ivanow, Fyzee, Goriawala, Poonawala, Gacek, Cortese and de Blois. Many works attributed to Ismaili scholars, however, are still unavailable, either because they remain hidden in private collections, or because they have not survived. As regards Ismaili law, in particular, it is still a largely unexplored field of study. Al-Qadi Abu Hanifa al-Nu'man is generally considered as the founder and the greatest exponent of Ismaili jurisprudence. Many of his works have been lost; scattered information on some others is found here and there; some works are still in manuscript form; few others have been published.This book is a critical edition and translation of al-Nu'man's Minhaj al-fara'id, based on the three known copies of it. It deals with the law of inheritance, one of the most difficult Islamic law institutions throughout Islamic law.