The Study of Shi'i Islam: History, Theology and Law

by Farhad Daftary; Gurdofarid Miskinzoda

Publisher:

I.B. Tauris

, 2014

Shi'i Islam, with its rich and extensive history, has played a crucial role in the evolution of Islam as both a major world religion and civilization. The prolific achievements of Shi?i theologians, philosophers and others are testament to the spiritual and intellectual wealth of this community. Yet Shi?i studies has unjustly remained a long-neglected field, despite the important contribution that Shi'ism has made to Islamic traditions. Only in recent decades, partially spurred by global interest in political events of the Middle East, have scholars made some significant contributions in this area. The Study of Shi'i Islam presents papers originally delivered at the first international colloquium dedicated exclusively to Shi'i studies, held in 2010 at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. Within the book are eight sections, namely, history, the Qur'an and its Shi'i interpretations, hadith, law, authority, theology, rites and rituals, and intellectual traditions and philosophy.
Each section begins with an introduction contextualizing the aspects of studying Shi'i Islam particular to its theme, before going on to address topics such as the state of the field, methodology and tools, and the primary issues with which contemporary scholars of Shi'i studies are dealing. The scope and depth here covered makes this book of especial interest to researchers and students alike within the field of Islamic studies. The volume benefits from the diverse expertise of nearly 30 world-class scholars, including Mohammad-Ali Amir-Moezzi, Meir M. Bar-Asher, Farhad Daftary, Daniel De Smet, Gerald R. Hawting, Nader El-Bizri, Etan Kohlberg, Wilferd Madelung, Andrew Newman, Ismail K. Poonawala, Sabine Schmidtke and Paul E. Walker.

Contents

Contents
Foreword by Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi
Preface
Contributors
Abbreviations

PART I: HISTORY AND HISTORIOGRAPHY
Introduction
Wilferd Madelung
1. Reflections on the Expression d?n ?Al?: The Origins of the Shi?i Faith
Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi
2. The Study of the Ismailis: Phases and Issues
Farhad Daftary
3. Al-Maqr?z?'s Connection to the Fatimids
Nasser Rabbat

PART II: THE QUR?AN AND ITS SHI?I INTERPRETATIONS
Introduction
Meir M. Bar-Asher
4. What Defines a (Pre-modern) Shi?i Tafs?r? Notes Towards the History of the Genre of Tafs?r in Islam, in Light of the Study of the Shi?i Contribution
Andrew Rippin
5. The Tafs?r of al-?ibar? (d. 286/899): Qur?anic Exegesis and Early Shi?i Esotericism
Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi
6. The Empire Writes Back: Fatimid Ismaili Ta?w?l (Allegoresis) and the Mysteries of the Ancient Greeks
David Hollenberg
7. The Authority to Interpret the Qur?an
Meir M. Bar-Asher


PART III: SHI?I ?AD?TH
Introduction
Etan Kohlberg
8. Writing and Resistance: The Transmission of Religious Knowledge in Early Shi?ism Maria Massi Dakake
9. Pre-B?yid ?ad?th Literature: The Case of al-Barq? from Qumm (d. 274/888 or 280/894) in Twelve Sections
Roy Vilozny
10. The Story of 'Pen and Paper' and its Interpretation in Muslim Literary and Historical Tradition
Gurdofarid Miskinzoda

PART IV: SHI?I LAW
Introduction
Mohyddin Yahia
11. Renunciation (Zuhd) in the Early Shi?i Tradition
Christopher Melchert
12. The Evolution of al-Q??? al-Nu?m?n's Theory of Ismaili Jurisprudence as Reflected in the Chronology of his Works on Jurisprudence
Ismail K. Poonawala
13. The Theory of M?l among the Zayd?s
Sayyid Zayd al-Wazir


PART V: AUTHORITY
Introduction
Andrew J. Newman
14. 'Seeking the Face of God': The Safawid ?ikmat Tradition's Conceptualisation of Wal?ya Takw?niyya
Sajjad Rizvi
15. The Role of the Imam-caliph as Depicted in Official Treatises and Documents Issued by the Fatimids
Paul E. Walker
16. 'Minority Reports': Twelver Shi?i Disputations and Authority in the B?yid Period
Andrew J. Newman

PART VI: THEOLOGY
Introduction
Wilferd Madelung
17. Early Im?m? Theology as Reflected in the Kit?b al-k?fi of al-Kulayn?
Wilferd Madelung
18. Al-Shaykh al-????: His Writings on Theology and their Reception
Hassan Ansari and Sabine Schmidtke

PART VII: RITES AND RITUALS
Introduction
Gerald R. Hawting
19. ??sh?r?? Rituals, Identity and Politics: A Comparative Approach (Lebanon and India)
Sabrina Mervin
20. The Practice of Chir?gh-i rawshan among the Ismailis of Central Asia
Hakim Elnazarov

PART VIII: PHILOSOPHY AND INTELLECTUAL TRADITIONS
Introduction
Daniel De Smet
21. Shahrast?n?'s ?an?f Revelation: A Shi?i Philosophico-Hermeneutical System
Toby Mayer
22. Philosophising at the Margins of 'Shi?i Studies': Reflections on Ibn S?n?'s Ontology
Nader El-Bizri

Epilogue by Azim Nanji
Index

Product Details

• Title: The Study of Shi'i Islam: History, Theology and Law
• Authors: Farhad Daftary, Gurdofarid Miskinzoda
• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Print Publication Date: 2014
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9780857735294, 0857735292
• Resource ID: LLS:9780857735294
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-11T03:06:22Z

About the Authors

Farhad Daftary is the Co-Director and Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. As well as serving on various editorial boards, Dr Daftary is the author and editor of numerous publications. Gurdofarid Miskinzoda is a Research Associate and Coordinator of Shi'i Studies at the Department of Academic Research and Publication of the Institute of Ismaili Studies.