9781107424951: The Origins of the Sh?'a

Synopsis

The Sunni-Shi'a schism is often framed as a dispute over the identity of the successor to Muhammad. In reality, however, this fracture only materialized a century later in the important southern Iraqi city of Kufa (present-day Najaf). This book explores the birth and development of Shi'i identity. Through a critical analysis of legal texts, whose provenance has only recently been confirmed, the study shows how the early Shi'a carved out independent religious and social identities through specific ritual practices and within separate sacred spaces. In this way, the book addresses two seminal controversies in the study of early Islam, namely the dating of Kufan Shi'i identity and the means by which the Shi'a differentiated themselves from mainstream Kufan society. This is an important, original and path-breaking book that marks a significant development in the study of early Islamic society.

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À propos de l?auteur

Najam Haider is Assistant Professor of Religion at Barnard College in New York City.

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Autres éditions populaires du même titre

9781107010710: The Origins of the Shi'a: Identity, Ritual, and Sacred Space in Eighth-Century K?fa

Edition présentée

ISBN 10 :  1107010713 ISBN 13 :  9781107010710
Editeur : Cambridge University Press, 2011
Couverture rigide