Shi'ism

Intellect and Angelology in Avicenna's Gnosis (Spanish)

by Carlos Segovia

"Del entendimiento al Ángel: En torno al lugar de la gnosis aviceniana," in Intellect et imagination dans la philosophie médiévale: Actes du XIe Congrès International de Philosophie Médiévale de la Société Internationale pour l'Étude de la Philosophie Médiévale (Porto, du 26 au 31 août 2002), ed. M.C. Pacheco & J. Meirinhos (Turnhout: Brepols, 2006), 3.563-69.

Univocism and Monadology in Post-Avicennan Iranian Philosophy: Mulla Sadra Shirazi's Ishraqi Hermeneutics of Ibn 'Arabi's Gnosis and His Discussion of Avicennan Ontology

by Carlos Segovia

in: Endoxa. Series Filosóficas 16 (2002) 295-209.

Univocism and Monadology in Post-Avicennan Iranian Philosophy: Mulla Sadra Shirazi and the Philosophical Development of Ibn al-'Arabi's Gnosis (Spanish)

by Carlos Segovia

"Univocismo y monadología en el pensamiento iraní postaviceniano: La prosecución filosófica del 'irfan de Ibn al-'Arabi en la obra de Mulla Sadra Shirazi," Anales del Seminario de Historia de la Filosofía 18 (2001) 78-108.

Mulla Sadra Shirazi and the Concept of Nature in Post-Avicennan Islamic Philosophy (Spanish)

by Carlos Segovia

"El concepto de naturaleza en la filosofía islámica postaviceniana: Mulla Sadra Shirazi," Ontological Studies / Cuadernos de Ontología 1-2 (2001) 436-37.

The Reception of Avicenna in the Eastern Lands of Islam (Spanish)

by Carlos Segovia

"Avicena en Oriente," Revista de Filosofía 11.20 (1998) 85-98.

Sacred history beyond history: some reflections on the Kitāb Maqtal al-Ḥusayn by Abū Mikhnaf

by Francesco Stermotich Cappellari

Ghulūww and the Ghulāt in Early Imāmi Shī'ism, A Brief Survey of Beliefs and Doctrines

by Nadim Pabani

The term ghulūww is commonly translated as “extremism” or “exaggeration” and denotes certain religious and doctrinal... more The term ghulūww is commonly translated as “extremism” or “exaggeration” and denotes certain religious and doctrinal views which could be classed as exceeding the bounds of ‘proper’ belief with those holding these extreme views being called ghulāt (sing. ghāli) or “exaggerators”. The ghulāt tended to be associated with certain beliefs deemed ‘deviant’ or ‘heretical’ enough so that they were, in some cases, viewed as falling beyond the pale of Muslim orthodoxy and Islam.

The purpose of this paper will be to illustrate the evolutionary nature of this concept, whilst also surveying certain doctrines associated with the ghulāt.

Abu Mikhnaf's Kitab Maqtal al-Husayn - A Product of Its Time

by Nadim Pabani

The focus of this paper will be a text known as the Kiṭāb Maqtal al-Ḥusayn (from here on in referred to as the Kiṭāb);... more The focus of this paper will be a text known as the Kiṭāb Maqtal al-Ḥusayn (from here on in referred to as the Kiṭāb); a compilation of reports surrounding the death of the third Shi'i Imam Ḥusayn ibn. Ali ibn. Abū Talib, who was martyred on the plains of Kerbala on the tenth day of Muharram, 680 C.E. The historian responsible for the Kiṭāb was a Kufan man by the name of Abū Mikhnaf (d.774) and this paper will assess the milieu which gave rise to the Kiṭāb and attempt to show how the Kiṭāb was a product of the time in which it was compiled.

Imam Ja‘far’s Legacy to the Community - The Formulation of the Doctrine of Imamate

by Nadim Pabani

Imam Jafar al-Sadiq’s importance extended in the sphere of law and jurisprudence amongst all Muslim communities but... more Imam Jafar al-Sadiq’s importance extended in the sphere of law and jurisprudence amongst all Muslim communities but for Shias he was the final authority on Earth in matters pertaining to faith and Sharia. In this piece, we situate Imam Jafar in his historical and socio-political context whilst also addressing the key principles which were developed during his Imamat including the the doctrine of Imamat, and the principles of nass, ilm and taqiya.

Sayyidina Husain Dalam Teks Klasik Melayu

by Mohd Faizal Musa

Jurnal al-Qurba, 1(1): 1-23

This essay explores and expresses some initial views on the status and virtues of Sayyidina Husain in Malay classical... more This essay explores and expresses some initial views on the status and virtues of Sayyidina Husain in Malay classical text. To match this purpose, this paper refers to three short classical sagas, they are: Hikayat Hasan Husen Tatkala Kanak-kanak (The Tale of Hasan’s and Husain’s Childhood), Hikayat Hasan Husen Tatkala akan Mati (The Tale of Hasan and Husain before Dying), Hikayat Tabut (The Tale of Tabut) . Positions of the saga in the corpus of classical Malay literature as well as the possibility that the sagas are 'cultural markers' that Muslims in this region are adherent of Ja'fari school (Shi'ism) are discussed. It is concluded that the three sagas have very thick Shi’ite notions and they have deep roots in the Malay tradition. The sagas strengthen arguments that mourning and dedication to Sayyidina Husain are not novel things for the Malay people. The role of classical Malay literature as an educator in the society and its didactic character emphasizethis argument. The three sagas have shown that Sayyidina Husain has special status in the Malay tradition that is portrayed in its classical literature.

