Ijtihad Network Being Wise and Faithful Muslim in the Contemporary World
The Study of Shi’i Islam presents papers originally delivered at the first international colloquium dedicated exclusively to Shi’i studies, held in 2010 at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London.
Shi’i Islam, with its rich and extensive history, has played a crucial role in the evolution of Islam as both a major world religion and civilization. The prolific achievements of Shi’i theologians, philosophers and others are testament to the spiritual and intellectual wealth of this community. Yet Shi’i studies has unjustly remained a long-neglected field, despite the important contribution that Shi’ism has made to Islamic traditions. Only in recent decades, partially spurred by global interest in political events of the Middle East, have scholars made some significant contributions in this area. The Study of Shi’i Islam presents papers originally delivered at the first international colloquium dedicated exclusively to Shi’i studies, held in 2010 at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London. Within the book are eight sections, namely, history, the Qur’an and its Shi’i interpretations, hadith, law, authority, theology, rites and rituals, and intellectual traditions and philosophy. Each section begins with an introduction contextualizing the aspects of studying Shi’i Islam particular to its theme, before going on to address topics such as the state of the field, methodology and tools, and the primary issues with which contemporary scholars of Shi’i studies are dealing. The scope and depth here covered makes this book of especial interest to researchers and students alike within the field of Islamic studies.
The volume benefits from the diverse expertise of nearly 30 world-class scholars, including Mohammad-Ali Amir-Moezzi, Meir M. Bar-Asher, Farhad Daftary, Daniel De Smet, Gerald R. Hawting, Nader El-Bizri, Etan Kohlberg, Wilferd Madelung, Andrew Newman, Ismail K. Poonawala, Sabine Schmidtke and Paul E. Walker.
About the Editors
Farhad Daftary is the Co-Director of The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, and Head of the Institute’s Department of Academic Research and Publications. Since the mid-1960s, when he was completing his doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley, he has cultivated his interest in Shi i studies, with special reference to its Ismaili tradition, on which he is an authority. As well as serving on various editorial boards, Dr Daftary is a consulting editor of Encyclopedia Iranica, co-editor (with W. Madelung) of Encyclopedia Islamica, and the general editor of the ‘Ismaili Heritage Series’ and the ‘Ismaili Texts and Translations Series’. He is the author and editor of numerous publications, including The Ismāīlīs (1990; 2nd ed., 2007), The Assassin Legends (1994), A Short History of the Ismailis (1998), Intellectual Traditions in Islam (2000), Ismaili Literature (2004), A Modern History of the Ismailis (2011), as well as many articles and encyclopedia entries. Dr Daftary’s books have been translated into Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Gujarati, Chinese and various European languages.
Gurdofarid Miskinzoda is the Managing Editor of the ‘Shi i Heritage Series’. Since receiving her PhD in the study of History of the Near and Middle East and Islam from SOAS, University of London, she has worked as a Research Associate and Coordinator of Shi’i Studies in the Department of Academic Research and Publications of The Institute of Ismaili Studies. Dr Miskinzoda is the author of Narratives of the Life of Muhammad: Redefining Sīra Literature (forthcoming) as well as various articles.
Bibliographic Information
Title: The Study of Shi’i Islam: History, Theology and Law
Editors: Farhad Daftary & Gurdofarid Miskinzoda
Publisher: I.B. Tauris
Language: English
Length: 640 pages
ISBN: 9781780765068
Pub. Date: February 20, 2014
