An introduction to shi i islam

Oct 15, 2018 register for introduction to shi i islam. 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. Read essays on islam in america, the muslim experience, and issues for muslims in america. Shi i thoughtthis course provides an introduction to shi i islam, with a particular focus on the integration of textual, rational, polemical, and philosophical sources in the development of twelver, ismaili, and zaydi imami shi ism. An introduction to islam through the lens of america. An introduction department of near eastern studies.

Community and culture in changing social contexts by christoph marcinkowski berlin 2010. In sunni islam, sufism has, through the sufi shaykhs, a major hold on the religious devotion of the masses. Every school of thought in islam must be respected because they all can lead people to salvation. Due to the lack of clear information, the shia imamiyyah school of thought has remained a mystery to many muslims. Imamah further says that imams possess divine knowledge and authority as well as being part of the ahl albayt, the family of muhammad. It examines what the shii believe, how they see themselves and how they view the world. The history and doctrines of twelver shi ism263 an introduction to shi i islam. There, go into one of the subcategories under the articles section, for example the theology articles subpage. Cambridge core middle east studies shii islam by najam haider. An introduction to shii islam bahai library online. This book is a general introduction to shi i islam. There are 24 separate lectures totaling approximately 16 hours. The question is not only who was the successor of muhammad but. Numerous muslims are relieved to discover the truth about shi a islam from reliable sources.

Explore our curated selection of news, publications, and links. Like most western islamologists, my training and research have been concentrated on sunni islam and so shiism. Perhaps no aspect of the history of shi i islam is as confused as the stories relating to the twelfth imam and this is not surprising as this is the point in shi i history where the events related become of a miraculous, extraordinary nature and the nonbeliever may be unwilling to go along with the facts as related by shi. Summary of shii history and doctrines, excerpted from the book introduction to shii islam. In iran, jafari jurisprudence is enshrined in the constitution it differs from the predominant madhhabs of sunni jurisprudence in its reliance on ijtihad, as well as on. This book is a general introduction to shi i islam specifically to twelver shi ism, to which the majority of shi is belong today. The text studies the origins of shi i islam and its sources, i.

Introduction to shii islam sc533 this course provides a historical study of the development of shi. Shii islam by najam haider cambridge university press. If youre behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains. The comprehensive authority of the jurist in imamite jurisprudence. An introduction to shii islam bahaipedia, an encyclopedia. Momens book fills an important gap in the general literature in. 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.

A brief introduction to islam part 1 of 2 the religion of. This website is for people of various faiths who seek to understand islam and muslims. Introduction to shii islam starts november 15, 2018. An introduction to shii islam the history and doctrines of twelver. This book examines the development of shi i islam through the lenses of belief, narrative, and memory. Introduction to shi i islam by moojan momen, yale university press.

Today, the shiite community is composed of several different branches, and there are large shia populations in iran, iraq, and bahrain. It is the orthodox ulama who hold the religious leadership of the shi i community and few of them will have anything to do with sufism. Shi i islam by moojan momen from infallible imams to ayatollahs in iran, shi ism has long been a prominent, if misunderstood, branch of islam. It is for this reason that i produced this booklet, which serves as an introduction to shi a muslims and what i understand of their view of the islamic vision of life and human society. This chapter is intended to set the background for the emergence of shii islam.

Members are welcome to attend any mosque in any land. The history and doctrines of twelver shiism moojan momen isbn. The words sunni and shia appear regularly in stories about the muslim world but few people know what they really mean. It is for this reason that i produced this booklet, which serves as an introduction to shia muslims and what i understand of their view of the islamic vision of life and human society. It will consist mostly of a survey of the life of muhammad and a brief outline of the early history of islam as well as some of the fundamental elements of the teachings contained in the quran. However, due to different ways of interpretation of teaching of the prophet, muslims are made up of two main different groups. Did you know that the bahai faith started as an offshoot of the shaykhi school of the ithnaashariyyih twelver sect of shi ah islam.

Inquiries about shi a islam by sayyid moustafa alqazwinian excellent introduction to the major doctrines of shi i islam, including an explanation of the ahlul bayt, infallibility, intercession, dissimulation, companions and wives of the prophet, and other schools of islamic thought. Shi ism doctrines, thought, and spirituality by seyyed hossein nasr. Interest in shi i islam has increased dramatically in the west since the rise to economic importance of the persian gulf region and the 1979 revolution in iran, where shi ism is the state religion. All content in this area was uploaded by muhammad alashari on sep 28, 2019. Najam haider takes the reader on a magisterial journey through the vast and diverse landscape of shi i thought in his shi i islam. Shia islam was almost unknown in nigeria until the 1980s, when ibraheem zakzaky introduced shia islam. This book provides a broad based introduction to shii islam. Shii islam is an excellent resource for students, scholars, and members of the reading public who want to get a thorough, intelligent survey of this fascinating topic. I believe that we all have intriguing views of life views that must be honored and that we must be happy to share with the world around us. Due to the lack of clear information, the shi a imamiyyah school of thought has remained a mystery to many muslims. Shiism concentration department of religion the george. Until recently most book published in the west on islam have tended to concentrate on sunni islam and to overlook shi ism. It is the orthodox ulama who hold the religious leadership of the shi i community and few of.

