Reason and Inspiration in Islam Theology, Philosophy, and Mysticism in Muslim Thought. Essays in Honour of Hermann Landolt by Todd Lawson, ed. (London and New York: I.B. Taurus Publishers, in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2005. 558 pages.)

Abstract

Thirty-eight essays are brought together in this volume to honor Hermann
Landolt of the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University, Canada. A
broad range of participants, including former students and colleagues both
close and distant, have contributed essays, most of which deal with aspects of
Ismaili, Ithna-ashari, or Sufi thought. Almost all of the essays are in English;
four are in French, however. The range of topics is catholic, to say the least,
and the rough chronological ordering of the essays can hardly contain them.
The “classical” section features such figures as al-Junayd, al-Farabi, Ibn
Tufayl, al-Qadi al-Nu`man, al-Kirmani, Abu Hatim al-Razi, and al-Waqidi;
the “medieval” takes in al-Ghazzali, al-Suhrawardi, al-Qushayri, al-Shahrastani,
Afdal al-Din Kashani, Jami’, Najm al-Din Kubra, Ibn Sina, and al-
Sha`rani; the “pre-modern” includes Shah Tahir, Ahmad Sirhindi, Molla
Sadra, and Fayd al-Kashani; and the “modern” section features not so much
people as themes, such as dervish orders, Ginans, ulama, tradition, and modernization.
It is worth noting that several articles in the last section focus
their attention on medieval as much as modern aspects (if not more so, as in
the case of Eric Ormsby’s interesting essay “The Faith of Pharaoh: A
Disputed Question in Islamic Theology”). Their classification seems to be
more out of consideration for achieving balance in the book’s form than in
accurately reflecting the contents. Be that as it may, such a cornucopia (as
the editor describes it) cannot help but provide something of relevance to
almost everyone interested in Islamic thought.
Two essays particularly drew my attention; they also left me wishing
that the two authors had had an opportunity to consider the conjunction
between their papers before they were published (but the absence of such is,
of course, in the nature of most such collections). L. Clarke’s excellent paper
on “The Rise and Decline of Taqiyya in Twelver Shi`ism” will reward every
reader. Clarke shows how two meanings of taqiyya – “precautionary dissimulation
of belief” and “esoteric silence,” what she calls legal and esoteric
taqiyya, respectively – became blended through the ages. Esoteric taqiyya
was “a necessary and integral part” of Twelver Shi`ism in early times, for the ...