Studying Shīʿī Hadith and History
Introduction Any casual reciter of Dua Samat knows that there is something different about this Dua. It is distinctive not only in its emphasis on Moses as the Prophet par excellence, but also in its adaptation of biblical terms and historical locations. Two passages from the Dua suffice to demonstrate this: وَأَسْأَلُكَ اللّهُمَّ بِمَجْدِكَ الَّذي … Continue reading Is Dua Samat a Jewish Supplication?
Introduction A more distinctive feature of the Imami Madhhab is its acceptance of Mut'a (temporary marriage), which it claims was sanctioned by the Qur'an and the Prophet, before being banned by the second Caliph. One would therefore expect to find support for this practice from the early Salaf, before the crystallization of the various theological … Continue reading The Grandson of George and Temporary Marriage
ما على وجه الارض شئ أحب إلي من التقية There is nothing on the face of the Earth more beloved to me than Taqiyya[1] - Imam al-Sadiq Introduction: This paper will be considered by some as belonging to the genre of Shi’i-Sunni polemics, but this would be a mis-characterization. It is mostly directed at … Continue reading Did the Imams praise Abu Bakr and Umar?
Introduction It is not hard to account for the presence of Ghulati reports in the Imami corpus in light of the socio-historic contexts of those times. The rapid expansion of the Islamic empire meant that early Muslims came into contact with proponents of other religions. The absorption of non-Arab Mawali and new converts into the … Continue reading Salman and the Milieu of Ghulu
Introduction Occasionally, historical figures transcend the limited planes of their earthly life to become symbols around whom communities polarize and legends grow. One such figure from early Islam is Salman the Persian. Those with an esoteric persuasion (deemed Ghulat or ‘extremists’ by their opponents) were prone to exaggerate his status, seeing in him an archetype … Continue reading Some Notes on the Status of Salman in Early Shi’ism (Pt. 2)
Shiitic Studies 