ʿAbd al-Salām Shāh (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: عبد السلام شاه; died 1493/4) was the 33rd

imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

of the Qasim-Shahi branch of the

Nizari Isma'ili The Nizaris ( ar, النزاريون, al-Nizāriyyūn, fa, نزاریان, Nezāriyān) are the largest segment of the Isma'ilism, Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasize ...

community.

Life

Originally named Mahmud, he reportedly received the honorific name 'Abd al-Salam' () from his father, al-Mustansir Billah II, on account of the wisdom he displayed. An epistle of a contemporary poet mentions that he was also known as 'Salam Allah'. He succeeded his father upon the latter's death , at

Anjudan Anjudan ( fa, انجدان, also Romanized as Anjedān; also known as Andījān, Anjidān, and Injadān) is a village in Amanabad Rural District, in the Central District of Arak County, Markazi Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its populatio ...

. According to oral Nizari tradition, he died in 1493/4 and was succeeded by his son,

Gharib Mirza Abbas Shah (died August 1498), also known as Gharib Mirza and with the regnal name of al-Mustansir Billah III, was the 34th imam of the Qasim-Shahi branch of the Nizari Isma'ili community. He succeeded his father, Abd al-Salam Shah, upon his death ...

. Like his father, he tried to persuade the Nizari communities of the rival Muhammad-Shahi branch in

Badakhshan Badakhshan is a historical region comprising parts of modern-day north-eastern Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan, and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in China. Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Much of historic Ba ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

to recognize his leadership.

Works

A number of writings are attributed to him: * Most famously, an oft-repeated ode addressed to the 'seekers of piritualunion', i.e. those seeking after the divine

gnosis Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge ( γνῶσις, ''gnōsis'', f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where it ...

of God. According to Abd al-Salam Shah, this is achievable only through complete submission to the will and guidance of the Imam, who alone is privy to the hidden, esoteric truths of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

. * ('Five Discourses Uttered by Shah Islam'), a brief essay on the moral and ritual obligations of the faithful. * ('Decree of the Imam Abd al-Salam'), written in 1490 and addressed, according to Vladimir Ivanov, to the Muhammad-Shahi followers in Badakhshan and

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

. According to

Shafique Virani Shafique N. Virani is Distinguished Professor of Islamic Studies at the Institute of Islamic Studies, University of Toronto. Having earned a master's degree in Islamic Studies from McGill University and a PhD from Harvard University, he has also se ...

, this is the "only known Qasimshahi source explicitly testifying to a rivalry between the two lines" of Nizari imams, but its current whereabouts are unknown. * ('A Poem of Shah Abd al-Salam bnShah Mustansitr bi'llah'), which may be the same as the ode to the 'seekers of union'.

References

Sources

* * {{Shia Imams 1490s deaths Nizari imams 15th-century Iranian people Iranian Ismailis 15th-century Ismailis 15th-century Islamic religious leaders People from Markazi Province