The Shi'i World

The Shi'i World
Author: Farhad Daftary
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2015-09-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 085772763X

I.B.Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies The world's 200 million Shi'i Muslims express their faith in a multiplicity of ways, united by reverence for the ahl al-bayt, the family of the Prophet. In embracing a pluralistic ethic, fourteen centuries of Shi'i Islam have given rise to diverse traditions and practices across varied geographic and cultural landscapes. The Shi'i World is a comprehensive work authored by leading scholars from assorted disciplines, to provide a better understanding of how Shi'i communities view themselves and articulate their teachings. The topics range from Shi'i Islam's historical and conceptual foundations, formative figures and intellectual, legal and moral traditions, to its devotional practices, art and architecture, literature, music and cinema, as well as expressions and experiences of modernity. The book thus provides a panoramic perspective of the richly textured narratives that have shaped the social and moral universe of Shi'i Muslims around the globe.This fourth volume in the Muslim Heritage Series will appeal to specialists and general readers alike, as a timely resource on the prevailing complexities not only of the 'Muslim world', but also of the dynamic Shi'i diasporas of Europe and North America.

The Nuṣayrī-ʻAlawīs

The Nuṣayrī-ʻAlawīs
Author: Yaron Friedman
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 350
Release: 2010
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004178929

Friedman offers new and updated research on the Nusayr - Alaw sect, today a leading group in Syria, covering a variety of aspects and focusing on the Middle Ages. A century after Dussaud's "Histoire et religion des Nosair s" (1900), he reviews the history and religion of the sect in the light of old documents used by orientalists in the nineteenth century, documents that became available in the twentieth century, and later sources of the Nu ayr - Alaw sect published most recently in Lebanon. Also studied in depth for the first time is the question of the identity of the sect through the Alaw -Sunn -Sh triangle.

The Prophet's Heir

The Prophet's Heir
Author: Hassan Abbas
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2021-02-23
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0300229453

The life and legacy of one of Mohammad’s closest confidants and Islam’s patron saint: Ali ibn Abi Talib Ali ibn Abi Talib is arguably the single most important spiritual and intellectual authority in Islam after prophet Mohammad. Through his teachings and leadership as fourth caliph, Ali nourished Islam. But Muslims are divided on whether he was supposed to be Mohammad’s political successor—and he continues to be a polarizing figure in Islamic history. Hassan Abbas provides a nuanced, compelling portrait of this towering yet divisive figure and the origins of sectarian division within Islam. Abbas reveals how, after Mohammad, Ali assumed the spiritual mantle of Islam to spearhead the movement that the prophet had led. While Ali’s teachings about wisdom, justice, and selflessness continue to be cherished by both Shia and Sunni Muslims, his pluralist ideas have been buried under sectarian agendas and power politics. Today, Abbas argues, Ali’s legacy and message stands against that of ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Taliban.

Mary and Jesus in Islam

Mary and Jesus in Islam
Author: Yasin T. al-Jibouri
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Total Pages: 524
Release: 2011-12-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1468523201

YASIN T. AL-JIBOURI is an Iraqi-American writer, author, editor and translator who has as many as 54 titles to his credit. Details of these works and of his other activities are provided in the Preface to this book as well as front cover images of some of these works on pages 46-75. He holds a Masters' degree in English from an American university, and he taught English in his home country, Iraq, and in Saudi Arabia and the United States. Presently, he is writing his major work titled Allah: The Concept of God in Islam in two volumes as well as A Dictionary of Islamic Terms, also in two volumes. This book is an attempt to bring Christians and Muslims of the world closer to each other, to bridge the gap between, to establish an alliance among them, so that they may together be able to face the challenges of the present and of the future. One of these challenges is extremism, the new menacing plague that is endangering the lives of so many people from both creeds and from others. Knowledge, right and accurate knowledge, is powerful, and such power can be put to good use: to clear misconceptions, remove doubts and suspicions and establish trust and understanding among followers of both creeds. Philosophically, this book cites many first-hand references to prove that, unfortunately, present day Christianity, regardless of any of its many denominations, has truly distanced itself from the original word preached by Jesus Christ. It traces the times and circumstances when concepts of "son of God", "Holy Trinity" and "salvation" crept into Christianity and distorted the pristine faith brought by Christ. At the same time, it highlights Qur'anic verses that beautifully paint a portrait of Jesus Christ and his saintly virgin mother, Mary, testifying to the truth brought by Christ, to his miracles, guidance and truth. The information is presented in a flowing style that captures the attention of any reader, including one who just is looking for a good story to enjoy.

