Language and Heresy in Ismaili Thought

The heretofore unpublished Kitab al-Zina, virtually unknown in western scholarship, is a glossary of important Islamic terms by the 9th/10th-century Ismaili polymath Abu Hatim al-Razi. Some lament that Razi's historical approach to etymology failed to catch on and that had it done so, the face of Arabic dictionary writing might have been altered for the better. His organization of material was uniquely Ismaili as he took pains to synthesize contradictory information into a harmonious whole. This study examines sections of Razi's work with a view towards his contributions to the field of grammar and linguistics.

Contenu

• Table of Contents (page 5)
• Foreword by Ismail Poonawala (page 9)
• Acknowledgments (page 15)
• Abbreviations (page 17)
• 1. Introduction (page 19)
• 2. Razi the Lexicographer (page 31)
• 3. Kitab al-zina: Content (page 49)
• 4. The entry on kalima (page 75)
• 5. Razi the Etymologist (page 93)
• 6. Razi the Grammarian (page 109)
• 7. Razi the Heresiographer (page 143)
• 8. Conclusion (page 169)
• Bibliography (page 179)
• Index (page 187)