Translation of the chapter On the word of God Almighty (glory to Him!)” from the treatise of Nasir Khusraw Six Chapters” (Shish fasl)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the role of the Word of God in the process of creation of the world according to Ismaili ideas. God, according to the Ismaili philosophers, is transcendent and indescribable, so it is impossible not to attribute any attributes to Him, nor to deny their presence in Him. However, the creationist concept embedded in the text of the Koran demanded from Ismaili thinkers a rational explanation of how the cognizable plural emerged from the transcendent One. At the beginning of the 10th century, Abu'l-Hasan Muhammad B. Ahmad an-Nasafi adapted Neoplatonic ideas to Ismaili postulates, and later Abu Ya'qub al-Sijistani, Nasir Khusraw and partly Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani developed an-Nasafi's views. Nasir Khusraw (1004 — after 1074) paid much attention to the role of the Word of God in the act of creation, endowed it with being and made it the cause of Universal Reason. Readers are offered a translation of the chapter from the treatise of Nasir Khusraw “Six Chapters” (Shish Fasl), dedicated to the word of God and his role in the creation of the universe.