Doctrine of Terror

Doctrine of Terror
Author: Mahboob Illahi
Publisher: FriesenPress
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2018-10-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1525526472

The book highlights the fact that Islam does not encourage or incite intolerance of other faiths, and that it values sanctity of human life, regardless of religious affiliation, and abhors violence and extremism, as being perpetrated by the misguided muslim jihadists of al-Qaeda, ISIS, and their associated terrorist groups that have been wreaking atrocities on defenseless civilian populations of Muslim majority countries, including women and children.The book describes the inception, support, and unlimited funding of these groups by the Sunni Arab countries, and implores the Funders to discontinue their support, forthwith, to restore peace and stability to the marginalized communities, particularly the Shia Muslims of the world who have been subjected to persecution for centuries, ever since the advent of Islam in the seventh century, following the death of the Prophet of Islam in 623.The book also implores theWorld powers to end their tacit support of terrorism by seriously confronting the supporters of terrorist groups, without which the terrorism will not end.

Shí‘ism: Imãmate & Wilãyat

Shí‘ism: Imãmate & Wilãyat
Author: Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi
Publisher: Al-Ma‘ãrif Publications
Total Pages: 115
Release: 2000
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0920675115

Shí‘ism or Shí‘a Islam is the second largest sect of the Muslim world. The central theme of Shí‘a theology is the position, rights, and qualities that the Imams of Ahlul Bayt possess. Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi starts with a brief discussion on the origin of the Shí‘a Islamic faith, and whether it was political in nature or religious. In Chapter II, he surveys the seIf-censorship exercised by Muslim historians at early as well as modern eras, and how events related to Shí‘ism were suppressed in order to appease the rulers. Chapter III expounds on how the Orientalists have dealt with the Ghadír Khumm event: either it is ignored or if quoted, then interpreted to safeguard the interest of the majority Muslims. S.M. Rizvi also discusses the literal and contextual meaning of “mawla" which has great bearing on the issue of Imãmat and khilãfat of ‘Ali bin Abí Tãlib. Chapter IV, he surveys the current dispute on the explicitness versus implicitness of ‘Ali’s appointment to the position of imãmate and Khãlifat. This is followed by a chapter on the concept of ‘Ahlul Bayt’ in the Qur’ãn and the sunnah. Chapter VI deals with the wilãyat, the position and authority of the Imam, and its scope from the Qur’ãnic point of view. The treatise ends with a discussion on the esoteric knowledge that the Prophets and the Imams possess and its relevance to their personal life.

Awaited Imam Mahdi

Awaited Imam Mahdi
Author: Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
Publisher: Minhaj-ul-Quran Publications
Total Pages: 100
Release: 2003
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9789693202175

Shi'i Islam

Shi'i Islam
Author: Najam Haider
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 267
Release: 2014-08-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 1316061019

During the formative period of Islam, in the first centuries after Muhammad's death, two particular intellectual traditions emerged, Sunnism and Shi'ism. Sunni Muslims endorsed the historical caliphate, while Shi'i Muslims, supporters of 'Ali, cousin of the Prophet and the fourth caliph, articulated their own distinctive doctrines. The Sunni-Shi'i schism is often framed as a dispute over the identity of the successor to Muhammad, whereas in reality, Sunni and Shi'i Muslims also differ on a number of seminal theological doctrines concerning the nature of God and legitimate political and religious authority. This book examines the development of Shi'i Islam through the lenses of belief, narrative, and memory. It also covers a wide range of Shi'i communities from the demographically predominant Twelvers to the transnational Isma'ilis to the scholar-activist Zaydis. The portrait of Shi'ism that emerges is that of a distinctive and vibrant community of Muslims with a remarkable capacity for reinvention and adaptation, grounded in a unique theological interpretation of Islam.

Opposing the Imam

Opposing the Imam
Author: Nebil Husayn
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 251
Release: 2021-04-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 1108967108

Islam's fourth caliph, Ali, can be considered one of the most revered figures in Islamic history. His nearly universal portrayal in Muslim literature as a pious authority obscures centuries of contestation and the eventual rehabilitation of his character. In this book, Nebil Husayn examines the enduring legacy of the nawasib, early Muslims who disliked Ali and his descendants. The nawasib participated in politics and scholarly discussions on religion at least until the ninth century. However, their virtual disappearance in Muslim societies has led many to ignore their existence and the subtle ways in which their views subsequently affected Islamic historiography and theology. By surveying medieval Muslim literature across multiple genres and traditions including the Sunni, Mu'tazili, and Ibadi, Husayn reconstructs the claims and arguments of the nawasib and illuminates the methods that Sunni scholars employed to gradually rehabilitate the image of Ali from a villainous character to a righteous one.