Shahrastani
SHAHRASTANI [Abu'l-Fath Mahommed ibn 'Abdalkarim ush-Shahrastani] (1076 or 1086-1153) Arabian theologian and jurist, was born at Shahrastan in Khorasan and studied at Jurjanlyah and Nishapur, devoting his attention chiefly to Ash'arite theology. He made the pilgrimage in 1116, on his way back stayed at Bagdad for three years, then returned to his native place. His chief work is the Kitab ul Milal wan-Nihal, an account of religious sects and philosophical schools, published by W. Cureton (2 vols., London, 1846) and translated into German by T. Haarbriicker (2 vols., Halle, 1850-1851). After a preface of five chapters dealing with the divisions of the human race, an enumeration of the sects of Islam, the objections of Satan against God and against Mahomet and the principles on which the sects may be classified, he deals with (i) the sects of Islam in detail, (2) the possessors of a written revelation (Jews and Christians) or something resembling it (the Magi), (3) the men who follow their own reason, i.e. the philosophers of Greece and their followers, among the Moslems; the pre-Islamic Arabs, the Indians and the heathen. Among Shahrastanfs other works still in manuscript only are a history of philosophers, a dogmatic text-book and a treatment of seven metaphysical questions.
A brief account of him is given on the authority of his pupil, the historian Sam 'ani, in Ibn Khallikan, vol. ii., pp. 675 ff. (G. W. T.)
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
