Islamic Studies: Shia

"The Ismailis have enjoyed a long, eventful and complex history dating back to the 8th century CE and originating in the Shi'i tradition of Islam. During the medieval period, Ismailis of different regions - especially in central Asia, south Asia, Iran and Syria - developed and elaborated their own distinctive literary and intellectual traditions, which have made an outstanding contribution to the culture of Islam as a whole. At the same time, the Ismailis in the Middle Ages split into two main groups who followed different spiritual leaders. The bulk of the Ismailis came to have a line of imams now represented by the Aga Khans, while a smaller group - known in south Asia as the Bohras - developed their own type of leadership.This collection is the first scholarly attempt to survey the modern history of both Ismaili groupings since the middle of the 19th century. It covers a variety of topical issues and themes, such as the modernising policies of the Aga Khans, and also includes original studies of regional developments in Ismaili communities worldwide." - Publisher

"At a time when the Muharram rituals of flagellation are being widely seen, television news broadcasters draw our attention to Iran, this volume will serve as an excellent sourcebook for anyone who might wish to understand the significance of those rituals from the perspective of a historian of religion. Mahmoud Ayoub grew up in a Shi'ite community in Lebanon. He combines in himself in a rare manner the inner knowledge of the Shi'ite community's piety with the perspective of the academic study of religion. The information he gives as to the central themes of that piety, the sufferings of the martyred Husayn, the role of Husayn's mother and family members, and the cosmic significance of that suffering, is not available in most sourcebooks on Islamic materials. Anyone who teaches courses on Islam, or general introductions to the world's religions, will find here materials not accessible elsewhere." - Sheila McDonough Concordia University

"Shi'ism is the second most numerous branch of Islam in the modern world, with between 130 and 190 million adherents across the globe. Shi'i Islam is becoming an increasingly significant and resurgent force in contemporary politics, especially in the Middle East. This makes a good and informed treatment of its fundamental spiritual beliefs and practices both necessary and timely. Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi is one of the most distinguished scholars of Shi'i history and theology currently at work, and in this volume he offers precisely such a wide-ranging and engaging survey of the core texts of Shi'i Islam. Examining in turn the origins and later developments of Shi'i spirituality, the author reveals the profoundly esoteric nature of the beliefs which accrued to the figures of the Imams, and which became associated with the latters' interaction between material and spiritual worlds. These beliefs were often designated as being ghulat, or ""extreme,"" by other Muslims, and as a result of such criticisms from within the tradition they have remained little known and much misunderstood. Furthermore, Western scholarship has tended to follow the lead of the earlier Islamic critics, viewing these concepts as deviant and marginal. The author shows, by contrast, how central an imaginative and creative spirituality was to the development of Shi'i Islam, as well as to classical Islamic civilization, as a whole. In this comprehensive treatment, the esoteric nature of Shi'i spirituality is an essential factor in understanding Shi'ism." - Publisher

"One of the most prominent Muslim scholars and scientists of the medieval era, the Persian polymath Nasir al-Din Tusi (1201-1274) joined the Shi'a Nizari Ismaili community at a young age, as the armies of Genghis Khan poured across his homeland. In the course of a long and eminent career, first under the patronage of the Ismailis at the fortress of Alamut, and later with the conquering Mongols, he produced over 150 works on diverse subjects from theology and philosophy to mathematics and astronomy. His principal works on Ismaili doctrine, the Rawda-yi taslim (The Paradise of Submission) and the autobiographical Sayr wa suluk (Contemplation and Action), are already available in English translation by S J Badakhchani. In this volume, he offers new critical editions and translations of three shorter Ismaili works by Tusi, namely Aghaz wa anjam (The Beginning and the End), Tawalla wa tabarra (Solidarity and Dissociation), and Matlub al-mu'minin (Desideratum of the Faithful). In these three treatises, Tusi provides concise interpretations of key motifs in Ismaili doctrine, with special reference to the primordial nature of man, his earthly existence in relation to the imam, and his destiny in the hereafter." - I.B. Tauris Publishing

This book is a general introduction to Shi’i Islam—specifically to Twelver Shi’ism, to which the majority of Shi’is belong today. It deals with the history and development of this important religion, giving an account of Shi’i doctrines and focusing in particular on those areas in which it differs from Sunni Islam.