Physical House and Spiritual House: Kaʻba and Imam. A note on the Siğistānian interpretation of ḥağğ

The aim of the paper is to examine ḥağğ, the last “pillar” of Islam, according to Abū Yaʻqūb al-Siğistānī, one of the most outstanding Ismaʻili “propagandists” of the 4th/10th century who devoted the last chapters of the Kitāb al-iftiḫār (The Book of the Boast) to the esoteric meaning of the arkān al-Islām. The following analysis will quote some passages of the chapter on “The understanding of pilgrimage” to highlight the most original aspects of the Siğistānian interpretation of pilgrimage, in particular the idea of the Imam as the esoteric counterpart of the Kaʻba.