Al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi was an outstanding Ismaili scholar.
Born in about the year 1000 in Fars, Iran, al-Mu’ayyad spent most of his life serving the Caliph- Imam al-Mustansir bi’llah as dai (missionary). Al-Mu’ayyad was first active as the regional leader in his homeland of Fars in southern Iran. Al-Mu’ayyad eventually moved to Cairo in 1046, where he was appointed as the director of the Fatimid court of justice. Al-Mu’ayyad was later sent to Syria as head of a delegation dispatched to build an alliance with the local leaders. When he returned to Cairo, al-Mu’ayyad was appointed chief dai of the Fatimid dawa. As head of the central institution, al-Mu’ayyad devoted his life to administering the affairs of the dawa, teaching missionaries, and composing theological works.
Among al-Mu’ayyad’s writings, his Sira is of particular historical significance. Written between 1051 and 1063, the Sira is an authentic source, written by an eye-witness and an active participant of the political events of the eleventh century.
Al-Mu’ayyad passed away in 1078 in Cairo.
– Verena Klemm Memoirs of a Mission (New York: I.B. Taurus & Co. Ltd., 2003)
Article by By Dr. Abbas Hamdani, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (U.S.A.)
