Shi'ism Revisited

Shi'ism Revisited
Author: Liyakat Takim
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2021-11-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0197609007

Contemporary Muslims face a challenge: how should they define the relationship between normative Islamic jurisprudence--worked out by classical jurists over the course of centuries-and the reality that confronts them in their everyday lives. They have to reckon with how religion can regulate and serve the needs of a changing community. Is there a need for reformation in Islam? If so, where should it begin and how should it proceed? So far, these challenging questions have received little attention from Western scholars. Shi'ism Revisited will address this gap. In order to address pressing religious and social questions--on topics ranging from women's rights to bioethics and the challenges facing diasporic Muslims--legal scholars have sought to apply ijtihad, or independent reasoning. The lack of a central authority in Islam means the interpretations and edicts of scholars are frequently challenged, resulting in diversity and plurality in Islamic law. This makes Islamic law capacious, but also suggests the critical importance of examining not just the theory of law, but its application. Shi'ism Revisited moves beyond theoretical questions of reformation to address specific ways that Islamic law is being revisited by jurists. Tracing the origins and development of Shi'i jurisprudence and legal theory, Liyakat Takim analyzes how underlying epistemologies can be revised in order to create a moral and coherent legal system.

Shi'ism Revisited

Shi'ism Revisited
Author: Liyakat Takim
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2021-11-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 0197606571

"Contemporary Muslims face the challenge of how can a legal system that was formulated in the classical period of Islam respond to the multitudinous challenges that present-day Muslims encounter? Is there a need for reformation in Islam? If so, where should it begin and in which direction should it proceed? Addressing this gap in Western scholarship, and contributing to the ongoing debate in Islamic scholarship, Shi'ism Revisited: Ijtihad and Reformation in Contemporary Times will: (i) explore how modernity has impinged on the classical formulation of Islamic law, and (ii) analyse how Shi'i jurists have responded to the intersection of shari'a (Islamic law) and modernity. The study is original and ground-breaking in that it seeks to tackle issues such as how Islamic law is being revised by Shi'i scholars on cases such as human rights, gender equality, the rights of non-Muslim minorities, and reconfiguring the rational and moral basis of Islamic law. Such questions have required scholars to apply ijtihad (independent reasoning) in providing solutions to the pressing questions in the religious and social fields. By examining the principles and application of Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh) and reformation in Shi'ism, as well as the current discourse on juristic hermeneutics and the basis of a new ijtihad, this research will address topics that have attracted much public attention. Since such issues have been largely neglected by Western scholarship, this book will provide a unique analysis of ijtihad and reformation in the Shi'i world"--

Iran Revisited

Iran Revisited
Author: Ali Pirzadeh
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2016-04-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3319304852

This book examines Modern Iran through an interdisciplinary analysis of its cultural norms, history and institutional environment. The goal is to underline strengths and weaknesses of Iranian society as a whole, and to illustrate less prescriptive explanations for the way Iran is seen through a lens of persistent collective conduct rather than erratic historical occurrences. Throughout its history, Iran has been subject to many studies, all of which have diagnosed the country’s problem and prescribed solutions based on certain theoretical grounds. This book intends to look inward, seeking cultural explanations for Iran’s perpetual inability to improve its society. The theme in this book is based on the eloquent words of Nasir Khusrau, a great Iranian poet: “az mast ki bar mast”. The words are from a poem describing a self-adoring eagle that sees its life abruptly ended by an arrow winged with its own feathers—the bird is doomed by its own vanity. The closest interpretation of this idiom in Western Christian culture is “you reap what you sow”, which conveys a similar message that underlines one’s responsibility in the sense that, sooner or later, we must face the choices we make. This would enable us to confront – and live up to – what Iran’s history and culture have taught us.

Twelver Shiism

Twelver Shiism
Author: Andrew J. Newman
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2013-11-20
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0748678336

Charts the history and development of Twelver Shi'ismAs many as 40 different Shi`i groups existed in the 9th and 10th centuries; only 3 forms remain. Why is Twelver Shi`ism one of them? As the established faith in modern Iran, the majority faith in Iraq and areas in the Gulf and with its adherents forming sizeable minorities elsewhere in the region, it is arguably the most successful branch of Shi'ism. Andrew Newman charts the history Twelver Shi'ism, uncovering the development of the key distinctive doctrines and practices which ensured its survival in the face of repeated challenges. He argues that the key to the faith's endurance has been its ability to institutionalise responses to the changing, often localised circumstances in which the community has found itself, thereby remaining remarkably resilient in the face of both internal disagreements and external opposition.

