فصلنامه شیعه شناسی
پیاپی 46 (تابستان 1393)

In the later half of the fifth century AH, the emergence of political and economic crises in Fatimid government and the Fatimids’ struggles with Saljuqids in Syria led to the establishment of local governments in that region. One of the most prominent local governments was the Twelver Shiite State of Bani Ammar in Tripoli. Bani Ammar dynasty made a lot of efforts to start economic development and cultural advancement in that city, and the establishment of a Science House (Dar al-Ilm) in Tripoli by that dynasty had a great role in diffusing Islamic culture and civilization and transferring that culture to Europe. The Science House was one of the most affluent libraries of Islamic world in fifth century. Under that dynasty, due to the scientific attraction of Tripoli, the scientists and scholars would travel to that region from different parts of the world, serving the rulers of Bani Ammar dynasty. The founders of that Science House, inspired by other Shiite governments, were influential in prosperity and dynamism of Shiism in Syria region. Ensuing the fall of that dynasty by Crusaders in the early sixth century, the library of the Science House was put on fire. The present study was conducted using the library sources, and deals with the cultural conditions of Tripoli and the formation of Science House of that city, using the primary sources.

Iranian painters have always used the high religious, mystical, literary and philosophical themes for creating their precious works. Imaging the wonderful travel of the Prophet in his Ascending is one of these themes. That wonderful and important event has attracted the imagination of Muslim painters and led to the production of different beautiful representations of that event. One of those prominent and attractive examples is the image used in Tahmasbi auspice book (about 957 AH), an image which has been dealt with less than other images of the Prophet’s Ascending. In the present article, the philosophy and the background of that image as well as the aesthetic features and the unique symbolic elements used there have been described and analyzed. The findings of this research show that the Ascending image of Tahmasbi auspice book – produced in the zenith of Shah Tahmasb’s religious leanings towards Shiism enjoys, in view of its aesthetic features and symbolic elements (such as the large size, and emphasizing ImamAli’s Imamate in a symbolic way), a unique and prominent feature in comparison to other works produced on the Prophet’s Ascending. It completely represents the effect of intellectual atmosphere of the society (the Shiite discourse) and the role of the insight of the patrons in producing those works and using symbolic elements in them.

The writer has obtained a new structure in answering the question of which method of interpreting the texts, especially the Quran’s text, is preferable. This has been done by compounding Izutsu’s semantics and Allama Tabatabaie’s hermeneutic method, i.e. interpreting Quran by Quran. The writer believes that this method, compared to other new approaches to interpretation (such as science, rationalism and especially hermeneutics) are more consistent with Shiites tenets due to enjoying originality, subjectivism, holisticism, and avoiding prejudice and relativism. In this article, we have studied the case of rationalism, and accordingly Shiite rationalism to introduce some of the techniques of semantics.

The Khuja Twelver Shiites are a small cohesive minority who enjoys a considerable order and discipline in spite of their small population of 125000. This small minority is present in five continents of the world and, besides, is under the supervision of Global Federation of Khuja Twelver Shiites. In addition, they enjoy an independent community in any country. In the present article, we have used an analytical-descriptive method to investigate the way this small religious minority has emerged as an active agent. The main hypothesis of the article is the fact that this small Shiite community has experienced many successes from the onset. The framework of the research rests on the fact that Khuja Twelver Shiites can serve as a role model for other Shiite communities in many affairs. Dealing with all the primary and secondary factors involving in the success of this small Shiite community in various countries is the initiative aspect of this article.

In view of the changes in Iraq after 2003, the Shiites who always enjoyed a weak position managed to gain a considerable influence in the structure of Iraqi government to establish a Shiite State. The Shiites further their goals in the form of Islamist parties and groups, and although they disagree in many of the details of their goals, they agree and unite in the general principle of their identity, which is Islam and establishing an Islamic society. In the light of the religious teachings, they seek to give meaning to the policies of their future country. In this article, we have tried to emphasize the Islam and its role in giving identity to active groups in Iraq and investigate the Shiite society of Iraq.

