Even in the Sunnī sources there are permissible for crying. Where is this order followed in these Sunnī circles? Only a dry Wahhabī tendency has such views and problems, not the majority of Sunnīs whose proofs are....
Read More »Analysis of the Attribution of Tazkirāt Al-A’ima to Allāma Muhammad Bāqir al-Majlesi
Disagreement exists among historical biographers in attributing the authorship of Tazkirat al-A’ima to either Allāma Muhammad Bāqir Bin Muhammad Taqii Majlesi or his contemporary scholar of the same name, Muhamad Bāqir....
Read More »The Authenticity of Ziyarat ʿĀshūrāʾ
The version of the ziyārat that Sayyid al-Zanjānī speaks to, and that is found in by Shaykh ʿAbbās al-Qummī’s Mafātīh al-Jinān, is originally cited in Shaykh al-Ṭūsī’s compilation of prayers, entitled Miṣbāḥ.....
Read More »Discovering the Unseen: An Interview on Istikhārah with Ayatollah Muḥammad ʿAlī Girāmī
Istikhārah is of two types: the first is a prayer to attain something desired, which is the [literal meaning of istikhārah, namely] “seeking what is good,” from God. The second type is a means of consulting God, so that He may show us the....
Read More »The Legacy of Mubahila
Eid al-Mubahila celebrates the famous event in the year 10 AH when a party of Christians, led by the Bishop of Najran called Abdul Masih (or Abu Harisa), came to debate with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) about the nature of...
Read More »The Origins of Twelver Shīʿism in Iran
The issue of the entry of Imāmite/Twelver Shīʿism into Iran is one of the most controversial issues in the History of Islamic Sects. According to the established general opinion, it is after the Safavids that the Shī’ite groups in question became the....
Read More »Book Review: Monks and Muslims: Monastic and Shi‘a Spirituality in Dialogue
Monks and Muslims brings together presentations made at the fourth in a series of encounters between Roman Catholic Benedictines and Iranian Shi‘a Muslims, a process which began in Ampleforth Abbey in 2003, and which has also involved encounters in the...
Read More »Efforts to Systematize the Imāmiyya Kalām in the Early Period: The Example of al-Shaykh al-Mufīd
Our research suggests al-Shaykh al-Mufīd was the first author to write down “Systematic Kalām” within the framework of Imāmiyya works, which has survived to the present day. He reviewed and rationalized the theological issues of...
Read More »In Dark Prisons, the Life of Imām Mūsa ibn Ja‘far al-Kāḍim
Severe and tragic ordeals befell Imam Musa, peace be on him, who was similar to ‘Isa b. Maryam in fear of Allah, piety, and righteousness. That is because he ended the bloom of his life in dark prisons; he was veiled from his household and his followers and was deprived …
Read More »Call for Papers: Animals as Worshipers of God First of All: On Animal Piety in Islam
This International Symposium aims to consider the religious figure of the animal in Islam, neither as an object of worship (an idol) nor a means of worship (sacrificial offering), but rather as a fully-fledged subject, a...
Read More »