Paper abstract:

Russian and Soviet scholars have made a huge contribution to the study of the religious and cultural life of the Ismailis of Central Asia. Starting from the first years of the 20th century, many works appeared on the cultural and religious life of the inhabitants of the mountainous Pamiri region. However, these scholarly studies of Soviet periods present some contradictions and subjective judgments with regard to the religious belief and practice of the Ismailis of Central Asia. Aleksandr Semenov has been one of the leading scholars, whose output included more than 20 articles, fascinated with the Ismaili philosophical interpretation of the Qurʾān and in particular with Nāṣir-i Khusraw’s interpretation of the Qurʾānic verses and arguments in Vajh-i dīn. In one of his articles, K dogmatike pamirskogo ismailizma XI glava “Lit͡sa very” Nasyr-i Khosrova, Semenov discusses creation, the ʿaql-i kull and the nafs-i kull along with the mediation of the hierarchy of the religious ranks including the nāṭiq, asās, the imam and the ḥujja. It also talks about the spiritual mission of the Prophets and the imams and the latter continuing presence as a proof of God on earth. This study will examine the assessment and readings of Nāṣir-i Khusraw’s Vajh-i Dīn by Semenov.