The formation of the Safavid state (1501-1722) in Iran was transformative for Shī‘īism and its educational systems. The sixteenth century, therefore, was a turning point for the proliferation of Shill scholarship and educational institutions in Iran and the shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala' in southern.....
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 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 »The Formation of the Ja’farī Shi’a Islamic School of Law from its Inception to the Occultation
The history of the development of the Jaʿfarī Shiʿa Islamic legal school has always fascinated me, all the more so when I continuously observed that existing academic works in the English language purporting to discuss the origins and development of the...
Read More »Imam Musa al-Sadr: An Analysis of His Life, Accomplishments and Literary Output
This dissertation will discuss and analyze the life of Imam Musa, as he was known by his followers; his numerous writings, speeches, and manifestos; the contributions he made to the advancement of the...
Read More »The Conceptualization of Guardianship in Iranian Intellectual History (1800-1989): Reading Ibn ʿArabī’s Theory of Wilāya in the Shīʿa World
This book is a study of the concept of wilāya and its developments among Shīʿī scholars from the eighteenth to twentieth century. Leila Chamankhah addresses a number of issues by delving into the....
Read More »The Establishment of the Position of Marjaʻīyat-i Taqlīd in the Twelver-Shīʻī Community
The marjaʻīyat have played an important role in the political life of Shīʻī Iran. They strongly resisted foreign economic and political influences. They collaborated with Iranian liberal forces to serve the case of...
Read More »New Released: Yemeni Manuscript Cultures in Peril
Yemeni Manuscript Cultures in Peril contributes to the history of books and libraries and their role in the scholastic culture in Yemen, past and present. The contributions brought together in this volume address a wide spectrum of aspects....
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