Shi'i Islam: An Introduction (Introduction to Religion)
Cambridge University Press, 10/16/2014
EAN 9781107625785, ISBN10: 1107625785
Paperback, 266 pages, 22.6 x 15 x 2 cm
Language: English
During the formative period of Islam, in the first centuries after Muhammad's death, two particular intellectual traditions emerged, Sunnism and Shi'ism. Sunni Muslims endorsed the historical caliphate, while Shi'i Muslims, supporters of 'Ali, cousin of the Prophet and the fourth caliph, articulated their own distinctive doctrines. The Sunni-Shi'i schism is often framed as a dispute over the identity of the successor to Muhammad, whereas in reality, Sunni and Shi'i Muslims also differ on a number of seminal theological doctrines concerning the nature of God and legitimate political and religious authority. This book examines the development of Shi'i Islam through the lenses of belief, narrative, and memory. It also covers a wide range of Shi'i communities from the demographically predominant Twelvers to the transnational Isma'ilis to the scholar-activist Zaydis. The portrait of Shi'ism that emerges is that of a distinctive and vibrant community of Muslims with a remarkable capacity for reinvention and adaptation, grounded in a unique theological interpretation of Islam.
Introduction
Part I. Theology
1. 'Adl (rational divine justice)
2. Imamate (legitimate leadership)
Part II. Origins
3. Community
4. Fragmentation
Part III. Constructing Shi'ism
5. Zaydism in the balance between Sunni and Shi'a
6. The weight of Isma'ili expectations
7. Twelver Shi'ism and the problem of the hidden imam
Part IV. Shi'ism in the Modern World
8. Zaydism at the crossroads
9. (Nizari) Isma'ilism reconstituted
10. The politicization of the Twelver Shi'a
Conclusion
Sunni-Shi'i relations.