Kategoria BISAC: Religion >> Islam - Shi'a

In the summer of 1978, Musa al Sadr, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Shia sect in Lebanon, disappeared mysteriously while on a visit to Libya. As in the Shia myth of the "Hidden Imam," this modern-day Imam left his followers upholding his legacy and awaiting his return. Considered an outsider when he had arrived in Lebanon in 1959 from his native Iran, he gradually assumed the role of charismatic mullah, and was instrumental in transforming the Shia, a quiescent and downtrodden Islamic minority, into committed political activists.

What sort of person was Musa al Sadr? What beliefs...

To some, Islamic Fundamentalism means the restoration of a true religion. To others, it is a politics that stands apart from capitalism and socialism. To many Westerners, it has come to constitute a threat to established order and international security. "Holy Wars," first published in 1989, comprises a non-partisan narrative that takes account of both the socio-cultural values expressed in Fundamentalism, and its political consequences. Dilip Hiro s starting point is that fundamentalist forces have been active within Islam since the death of the Prophet Muhammad. He presents the two major...

Geneive Abdo describes a historical backdrop that serves as a counterpoint to...

From Africa to Asia, there are areas that are home to minority and, in some cases, majority groups of Twelver Shia. Geography and history place Iran at the center of these Shia worlds, but to what extent can we speak of an -Iranian model- that these groups follow?

This essential work explores the tenuous relations between these groups and Iran while shedding light on understudied communities, such as those in the Gulf, Turkey, Afghanistan, central Asia, and Senegal.

Sabrina Mervin is a senior researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and the...

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...

The contemporary world is increasingly regarded as a global community in which traditional patterns of social organization, faith and practice are rapidly being transformed. These changes are evident in many religious traditions, and Shi'i Islam is no exception. This book seeks to investigate the nature of contemporary Shi'ism, focusing on the creation of identities - showing the diversity of thought within the Shi'i world, the transnational nature of Shi'i networks, and the forces of tradition and modernity influencing current developments in Shi'i identity. Increasing contacts between...

Moral Rationalism and Shar 'a is the first attempt at outlining the scope for a theological reading of Shar 'a, based on a critical examination of why 'Adliyya theological ethics have not significantly impacted Sh ' readings of Shar 'a.

Within Sh ' works of Shar 'a legal theory (us l al-fiqh) there is a theoretical space for reason as an independent source of normativity alongside the Qur' n and the Prophetic tradition. The position holds that humans are capable of understanding moral values independently of revelation. Describing...

Mara A. Leichtman offers an in-depth study of Shi'i Islam in two very different communities in Senegal: the well-established Lebanese diaspora and Senegalese "converts" from Sunni to Shi'i Islam of recent decades. Sharing a minority religious status in a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, each group is cosmopolitan in its own way. Leichtman provides new insights into the everyday lives of Shi'i Muslims in Africa and the dynamics of local and global Islam. She explores the influence of Hizbullah and Islamic reformist movements, and offers a corrective to prevailing views of Sunni-Shi'i...

Mara A. Leichtman offers an in-depth study of Shi'i Islam in two very different communities in Senegal: the well-established Lebanese diaspora and Senegalese "converts" from Sunni to Shi'i Islam of recent decades. Sharing a minority religious status in a predominantly Sunni Muslim country, each group is cosmopolitan in its own way. Leichtman provides new insights into the everyday lives of Shi'i Muslims in Africa and the dynamics of local and global Islam. She explores the influence of Hizbullah and Islamic reformist movements, and offers a corrective to prevailing views of Sunni-Shi'i...

Ranging from the time of the infallible Imams, to the contemporary era, this book provides a comprehensive overview of Shi i religious and political authority, focusing on Iran and Lebanon, without limiting the discourse to Khomeini s version of an Islamic State.

Utilising untapped Arabic and Persian sources, Hamid Mavani provides a detailed, nuanced, and diverse theoretical discussion on the doctrine of leadership (Imamate) in Shi ism from traditional, theological, philosophical, and mystical perspectives. This theoretical discussion becomes the foundation for an analysis of...