American Realism Revisited

American Realism Revisited
Author: Hakim J Hazim
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 163
Release: 2005-10
Genre: National security
ISBN: 0595370330

Al-Qaeda and other militant cults are nothing new to the world. Cults of this type worship God by using violence against unbelievers to advance their cause. Idea or religious based justifications for violence are the impetuses behind their actions. American Realism Revisited is an assessment of the vital issues at stake for America, its allies, and its potential enemies. Author Hakim Hazim brings these issues to the forefront in a clear, nonpolitical, and unbiased way that allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. The chapters are a compilation of research papers that touch on the following: Attacking the enemy by suicide bombings Hazim's proposed militant cult theory The fate of democratic reform in Iraq America's relationship with Russia Terrorism has changed the face of America-and maybe even her soul. Democracy as we once knew it is forever changed. There is no shortage of militant cults, and, unfortunately, those who are eager and willing to follow them. Hazim invites you to take a journey and gain insight into lethal minds and latent threats facing our country today.

Shi'ism in America

Shi'ism in America
Author: Liyakat Nathani Takim
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 296
Release: 2011-09
Genre: History
ISBN: 0814782973

Provides an overview of America's Shi'i community, tracing its history, describing its composition in the twenty-first century, and explaining how they have created an identity for themselves in the American context.

Militancy and Political Violence in Shiism

Militancy and Political Violence in Shiism
Author: Assaf Moghadam
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2011-07-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 1136663533

This book is the first systematic assessment of current trends and patterns of militancy in Shii communities in the Middle East and South Asia - specifically in Iran, Iraq, but also in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. It addresses two key questions: What trends emerge in the types of militancy Shii actors employ both inside and outside of the Shii heartland? And what are the main drivers of militancy in the Shii community?

Shi'ism

Shi'ism
Author: Hamid Dabashi
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2012-05-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0674262913

For a Western world anxious to understand Islam and, in particular, Shi’ism, this book arrives with urgently needed information and critical analysis. Hamid Dabashi exposes the soul of Shi’ism as a religion of protest—successful only when in a warring position, and losing its legitimacy when in power. Dabashi makes his case through a detailed discussion of the Shi’i doctrinal foundations, a panoramic view of its historical unfolding, a varied investigation into its visual and performing arts, and finally a focus on the three major sites of its contemporary contestations: Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon. In these states, Shi’ism seems to have ceased to be a sect within the larger context of Islam and has instead emerged to claim global political attention. Here we see Shi’ism in its combative mode—reminiscent of its traumatic birth in early Islamic history. Hezbollah in Lebanon claims Shi’ism, as do the militant insurgents in Iraq, the ruling Ayatollahs in Iran, and the masses of youthful demonstrators rebelling against their reign. All declare their active loyalties to a religion of protest that has defined them and their ancestry for almost fourteen hundred years. Shi’sm: A Religion of Protest attends to the explosive conflicts in the Middle East with an abiding attention to historical facts, cultural forces, religious convictions, literary and artistic nuances, and metaphysical details. This timely book offers readers a bravely intelligent history of a world religion.

Twelver Shiism

Twelver Shiism
Author: Andrew J. Newman
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2013-11-20
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0748631909

Charts the history and development of Twelver Shi'ismAs many as 40 different Shi`i groups existed in the 9th and 10th centuries; only 3 forms remain. Why is Twelver Shi`ism one of them? As the established faith in modern Iran, the majority faith in Iraq and areas in the Gulf and with its adherents forming sizeable minorities elsewhere in the region, it is arguably the most successful branch of Shi'ism. Andrew Newman charts the history Twelver Shi'ism, uncovering the development of the key distinctive doctrines and practices which ensured its survival in the face of repeated challenges. He argues that the key to the faith's endurance has been its ability to institutionalise responses to the changing, often localised circumstances in which the community has found itself, thereby remaining remarkably resilient in the face of both internal disagreements and external opposition.

The Making of Shia Ayatollahs

The Making of Shia Ayatollahs
Author: Sayed Hassan Akhlaq
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2023-04-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1793655162

The Making of Shia Ayatollahs is a uniformly balanced and scholarly but empathetic portrayal of the appearance, construction, and dynamism of Shia hawzas, aytollahs’ attitudes and scholarship, and the meeting of faith, knowledge, and popularity in Shia Islam.