Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Nasafi
10th-century Isma'ili theologian
Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Nasafi's AcademicInfluence.com Rankings
Download Badge
Religious Studies
Why Is Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Nasafi Influential?
(Suggest an Edit or Addition)According to Wikipedia, Abu'l-Hasan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Bazdawi al-Nasafi was an early 10th-century Isma'ili missionary and theologian. In he succeeded in converting the Samanid emir, Nasr II, to Isma'ilism, and ushered in a period of Isma'ili dominance at the Samanid court that lasted until Nasr's death. In the subsequent persecution of the Isma'ilis, launched by Nuh I, al-Nasafi himself fell victim. As a theologian, he is generally credited with being among those who introduced Neoplatonic concepts into Isma'ili theology. His doctrines dominated indigenous Isma'ilism in the Iranian lands in the 9th–10th centuries, but were denounced as antinomian by Isma'ili theologians aligned with the Fatimid Caliphate.
