Islamic perspective
The Evolution of al-QÄá¸Ä« al-NuÊ¿mÄn’s Theory of Ismaili Jurisprudence
ShiÊ¿i Ismaili law, codified by al-QÄá¸Ä« al-NuÊ¿mÄn (hereafter referred to as NuÊ¿mÄn) in his enduring work DaÊ¿Äʾim al-IslÄm (The Pillars of Islam) with the approval of the fourth Fatimid Imam-caliph al-MuÊ¿izz li-DÄ«n AllÄh, is almost a millennium old.1 Ever since its promulgation, most probably in 349/960 as the official code of the Fatimid empire, the DaÊ¿Äʾim has reigned supreme, particularly with the MustaÊ¿lÄ«- ṬayyibÄ« Ismailis of Yemen and the Indian subcontinent after the fall of the Fatimids in Egypt in 561/1171.