پژوهشنامه تاریخ تشیع
سال سوم شماره 1 (پیاپی 3، Spring 2019)

The practice of taqiyya can be seen as an integral aspect of Shīʿī pi‐ ety, necessitated by certain esoteric doctrines. Among the beliefs to be kept secret, the major issue of the proper prophetic abilities of the imams de‐ serves attention, given its religious and political significance. Considering various hadith on the topic, in particular the Kitāb al‐Kāfī by al‐Kulaynī, most seem to uphold the ‘orthodoxy’ of the peerless status of the Prophet Muḥammad. However, the admissible extent of the prophetic qualities of the imams hinges on Qurʾān 33:40 and the phrase ‘the Seal of the Prophets’ (khātam/khātim al‐nabīyīn), which has been interpreted other than as the politically expedient end of prophecy. Adherence to this dogma of the preclu‐ sion of prophecy after Muḥammad, apparently contradicted by reports of ‘the knowledge of the invisible world’ (ʿilm al‐ghayb) of the imams (and even of their faithful initiates), can therefore sensibly be understood as taqiyya.

In historical Islamic studies, specifically in the field of Quranic re‐ search in the West, the names of two scholars stand out: Ignác (or Ignáz) Goldziher and Theodor Nöldeke. Although the subjects which these two re‐ searchers investigated have undergone changes, nonetheless, their view‐ points are still noteworthy and various current approaches can be seen to be rooted in their theories. Shi‘ite commentary on the Quran is one of the topics which both Goldziher and Nöldeke considered. But although they addressed the same subject, differences in their methods of analysis are discernible. Evaluating a subject of study by using different approaches is a prominent characteristic of Goldziher’s studies.

A manuscript addition to Epistle 50: ‘On the Quantity and the Qual‐ ity of the Species of Administration’ of the Rasāʾil Ikhwān al‐Ṣafāʾ, aims to dis‐ close secret knowledge about the scriptural story of Adam, with one section addressing the issue of the gift of language that God gave to Adam, in its exo‐ teric (scriptural) and esoteric versions. Starting from the well‐known article by Walter Benjamin, ‘On Language as Such and on the Language of Man’, a strict link is demonstrated to exist between the Bible and the Qurʾan, and be‐ tween esoteric Jewish and Islamic thought. However, an ‘original’ component of the addition is its Ismaili character, proven by a comparison with the Is‐ maili thinker and dāʿī Abū Yaʿqūb al‐Sijistānī, approximately contemporary with the addition, whose affords the addition a special relationship with the Rasāʾil Ikhwān al‐Ṣafāʾ, further enhancing the Ikhwān’s Ismaili commitment.

For thousands of years, Kurds have inhabited Kurdistan, currently located among Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Armenia, where they have main‐ tained their social, political, cultural and historical existence. Like the other ethnic groups and nations throughout the history, the Kurds have been at‐ tracted to different religions and faiths due to various factors, and have shaped their lives accordingly. After the rise of Islam and because of the polit‐ ical and cultural conditions prevailing in the Islamic world, most Kurds ac‐ cepted the Shafi‘i school of Sunni Islam and have remained loyal to their faith ever since. However, one group of Kurds, unlike the majority, chose the Shi‘i denomination – for reasons explained in this study – and have kept faith with Shi‘ism since the early centuries of Islam. This article explores the hows and whys of such a tendency towards Shi‘ism, with an analytical‐descriptive re‐ search method and by referring to primary sources and other means of his‐ torical research.

The Zaydiyya maintained nearly seven ceturies of rule in the Caspian region, against Sunnī regimes, which they considered inherently illegitimate, with a government founded on strict legal principles of rightfulness and justice. However, political circumstances often impinged upon Zaydī theories of governance, resulting in significant deviation from their ideals based on the sharīʿa as intepreted and applied by the Zaydī Imām. While the figure of Imam al‐Nāṣir al‐Uṭrūsh (d. 304/917), known for his impeccable rule and conduct, was seen by many as an exemplary Zaydī ruler, others in office found it more challenging to reconcile theory and practice. Difficult issues such as the succession of authority and legitimate taxation, which at times left the treasury improverished and unable to fund military campaigns, would eventual culminate in their decline.

A l’époque de la décadence du gouvernement des califes ‘Abbāside, les Qarmaṭes avaient constitué un état solide et indépendant muni d’un sys‐ tème qui dominait et surveillait sur tous les affaires. Ils avaient compris à juste titre que le pays d’origine d’une idéologie devait être parfait et dévelop‐ pé tant du point de vue économique qu’éthique. Par le biais de l’assemblée al‐‘Iqdāniyya et un gouvernement non héréditaire, ils géraient les affaires de l’état, et possédaient un uniforme; bien qu’après le décès d’Abū Ṭāhir son fils manifesta le désir de le succéder, cependant le gouvernement était toujours dirigé par un conseil de direction. Leur in‐ fluence s’étendit même à l’extérieur de Baḥrayn, et même par une sagesse malicieuse, ils pénétrèrent à la cours ‘Abbāside. Ils entretenaient des rela‐ tions avec les Faṭimides, mais ils se séparèrent vite; selon l’avis de certains chroniqueurs, ces deux mouvements n’en faisaient qu’un, d’autres ne sont pas de cet avis et ne confirment pas leur relation. 

This paper will examine the provenance and development of the American Shi‘a community. It will discuss some of the challenges the com‐ munity has had to face and argues that, with time, the demography of the community has changed. It will also explore some of the dividing lines that have fractured American Shi‘as. It will also demonstrate that for a long time Shi‘as had to rely on Sunnis to represent them. However, with time, Shi‘as have sensed the need for self‐representation and that the community has de‐ veloped infrastructure and institutions to make it more visible to the Ameri‐ can public.