Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shī‘ite Islam

The present work attempts to shed light on some aspects of the Imamite doctrine during the period of Minor Occultation and on the contributions of Abu Ja’far b. Qiba to the formation of the developed Imamite doctrine.

The second part of this volume contains the texts of three short works of this scholar together with their English translation.

The years 260-329/874-941, known among the Shî‘ites as the period of Minor Occultation, comprised undoubtedly the most difficult and critical period in the history of Imâmite Shî’ism. The death of the eleventh Imam, with no apparent successor, resulted in internal conflicts, many desertions and conversions, and the emergence of numerous splinter groups and subsects within the Imâmite community. Contemporary Imâmite theologians had the difficult task of defending the doctrine against attack while trying to offer new interpretations of fundamental principles to accommodate contemporary developments. Abu Jafar b. Qiba al-Razi, one of the most prominent and active Imâmite theologians, had a major role in all of these reconstructions and developments. The present work attempts to shed light on some aspects of the Imâmite doctrine during the Minor Occultation and on the contributions of Abu Jafar b. Qiba to the formation of the developed Imâmite doctrine. The second part of this volume contains the texts of three short works of this scholar, together with their English translation.

About the Author

Hossein Modarressi is Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University; Mahdi Senior Scholar of Shiite Studies at the Middle East Institute, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University; and Golestaneh Fellow in Islamic Studies at St. Antony’s College, Oxford, England.

Bibliographic Information

Title: Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shī‘ite Islam: Abū Ja‘far ibn Qiba al-Rāzī and His Contribution to Imāmite Shī‘ite Thought

Author(s): Hossein Modarressi

Publisher: Darwin Press

Length: 280 pages

ISBN: ‎ 978-0878500956

Pub. Date: June 1, 1993

Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shī‘ite Islam