A History of Shi'i Islam

I.B.Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili StudiesShi''i Muslims have played a crucial role, proportionally greater than their relative size, in furthering the civilizational achievements of Islam. Indeed, the Shi''i scholars and literati of various branches and regions, including scientists, philosophers, theologians, jurists and poets, have made seminal contributions to Islamic thought and culture. There have also been numerous Shi''i dynasties, families or individual rulers who patronized scholars, poets and artists as well as various institutions of learning in Islam. In spite of its significance, however, Shi''i Islam has received little scholarly attention in the West, and when it has been discussed, whether in general or in terms of some of its subdivisions, it has normally been treated marginally as a ''sect'' or a ''heterodoxy''. The present book draws on the scattered findings of modern scholarship in the field, attempting to explain the formative era of Shi''i Islam, when a multitude of Muslim groups and schools of thought were elaborating their doctrinal positions.Subsequent chapters are devoted to the history of the Ithna''asharis, or Twelvers, the Ismailis, the Zaydis and the Nusayris (now more commonly known in Syria as the Alawis), the four communities that account for almost the entirety of the Shi''i Muslim population of the world. The result is a comprehensive survey of Shi''i Islam that will serve as an accessible work of reference for academics in both Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, as well as the broader field of the History of Religions, and also more general, non-specialist readers.>

Auteur
Farhad Daftary is the Co-Director of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, and Head of the Institute's Department of Academic Research and Publications. Since the mid-1960s, when he was completing his doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley, he has cultivated his interest in Shi'i studies, with special reference to its Ismaili tradition, on which he is an authority. As well as serving on various editorial boards, Dr Daftary is a consulting editor of Encyclopaedia Iranica, co-editor (with W. Madelung) of Encyclopaedia Islamica, and the general editor of the 'Ismaili Heritage Series' and the 'Ismaili Texts and Translations Series'. He is the author and editor of numerous publications, including The Ismaili's (1990; 2nd ed., 2007), The Assassin Legends (1994), A Short History of the Ismailis (1998), Intellectual Traditions in Islam (2000), Ismaili Literature (2004), A Modern History of the Ismailis (2011), as well as many articles and encyclopaedia entries. Dr Daftary's books have been translated into Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Gujarati and various European languages.

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I.B.Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies

Shi'i Muslims have played a crucial role, proportionally greater than their relative size, in furthering the civilizational achievements of Islam. Indeed, the Shi'i scholars and literati of various branches and regions, including scientists, philosophers, theologians, jurists and poets, have made seminal contributions to Islamic thought and culture. There have also been numerous Shi'i dynasties, families or individual rulers who patronized scholars, poets and artists as well as various institutions of learning in Islam. In spite of its significance, however, Shi'i Islam has received little scholarly attention in the West, and when it has been discussed, whether in general or in terms of some of its subdivisions, it has normally been treated marginally as a 'sect' or a 'heterodoxy'. The present book draws on the scattered findings of modern scholarship in the field, attempting to explain the formative era of Shi'i Islam, when a multitude of Muslim groups and schools of thought were elaborating their doctrinal positions.
Subsequent chapters are devoted to the history of the Ithna'asharis, or Twelvers, the Ismailis, the Zaydis and the Nusayris (now more commonly known in Syria as the Alawis), the four communities that account for almost the entirety of the Shi'i Muslim population of the world. The result is a comprehensive survey of Shi'i Islam that will serve as an accessible work of reference for academics in both Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, as well as the broader field of the History of Religions, and also more general, non-specialist readers.

Résumé
'The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0] licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Islamic Publications Ltd. I.B.Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies Shi'i Muslims have played a crucial role, proportionally greater than their relative size, in furthering the civilizational achievements of Islam. Indeed, the Shi'i scholars and literati of various branches and regions, including scientists, philosophers, theologians, jurists and poets, have made seminal contributions to Islamic thought and culture. There have also been numerous Shi'i dynasties, families or individual rulers who patronized scholars, poets and artists as well as various institutions of learning in Islam. In spite of its significance, however, Shi'i Islam has received little scholarly attention in the West, and when it has been discussed, whether in general or in terms of some of its subdivisions, it has normally been treated marginally as a 'sect' or a 'heterodoxy'. The present book draws on the scattered findings of modern scholarship in the field, attempting to explain the formative era of Shi'i Islam, when a multitude of Muslim groups and schools of thought were elaborating their doctrinal positions. Subsequent chapters are devoted to the history of the Ithna'asharis, or Twelvers, the Ismailis, the Zaydis and the Nusayris (now more commonly known in Syria as the Alawis), the four communities that account for almost the entirety of the Shi'i Muslim population of the world. The result is a comprehensive survey of Shi'i Islam that will serve as an accessible work of reference for academics in both Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, as well as the broader field of the History of Religions, and also more general, non-specialist readers.

Contenu
Preface Note on transliteration, dates and abbreviations 1. Introduction: Progress in the Study of Shi?i Islam Diversity in Early Islam Medieval Sunni Perceptions Medieval European Perceptions Orientalist Perspectives Modern Scholarship on Shi?i Islam 2. The Origins and Early History of Shi?i Islam Origins of Shi?ism The Early Shi?a The Kaysaniyya The Ghulat The Early Imamiyya The Imami Shi?i Doctrine of the Imamate 3. The Ithna?asharis or Twelvers The Later Twelver Imams and the Hidden Mahdi From the Occultation of the Twelfth Imam to the Mongol Invasions From Nasir al-Din al-Tusi to the Advent of the Safawids From the Safawids to Early Modern Times From around 1215/1800 to the Present 4. The Ismailis The Early Ismailis The Fatimid Phase in Ismaili History The Tayyibi Ismailis: The Yamani and Indian Phases The Nizari Ismailis: The Alamut Phase Later Developments in Nizari Ismaili History The Anjudan revival The modern period 5. The Zaydis The Early Zaydis The Zaydis of the Caspian Region in Persia The Zaydis of Yaman 6. The Nusayris or ?Alawis Nusayri Studies History of the Nusayris The Nusayri-?Alawi Doctrines Glossary Notes Bibliography Index