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''The Book of the Sage and Disciple'' (Arabic: كتاب العالم والغلام ; ''Kitāb al-‘ālim wa-l-ghulām'') is a religious narrative of spiritual initiation written in the form of a dramatic dialogue by Ja‘far bin Manṣūr al-Yaman (270AH/883CE – c. 347AH/958CE). The work describes the encounter of a disillusioned young man with a ''dā‘ī'', or Ismāʿīlī Muslim missionary, who gradually introduces his new disciple to the inner dimensions of Islam as elaborated by the Shī‘ī imāms. Ismāʿīlī Muslims, known less commonly as ''Seveners'', are Shī‘ī Muslims who believe that Ismāʿīl ibn Ja‘far (b. 100/719) was the true prophetic successor or imām of Ja‘far al-Sādiq (d. 148/765), as opposed to Ithnā‘asharī or ''Twelvers'' who believe that Mūsā al-Kāẓim (d. 183/799) was designated imām over his younger brother Ismāʿīl. After the ‘Abbāsid Revolution of 750 CE Ismāʿīlīs came to believe that Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl, son of the seventh imām and their awaited madhi, had entered a state of occultation. In his absence Ismāʿīlīs began widely propagating their faith beyond their base of power in the Levant through the institution of the ''da‘wa'', or mission led by a dā‘ī. In addition to presiding over the primary missionary activities of the da‘wa, the dā‘ī was responsible for the education, safety and spiritual health of his community. The personal relationship of the dā‘ī and his students, portrayed so vividly by Ja‘far bin Manṣūr al-Yaman in his ''Kitāb'', would decisively influence the sheikh-murīd bond of later Sufi orders. With the rise of the Fāṭimid dynasty in the first quarter of the tenth century CE, Ismāʿīlīs identified these caliphs with their imāms. In this manner the ''Kitāb'' is to be viewed as a classic of early Fāṭimid literature, documenting important aspects of the development of the Ismāʿīlī da‘wa in tenth-century Yemen. The ''Kitāb'' is also of considerable historical value for modern scholars of Arabic prose literature as well as those interested in the relationship of esoteric Shī‘ism with early Islamic mysticism. Likewise is the ''Kitāb'' an important source of information regarding the various movements within tenth-century Shī‘ism leading to the spread of the Fāṭimid-Isma‘īlī da‘wa throughout the medieval Islamicate world, and the religious and philosophical history of post-Fāṭimid Musta‘lī branch of Ismāʿīlism in Yemen and India. == The Author == Ja‘far bin Manṣūr al-Yaman was a high-ranking Ismāʿīlī poet, theologian and court companion active during the reign of the first four Fāṭimid caliphs. Born to an accomplished Shī‘ī family of Kufan origins in Yemen, Ja‘far was a son of the famous Ismāʿīlī proselytizer ibn Hawshāb (d. 302AH/914CE). As a result of his pioneering work establishing the Isma‘lī da‘wa of Yemen, ibn Hawshāb was commonly known by the laqab Manṣūr al-Yaman (“the Conqueror of Yemen”), whence derives Ja‘far's patronymic. As the only son of ibn Hawshāb to follow in his footsteps after his death, Ja‘far was often at odds with his brother Abū al-Ḥasan. Their mutual estrangement eventually forced Ja‘far to emigrate to North Africa, where he arrived during the reign of the second Faṭimid caliph al-Qā'im (r. 322-34AH/933-46CE). There he witnessed the anti-Fāṭimid revolt led by Khārajī Berber Abū Yazīd, which began in the last two years of al-Qā'im's reign and ended in the first regnal year of his successor, al-Manṣūr (r. 334-41AH/946-53CE). Composed largely during the years 333-36AH/945-48CE, Ja‘far's poetry expressed intense loyalty toward Fāṭimid rule. Many of his compositions also contained allegorical interpretations or ta'wīl for Qurʾānic words and expressions (''Sarā'ir al-nuṭaqā'' and ''Asrār al-nuṭaqā'') as well as Islamic ritual worship, letters of the Arabic alphabet (''Risālat ta'wīl ḥurūf al-muʿjam'') and the hierarchy of the Fāṭimid daʿwa (''Kitāb al-kashf,'' ''al-Shawāhid wa-l-bayān'' and ''Kitāb al-farā'iḍ wa ḥudūd al-dīn''). His early work also celebrated al-Manṣūr's triumph over Abū Yazīd, currying him favor with the caliph. Indeed, Ja‘far maintained a grand residence in Manṣūriyya, a town founded by the eponymous ruler near al-Qayrawān in honor of this victory. However, later in life Ja‘far found himself in such dire financial straits that he was obliged to mortgage his household at great risk. He was in danger of total forfeiture until the fourth Fāṭimid caliph al-Mu‘izz (r. 341-65/953-75) forgave his debt in recognition of services rendered by Ja‘far and his father ibn Hawshāb. Ja‘far died five years into al-Mu‘izz's reign. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Book of the Sage and Disciple」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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