One of the great events of the latter half of the twentieth century was Islamic revolution of Iran under the leadership of Imam Khomeini. This caused many changes in the countries of the region and the global structure of the world. One of the countries whose Shiites tried, after the Islamic revolution of Iran, to play greater role in the political processes of their society was Saudi Arabia. The Shiites of that country tried to enhance their political power in the structure of the Saudi State to end the social, political and economic inequalities. The effect of Islamic revolution of Iran on the Shiites of Arabia may be investigated and studied in the four following spheres: a) finding identity and self-awareness, b) forming or reinforcing the Shiite organizations, c) the political-emotional behaviors of the Shiites as to the Islamic revolution, and d) their role in the political structure. This article tries to use a descriptive-analytical method as well as library documents, magazines and cyber materials to explain the geopolitical role of Islamic revolution on politicization of the Shiites of the Arabia in the abovementioned spheres and study the different related aspects.

As it is well-known, Imam Hassan was martyred on last days of Safar in 49 or 50 AH by Ja’da bint Ash’ath, incited by Mu’awiyya. Most of the western Islamologists hold that this tradition is unreal and have claimed that only Shiites have recorded the way Imam was martyred as such in their sources. In the present article, we have tried to use a descriptive approach to investigate their views and arguments, comparing them with Islamic sources. In this way, we have investigated the preciseness of the abovementioned claims. In other words, in the present study, the strong and the weak points of the claims in the works written by Islamologists have been investigated and reviewed.

Analyzing the positions of the Shiite Imams in facing with the social-political functions of their contemporary individuals and groups may prepare the ground for delineating a definite model to be followed by the Shiites in any age. Under Imams, there were various uprisings, one of them called the uprising of Fakh martyr (169 AH). The present article aims at analyzing and investigating the political-intellectual nature of the uprising of Fakh martyr. It, first, deals with the way the uprising occurred and the factors leading to it. Then, it investigates the political-intellectual nature of the uprising. Finally it deals with evaluating the uprising using the uprising of Imam Hussein in Karbala. This study achieves an approach that emphasizes the political-intellectual nature of the Fakh uprising while evaluates it with the criterion of the Jihadi policy of the great leaders of Shia in that time, especially that of Imam Musa Kazem. The existence of similar or different aspects in this uprising in comparison with Imam Hussein uprising as a reliable and original Shiite uprising makes it necessary to critically review the political-intellectual nature of this uprising.

Ensuing the riot of revolutionaries in Medina in 35 AH, leading to the murder of Uthman (the third caliph), imam Ali faced with people’s insistence on accepting caliphate. Imam, while he had already objected to seizure of his right of caliphate, first refused to accept caliphate. However, because of insistence of the people, he was obliged to accept this responsibility. In the present study, we have tried to rely on Imam Ali’s sayings and use historical data to explain the reasons for initial refusal and final acceptance by that Imam. It seems that diversion of caliphate from its main track and the turbid situation of the government at that time had eliminated any hope to reform the affairs. Thus, Imam refused to accept the caliphate at first. However, the people’s presence and their serious support of Imam persuaded him to accept the responsibility.

The Shiites, in spite of reasonable and regular defense of the Islamic law and commitment to its principles and values, have been variously accused by their opponents, especially some of the Sunnites. One of the important accusations was ascribing Zandaqa to them as a device used by the enemies to remove the Shiites. Zandaqa was one of the pre-Islamic movements in Iran, diffused in the first Abbasid period. Many were suppressed with this accusation, among them the Shiites.Sectary rivalries and the opponents’ disability before the Shiites was the most important reason for this accusation. However, one may mention the behaviors of some of the sects ascribed to Shiism such as extremists, Sufis and Qarmatis. Their beliefs and tenets, mostly opposed by the Shiites, were resorted by the opponents to accuse not only those sects but also all the Shiites to infidelity and Zandaqa. The present article seeks to investigate the reasons for this accusation and answer the question of why the Shiites were accused so.