Minhaj al-fara'id

Since the early decades of the last century researches have shed light on the literary production of the Ismaili school. Many works attributed to Ismaili scholars, however, are unavailable so far. As regards the Ismaili law, in particular, it is still largely unexplored. Qadi al-Nu‘man is generally considered the founder and the greatest exponent of Ismaili jurisprudence. The book presents a critical edition and an English translation of the manuscript of al-Nu‘man, Minhaj al-fara’id, based on the three known copies of it. Comparing the Minhaj with two published works (Da‘a’im al-Islam and Kitab al-Iqtisar) and a manuscript work (Mukhtasar al-Athar) of al-Nu‘man, a significant doctrinal evolution clearly emerges. Moreover, the Ismaili law is also compared with the doctrines of the Imami school as well as the legal system of the four Sunni schools. This investigation allows to determine the time of the composition of the manuscript, the development and the originality of the Ismaili jurisprudence, and its relation to the remaining law schools.