Najam iftikhar haider during the formative period of islam, in the first centuries after muhammads death, two particular intellectual traditions emerged, sunnism and shi ism. The book is not an introduction or guide to islam in general, and therefore he focuses exclusively what distinguishes shi i muslims from sunni muslims, and furthermore what distinguishes the three. An introduction to shia islam could be called a true introduction, in the sense that it covers both the fundamentals of faith and the lives of the imam, with a reasoning fit for the west, thus appropriate for muslims in the west as well as nonmuslims. The course will give students a familiarity with the key figures and texts in the development of the theology of these three major. The history and doctrines of twelver shi ism by momen, moojan and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. An introduction to islam although islam is one of the worlds largest religions with over 1 billion adherants, for many, the image of islam is unclear. 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.

This book provides a broad based introduction to shi i islam. Though simply and clearly written, it is an outcome of more than twenty years of involvement in islamic studies. Read and learn for free about the following article. Inquiries about shia islam by sayyid moustafa alqazwinian excellent introduction to the major doctrines of shi i islam, including an explanation of the ahlul bayt, infallibility, intercession, dissimulation, companions and wives of the prophet, and other schools of islamic thought. An introduction to shia islam, the history and doctrines of twelver shi ism. It deals with the history and development of this important religion, giving an account of shii doctrines and focusing in particular on those areas in which it differs from sunni islam. Introduction to shii islam starts november 15, 2018 youtube. Shii islam book by moojan momen official publisher. 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 during the formative period of islam, in the first centuries after muhammads death, different ideas and beliefs abounded. An egypt air airliner crashed of the east coast of new england, with the loss of all of the lives on board. Twelver shiite responses to the sunni legal system. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. The history and doctrines of twelver shiism, by moojan momen. History the question of the succession to muhammad the succession to muhammad is clearly the key question in shi i islam and the principal factor separating shi is from the sunni majority.

The shia revival how conflicts within islam will shape the future. The usuli believe that the hadith collections contained traditions of varying degrees of reliability, and that critical analysis was necessary to assess their authority. Discovering shii islam is a brief introduction to main issues related to islam in general and shi i islam in particular. Please select ok if you would like to proceed with this request anyway. Topics islam collection opensource language english. Shia islamic litterature and good introductions are very scarce in our universities and. It includes a thorough examination of doctrine, philosophy, the shii approach to the quran and the historical evolution of shiism as a branch of islam. I have produced it in accordance with the teachings of their. But in shi ism it has become largely a sideissue, a minority interest. This chapter is intended to set the background for the emergence of shi i islam. Numerous muslims are relieved to discover the truth about shia islam from reliable sources.

All shi i scholars and some sunni scholars hold that this verseespecially the words. This is a good overview of shia islam, and goes into extreme detail. This course is an introduction to the religion of islam. An excellent introduction to the major doctrines of shi i islam, including an explanation of the ahlul bayt, infallibility, intercession, dissimulation, companions and wives of the prophet, and other schools of. It examines what the shi i believe, how they see themselves and how they view the world. In contrast the akhbari believe that the sole sources of law are the quran and the hadith, in particular the four books accepted by the shia. There, you will find a page were you can talk about articles. This course provides an introduction to shii islam, with a particular focus on the integration of textual, rational, polemical, and philosophical sources in the development of twelver, ismaili, and zaydi imami shiism. In an accessible yet nuanced manner, it conceives of shi ism as a historical project undertaken by a segment of the early muslim community that felt dispossessed. Respected reader, assalamu alaykum, the editor of this work is pleased to announce the release of the shia encyclopedia, which forms itself as the collection of articles that emanated from an intrafaith dialogue, ranging from exploring commonalities, differences and a train of thought specific to the shia also known as the school of the ahlul bayt. Aug 19, 2009 introduction sunni and shia mosaic tiled columns in a mosque.

Zakzakys gained a following among those disenchanted with the political and religious establishment. Introduction to islam if youre seeing this message, it means were having trouble loading external resources on our website. If you are new, follow this guide on how the project is built. This book is a general introduction to shii islamspecifically to twelver shiism, to which the majority of shiis belong today. The iranian revolution of 1979 and recent events in lebanon have greatly increased western interest in the shi i branch of islam, which is much less known than sunni islam. The iranian revolution of 1979 and recent events in lebanon have greatly increased western interest in the shii branch of islam, which is much less known than sunni islam. The book is not an introduction or guide to islam in general, and therefore he focuses exclusively what distinguishes shi i muslims from sunni muslims, and furthermore what distinguishes the three main sects of shi i islam from one another. A brief introduction to the meaning of islam, the notion of god in islam, and his basic message to humanity through the prophets. Welcome to shi a islam task force of wikiproject islam. A bibliographical study by hossein modarressi tabatabai london 1984 shi ite identities.

Looks at issues surrounding why islam has major divisions between movements such as the shiites, the sunnis, and the wahhabis. This book examines the development of shii islam through the lenses of belief, narrative, and memory. It includes a thorough examination of doctrine, philosophy, the shi i approach to the quran and the historical evolution of shi ism as a branch of islam. The sunnis, who do not hold that ali should have directly succeeded muhammad, compose the largest branch of islam. Most see images of the midle east or north africa with bedouins on their camels, palestinians throwing rocks at israeli police, or radical fundamentalists expounding their reasons for jihad.