The Theological Context
By the early 11th century, the Ismaili dawat had developed two cosmological traditions that were in tension:
- The Iraqi tradition (associated with Abu Yakub al-Sijistani): a more extreme Neoplatonic reading, tending toward emanationism that barely distinguished itself from the falsafa tradition
- The Egyptian-Fatimid tradition: more careful to assert divine volition and the contingency of the first emanation
Al-Kirmani’s great project in Rahat al-‘Aql (Repose of the Intellect) was to reconcile these by producing a rigorous system that preserved both the transcendence of God (beyond all attributes, even being) and the genuinely voluntary character of the first divine act.
Rahat al-‘Aql
The Rahat al-‘Aql is a 10-chapter systematic work covering:
- The nature of God (tanzih: absolute transcendence)
- The First Intellect as voluntary divine act, not necessary emanation
- The Ten Intellects (al-Kirmani’s distinctive contribution — he expanded the cosmological chain to include ten intellects rather than the standard five)
- The hierarchy of the dawat as instantiation of the cosmic hierarchy
- The soul’s ascent and the role of the Imam in mediating it
The ten-intellect scheme is al-Kirmani’s most original contribution, aligning more closely with al-Farabi’s planetary spheres while maintaining Ismaili commitments.
Legacy in the Dawoodi Bohra Tradition
Al-Kirmani’s works were preserved and transmitted within the Tayyibi-Ismaili tradition, reaching the Dawoodi Bohra community through the Yemeni Da’i chain. His philosophical vocabulary — particularly his treatment of the First Intellect as act rather than emanation — influenced later Tayyibi theologians including Sayyidna al-Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi.
See also: Ismaili Al Aql Al Awwal, Ismaili Cosmology Nafs, Ismaili Al Hudud Al Khamsa, Ilm Al Falsafa Islamiyya, Ismaili Tartib Al Dawat