This thesis is concerned with tracing the rise and spread of that section of the Nizari Isma'ili Da'wa which eventually gave rise to what has come to be known as Satpanth Isma'ilism. The spread in turn involves studying the activities and identifying the various da'is or pirs who came to India and spread the Satpanth doctrine. It is fundamental to the study of movements like Isma'ilism, that the historical context in which they spread be understood clearly and it is only in this way that one cau hope to understand the intellectual assumptions of the movement, in relation to the technique of propagation adopted by the da'wa. Hence the thesis is also concerned, in as far as possible, to set out systematically the historical context within which Satpanth Isma'ilism spread, in order to establish some sort of an identity for it.

One of the most important internal reports coming to us from the Hijaz on the ashraf is Khulasat al-Kalam fi Bayan Umara' al-Balad al-Haram. Dahlan (1816-1886) was the mufti of the Shafi'i rite and shaykh al-'ulama' in Makkah. As an eyewitness, and the leading religious scholar in the Hijas during the second half of the nineteenth century, Dahlan is, without doubt, an extremely important source for historians if they are to obtain a clear picture of the history of the ashraf at that time. / Un des rapports internes les plus importantes que nous ayons recus du Hijas concernant les ashraf est Khulasat al-Kalam fi Bayan Umara' al Balad al-Haram. Dahlan (1816-1886) était le mufti du rite Shafi'ite et le shaykh al-'ulama' a Makkah. Etant un observateur et savant religieux de premier ordre a Hijas dans la seconde moitié du 19e siecle, cela certainement, fait de lui une source extremement importante si les historiens désirent tracer un portrait clair de l'histoire des ashraf a cette époque.

This thesis examines the religious policy of the caliph al-Mutawakkil 'ala Allah, the tenth 'Abbasid caliph, (232-247/847-861). The study focuses on the following headings: the main features of al-Mutawakkil's life and reign; his attitude towards 1) the Ahl al-Kitab, 2) the orthodox Muslims, 3) the Mu'tazila, 4) the Shi'a, and 5) the Sufis. It is suggested that although al-Mutawakkil's policy toward each of these groups was governed by his own strong orthodoxy, the policy was conditioned chiefly by political factors.

Reports relating supernatural events - or miracles - in the life of the Prophet Muhammad (d. 11/632) have been traditionally either ignored by those modern scholars attempting to determine the historicity of the source material or have been studied piecemeal in an attempt to determine their origins by those scholars who see them as secondary additions. The current study will examine both the sira/ta'rikh, the story of Muhammad's life as told within larger works of universal history, and tafsir, exegetical, works of two medieval Muslim scholars, al-Tabari (d.310/923) and Ibn Kathir (d.773/1373), to attempt to determine how the reports of the supernatural fit into the story of Muhammad's life as a whole. [...] / Des rapports reliant des événements surnaturel - ou des miracles - dans la vie du Prophète Mahômet (m.11/632) ont été traditionellement ignorés par ces érudits modernes essayant de déterminer l'historicité du matériel de source ou étés fragmentaires étudié afin d'essayer de déterminer leurs origines par ces érudits qui les voient en tant qu'additions secondaires. L'étude courante examinera tous les deux le sira/ta'rikh, l'histoire de la vie de Mahômet comme dit dans de plus grands travaux de l'histoire universelle, et tafsirs, exégétique, travaux de deux érudits musulmans médiévaux, al-Tabari (m.310/923) et Ibn Kathir (m.773/1373), d'essayer de déterminer comment les rapports de l'ajustement surnaturel dans l'histoire de la vie de Mahômet dans l'ensemble. [...]

This thesis investigates the major areas in which 'Abd Allah-ibn Fudi (d.1245/1829) contributed to the Fulani Jihad which was initiated by his brother 'Uthman ibn Fudi in nineteenth century Hausaland. His major contributions are seen in his military leadership in the early days of the Jihad, his concern to raise the level of Islamic religious consciousness among the inhabitants of Hausaland and his attempts to supply guidelines for the administration of the newly captured Hausa territories basing this on what he considered to be Islamic principles. [...] / Cette thèse examine les grands champs auxquels 'Abd Allah ibn Fudi (m.1245/1829) a contribué dans le Jihad Fulani qui en ses debuts sous l'égide de son frère 'Uthman ibn Fudi dans le Hausaland du dix-neuvième siècle. Ses contributions majeures se voient dans sa commande militaire durant les premiers jours du Jihad, dans son souci de relever la conscience religieuse islamique des habitants du Hausaland et dans ses efforts d'offrir des principes de guide pour l'administration des territoires Hausa nouvellement conquis, se basant sur ce qu'il considerait comme principes islamiques. [...]

In Iran, as in other Muslim lands, the need has been felt for a reinterpretation of Islam, which will revive a pure belief both among the masses, whose faith is mingled with superstitions, and among those who have received Western or Western-inspired educations, many of whom have been affected by the spread of scepticism. In recent years, certain thinkers have appeared, from among both the religious leaders and the Western educated intellectuals, who have endeavoured to satisfy that need. The purpose of this thesis is to describe the ideas of some of these thinkers, the greatest of whom, in the writer's opinion, are Sangalaji and Rashid.

In selecting Sayyid Jamal al-Din al-Afghani as the subject of our thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master's Degree in the newly created Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University, we are guided by two reasons.

The dawn of the nineteenth century saw the East India Company emerge as the major political power in India. Not only was the power of the Mughal Empire broken but also most of the independent principalities that had come into existence as a result of its dismemberment were subjugated by the British. In 1799 Tipu Sultan (1750-1799) was defeated and killed and his territory annexed. Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and a major part of the United Provinces had already passed into the control of the foreigners. Oudh was a British ally and Hyderabad was virtually ruled by a British resident.

The mosque (masjid) as the center of Muslim higher education was, from the latter part of the fifth centuries hijri (circa, eleventh centuries A.D.), being gradually replaced by the madrasah. In less than a hundred and fifty years after the establishment of the first madrasah in Khurasan, this institution became the most widespread educational system of higher learning in the Muslim world.

Need for Study.--A predominant majority of the population of Pakistan is Muslim, that is, it comprises those who call themselves Muslims, and profess Islam as their religion. There is, however, no single interpretation of Islam that is universally followed throughout Pakistan, or, for that matter, throughout the Muslim world. The Muslims in Pakistan are subdivided into several groups, but no survey, official or unofficial, seems ever to have been made to assess or estimate the numerical strength of the different religious sects.