Scholars studying the development of Imami thought are confronted with a lack of sources. Many pertinent works by Imami thinkers who lived in the various centers of Shi?i learning between the lifetimes of al-Murta?a (d. 1044) and Na?ir al-Din al-?usi (d. 1274) have not come down to us. Mu?tazilite thought, Avicennan notions, and the quest to return to the early doctrines of the imams constituted the principal parameters of Imami theological thought over those centuries.

The present study, focussing on the ?im?i Razi family, which flourished in Iran during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, showcases what can be achieved by gathering and piecing together relevant paratextual material that is preserved in manuscripts, providing insights into the scholarly profiles of its members. It is complemented by an editio princips of Mishkat al-yaqin, and a facsimile edition of the Talkhi? al-maqa?id.