ABSTRACT
Like Islamic philosophy in general, Shi'i thinkers benefited from the immense translation efforts that were begun in the 3rd century of the Hijra when the Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mun founded the House of Wisdom in Baghdad in 217/832. The transmission of ancient wisdom was the work of Christian Arab families. The history of Shi'i philosophic discourse is inseparable from the general course of Islamic philosophy, such as became possible when it absorbed earlier knowledge. This chapter attempts to shed some light on the seminal moments of its development. The first of these, between the 4th/10th centuries, involves the Isma'ilis. The second critical moment occurred when Twelver Shi'ism integrated practical philosophy into its own efforts of rationalization. The third moment was hastened by the founding of the Safavid state. Shi'i philosophers claimed to be the architects of what they considered true rational theology. They never questioned the major tenet of Islam: obedience to the Prophet and the imams.
