Twelver Shiism: Unity and Diversity in the Life of Islam, 632 to 1722 (The New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys) - Hardcover

Newman, Andrew J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0748633308 ISBN 13: 9780748633302

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press, 2013

Synopsis

As many as 40 different Shi`i groups existed in the 9th and 10th centuries yet only 3 forms have survived. Why is Twelver Shi`ism one of them
As the established faith in modern Iran, the majority faith in Iraq and areas in the Gulf and with its adherents forming sizeable minorities elsewhere in the region, Twelver Shi'ism is arguably the most successful branch of Shi'ism. Andrew J. Newman chronicles the progression of Twelver Shiism, exploring the numerous external challenges and internal disagreements that marked the lives of believers in pockets across the Middle East to the early 18th century. During this time, from the 13th to the 15th century especially, with scholarly activity and the availability of earlier key texts of the faith limited, the region's many millenarian doctrines and movements threatened its demise. Only by the late 17th century was Twelver Shiism's survival assured, both in Iran and elsewhere in the region.

About this title

About the Author:

Andrew J. Newman is Reader in Islamic Studies and Persian at the University of Edinburgh.

Review:

"Newman's analysis provides a valuable perspective and numerous insights into the long intellectual developments which it covers. Moreover, showing as it does what can be achieved through diligent application of the biographical and bibliographical sources, the work has much to offer as a model for further studies." -- George Warner, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society

"Twelver Shiism provides a historical account of the development of this sect, from the conflicts over the successors of the Prophet Muhammad following his death in 632 to the fall of the Safavid dynasty in 1722. Newman appeals to a Western, nonspecialist audience that will leave the reader with an understanding of the progression of Twelver Shi'ism as its followers learned to cope with the political and religious landscape that it encountered. The book pays special attention to the internal and external pressures that Twelvers faced, the diversity of the faith throughout its first millennium of existence, the development of the divide between religious scholars and lay believers, and the wide geographic distribution of pockets of Twelvers from Asia through the Middle East."-- The Middle East Journal

"Newman has rendered a vital contribution to the blossoming study of Twelver Shi'ism by delivering a survey of the key intellectual turning points supported by exhaustive references to many primary works." -- John Cappucci, Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies

About this edition

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0748633308
• ISBN 13: 9780748633302
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288