Keywords: Sayyidina Husain, saga,Malay, Shi’ism

Sayyida Zaynab in the State of Exception: Shiʿi Sainthood as “Qualified Life" in Contemporary Syria

by Edith Szanto

International Journal of Middle East Studies 44 no. 2 (2012): 285-299.

According to Giorgio Agamben, a “state of exception” is established by the sovereign's decision to suspend the law,... more According to Giorgio Agamben, a “state of exception” is established by the sovereign's decision to suspend the law, and the archetypical state of exception is the Nazi concentration camp. At the same time, Agamben notes that boundaries have become blurred since then, such that even spaces like refugee camps can be thought of as states of exception because they are both inside and outside the law. This article draws on the notion of the state of exception in order to examine the Syrian refugee camp cum shrine town of Sayyida Zaynab as well as to analyze questions of religious authority, ritual practice, and pious devotion to Sayyida Zaynab. Though Sayyida Zaynab and many of her Twelver Shiʿi devotees resemble Agamben's figure of homo sacer, who marked the origin of the state of exception, they also defy Agamben's theory that humans necessarily become animal-like, leading nothing more than “bare lives” (or zoē) in states of exception.

Book Review: “Visualizing Belief and Piety in Iranian Shi‘ism,” by Ingvild Flaskerud

by Edith Szanto

The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 28 no. 4 (2011): 136-139.

Martirio e intercessione di Ḥusayn in due testi poetici persiani

by Simone Cristoforetti

La versione definitiva di questo articolo è pubblicata in
Islamochristiana, 36 (2010): 63-76.  ISSN 0392-7288

Remembering Fāṭimah: New Means of Legitimizing Female Authority in Contemporary Shī‘ī Discourse

by Matthew Pierce

A modern Iranian Shiite Friend of God-Nūr'alīshāh II (1867-1918)

by Matthijs van den Bos

Van den Bos, M. 2002 A Modern Iranian Shiite Friend of God - Nur'alishah II (1867-1918). Persica XVIII: 1-15.

Transnational Orientalism. Henry Corbin in Iran

by Matthijs van den Bos

Van den Bos, M. 2005. "Transnational Orientalism: Henry Corbin in Iran." Anthropos 100 (1): 113-25.

Sufi authority in Khatami's Iran. Some fieldwork notes

by Matthijs van den Bos

Van den Bos, M. 2002. "Sufi Authority in Khatami's Iran. Some Fieldwork Notes." Oriente Moderno XXI (LXXXII): 351-78.

European Shiism? Counterpoints from Shiites' organization in Britain and the Netherlands

by Matthijs van den Bos

Van den Bos, M. 2012. European Shiism? Counterpoints from Shiites’ organization in Europe. Ethnicities: doi:10.1177/1468796811432687.

Muʿtazilism in a 20th Century Zaydī Qurʾān Commentary

by Gregor Schwarb أغريغور شوارب גריגור שוורב

to be published in Arabica 59,3-4 (2012):371–402

The Zaydīs in Yemen are the only current within Islam that fostered the continuous transmission and study of Muʿtazilī... more The Zaydīs in Yemen are the only current within Islam that fostered the continuous transmission and study of Muʿtazilī kalām up to the present time. This article aims to examine the presence and quality of Muʿtazilī kalām in a major Zaydī composition of the 20th century, namely ʿAlī b. Muḥammad al-ʿAǧrī’s (1320-1407/1902-1987) Miftāḥ al-saʿāda, which was completed in May 1952. The Miftāḥ and other works of Zaydī scholars written during the first half of the 20th century provide us with valuable insights into Zaydī-Hādawī scholarship in Northern Yemen prior to the Republican revolution of 1962 and furnish important information about the education of 20th century Zaydī-Hādawī scholars and the contents of their libraries. The wide range of Muʿtazilī and non-Muʿtazilī sources used and quoted in the Miftāḥ sheds light on the distinct impact of various phases of a centuries-old school- and teaching-tradition.

Schiitische Polemik gegen das Christentum im safawidischen Iran des 11./17. Jahrhunderts

by Dennis Halft OP

“Schiitische Polemik gegen das Christentum im safawidischen Iran des 11./17. Jahrhunderts. Sayyid Aḥmad ʿAlawīs Lawāmiʿ-i rabbānī dar radd-i šubha-yi naṣrānī”, in Adang, Camilla / Sabine Schmidtke (eds.), Contacts and Controversies between Muslims, Jews and Christians in the Ottoman Empire and Pre-Modern Iran (Istanbuler Texte und Studien 21), Würzburg 2010,
273-334.