Ijtihad Network Being Wise and Faithful Muslim in the Contemporary World
The earliest surviving work on Shia sects, Kitab Firaq al-Shia by al-Nawbakhti offers a uniquely Twelver Shia perspective on early Shia movements, including the Zaydis, the Ismailis, and extremist sects (ghulat).
History, charisma, and ideology combine in a fascinating narrative which provides a window into the early Shia consciousness. Extensively annotated and highly readable, this is the first translation of this work to be published in the English language. An indispensable reference for Islamic historians, theologians, and researchers.
Experts on Islam consider Kitab Firaq al-Shi’a a seminal work for two main reasons: Firstly, it is the earliest work on the subject that has survived in its entirety. Secondly, it is the earliest textbook that provides an Imami Shi’a perspective on the differences among, and origins of, the Islamic sects including a full exposition of various sects within Shi’ism. Since the German scholar, Helmut Ritter, published the first Arabic edition of the book in 1931, it has emerged as one of the important classics in its field and an indispensable tool for researchers on Islam. Properly introduced and extensively annotated, this edition is the first complete English translation of Kitab Firaq al-Shi’a. Al-Hasan ibn Musa al-Nawbakhti was a tenth-century CE theologian and philosopher in Baghdad whose most important contributions were to the field of history of religions and sects. Kitab Firaq al-Shi’a is his only extant work.
Table of Contents
The Divergence After the Assassination of Uthman
The Divergence about the Imamate
The Divergence about the Wars of Imam Ali
The Shia Divergence after the Assassination of Ali
The Divergence after Abdullah b.Mu’awiya
The Divergence after the Death of Al-Baqir
The Divergence after the Death of Ja’far al-Sadiq
The Divergence after the Death of al-Rida
The Divergence about the Imamate oh Muhammad b. Ali
The Divergence after the Death of al-Hassan b. Ali
Bibliographic Information
Title: Shi’a Sects: Kitab Firaq Al Shi’a
Author: Abu Muammad al Hasan ibn Musa Al-Nawbakhti
Translator: Abbas Kadhim
Publisher: Federal Trust for Education & Research
Language: English
Length: 174 pages
ISBN: 9781904063261
Pub. Date: 18 October 2007
