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

Description

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.

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

'Haider's study makes an important and much-needed contribution to the study of the origins of Imami and Zaydi Shi'ism as independent branches of Islam. Through his analysis of ritual practice, the legality of intoxicating drinks, and the emergence of distinct ritual locations, Haider produces a compelling case for the central role of legal discursive analysis of Kufan hadith in the articulation of Imami and Zaydi Shi'i religious, political, and social identities. The Origins of the Shi'a will be of interest to many in the fields of Islamic history, ritual studies, and law, and [Haider's] extensive use of charts to organize and explain his data and highly structured chapters make this complex historical data readable ...' Karen G. Ruffle, Journal of the American Oriental Society 'This study provides a significant contribution to the fields of Shi'i studies, Islamic law and early history of Islam, but perhaps mostly to hadith studies. Haider successfully implements a new method on Muslim traditions and reaches ground-breaking conclusions regarding the origins of early Shi'ism.' Seyfeddin Kara, Ilahiyat Studies: A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies