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GBS_insertPreviewButtonPopup('ISBN:9780748618880);A new edition of Heinz Halm's comprehensive survey of all the Shi'ite groups. It traces the development of all the individual branches from their common origins to their current status in the modern world.The dogmatic and organisational development of each of the various branches of Shi'ism is discussed and is placed in the context of their particular history.Special attention is given to the emergence of the Imamite'clergy'and the social and political role which has enabled them to establish a revolutionary regime in Iran, and each chapter contains an invaluable bibliography giving easy access to other books and original sources in translation.Key Featureseach branch of Shi'ism placed in its own historical contextbibliographies at the end of each chapter divided into primary and secondary sourcesincludes chapters on all varieties of Shi'ismNew edition contains new material on the Shi'a in Iraq and on the Iranian Revolution, and up-dated bibliographies'

Presenting numerous interconnected insights into life in Greater Syria in the twelfth century, this book covers a wide range of themes relating to Crusader-Muslim relations.

The Seljuks, nomadic tribesman in origin, invaded the Middle East in the 11th century and established themselves as sultans in the Islamic tradition. The Great Seljuk Empire became one of the major empires of Middle Eastern history and dominated Central Asia, Iran, Iraq and Syria in the 11th and 12th centuries.The proposed book will provide the first English language general history of this empire. It will outline the chronological history of the empire and will then explore the religious and institutional history, based on the following themes:• The relationship between tribes and the state• The development of administrative and religious institutions• The nature and impact of Turkish settlement in the Middle East and its consequences• The long-term significance of the religious history of the period• The struggle for legitimacy and authority between sultans, caliphs, religious scholars and amirs• The political role of women in the Seljuk court• The Seljuks and the non-Muslim world.

Based on a political sociology of two families of religious scholars, al-Hakim and al-Khu'i, Elvire Corboz explains the internal workings of transnational leadership patterns in Shi`ism for the first time. Corboz compares the multifaceted roles played by Shi`i clerics in contemporary affairs with selective narratives about the traditional system of religious authority (the marja`iyya), political organisations, and international charities. Whether informal or institutionalised, their authority networks are in constant negotiation between communities and states in Iraq, Iran, other Middle Eastern countries, the Indian sub-continent South-East Asia, and the West. This multi-sited approach clarifies the local and transnational dynamics that underpin clerical authority.

Charts the history and development of Twelver Shi'ism As many as 40 different Shi`i groups existed in the 9th and 10th centuries; only 3 forms remain. Why is Twelver Shi`ism one of them? As the established faith in modern Iran, the majority faith in Iraq and areas in the Gulf and with its adherents forming sizeable minorities elsewhere in the region, it is arguably the most successful branch of Shi'ism. Andrew Newman charts the history Twelver Shi'ism, uncovering the development of the key distinctive doctrines and practices which ensured its survival in the face of repeated challenges. He argues that the key to the faith's endurance has been its ability to institutionalise responses to the changing, often localised circumstances in which the community has found itself, thereby remaining remarkably resilient in the face of both internal disagreements and external opposition.