Heinz Halm

The author highlights the three main aspects of Shi'a Islam: its historical development, especially the history of the Imams; the rituals, including flagellation and passion plays; and the rule of the mullahs, known as the "government of experts.". Shi'ism is as old as Islam. It began as an exclusively Arab political issue of succession to Muhammad, and was later embraced by the Iranians. At the core of Shi'i religious practice are rituals of mourning and atonement. Halm describes the elegies of mourning and the ta'ziye (passion plays) and includes travelers' accounts over the course of several centuries that establish striking similarities between Iranian and particular Christian practices. Halm explains the exalted position of the religious scholars, the mullahs and ayatollahs, who established themselves as clergy in the Safavid empire and defined themselves as "administrators" for the Hidden Imam. Their authority is based on idtschtihad, the rational interpretation of the Koran and the traditions of the Imans. The relationship between the rulers of Iran and the mullahs has always been tense. The Khomeini revolution was the powerful culmination of a lengthy history of conflict.

The Fatimid period was the golden age of Ismaili thought and literature, when the Shi'ite Ismaili Imams ruled over vast areas of the Muslim world as the Fatimid caliphs and the Ismailis made important contributions to Islamic civilization. In this book, Heinz Halm investigates from a historical perspective the intellectual traditions that developed among the Ismailis from the rise of the Fatimid state in North Africa to the cultural brilliance of what the author calls 'one of the great eras in Egyptian history and in Islamic history in general.'. The topics discussed include the training of the Ismaili da'is or missionaries, the establishment of academic institutions such as al-Azhar and the Dar al-Ilm (House of Knowledge) through which the Fatimids encouraged learning, and the special 'sessions of wisdom' (majalis al-hikma) for advanced instruction in Ismaili esoteric teachings.

"Recent events have, more than ever, brought the Shiites to world wide attention. This book is a brief general history of all the Shiite groups from their common origin to the present day."--BOOK JACKET. "The individual branches of Shiism are discussed with a close look at their special dogmatic and organisational development. 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. Each chapter contains an invaluable bibliography giving easy access to other books and original sources in translation."--BOOK JACKET. "This book is the only comprehensive survey of all the Shiite groups from their beginnings to their current status in the modern world."--BOOK JACKET.