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Controversies in Formative Shi’i Islam

The Ghulat Muslims and Their Beliefs
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Controversies in Formative Shi'i Islam explores the Ghulat, an early Muslim community known for their 'extreme' devotion to the Shi'i Imams and distinctive religious ideas such as soul transmigration. Drawing on newly recovered primary texts, Mushegh Asatryan offers a detailed study of the Ghulat's writings, historical context, and unique cosmology, shedding light on their complex worldview and the formation of early Shi'i traditions.
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Format: Hardback
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This scholarly work is ideal for students and researchers of Islamic history, Shi'i studies, and religious scholarship interested in early Islamic doctrinal developments and sectarian literature.

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Among the various Muslim communities that were articulating their doctrinal positions in the early Islamic centuries, one in particular was known derisively as the Ghulat ('extremists').

Among the various Muslim communities that were articulating their doctrinal positions in the early Islamic centuries, one in particular was known derisively as the Ghulat ('extremists').

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

I.B.Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies introduces this open access work.

Among the various Muslim communities that were articulating their doctrinal positions in the early Islamic centuries, one in particular was known derisively as the Ghulat ('extremists'). This was owing to their specific interpretation of Islam, which included an 'extreme' devotion to the Shi'i Imams and the family of the Prophet, and controversial religious ideas, such as the transmigration of souls into other human or sub-human forms. Widely active in Iraq in the 8th and 9th centuries, the Ghulat developed a complex worldview and produced a rich religious literature.

Until now, understanding of this community has mainly relied on sources produced outside of the group, which are inaccurate or polemical in nature. Controversies in Formative Shi’i Islam looks at newly recovered primary texts in order to study the Ghulat first hand. Mushegh Asatryan examines the development of the Ghulat writings, situating the community within a broader historical context and offering a comprehensive survey of their distinctive cosmology.

Through his detailed analysis, the book offers insight into the formation of one of the earliest religious traditions in Islamic history as well as the nature of the community in which texts were produced and circulated.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by The Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781784538958

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 18 November 2016

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: I.B. Tauris

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 162.0mm

Height: 240.0mm

Weight: 580g

Pages: 224

About the Author

Mushegh Asatryan is Assistant Professor of Muslim Cultures at the University of Calgary. He received his PhD from Yale and has published on various aspects of Islamic history and on the history of early Shi'ism. His recent publications include 'An Early Shi'i Cosmology: Kitab al-ashbah wa l-azilla and its milieu' and 'Bankers and Politics: The Network of Shi'i Moneychangers in Eighth-Ninth Century Kufa and their Role in the Shi'i Community'. Previously he was a Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies and he has taught at Yale, Trinity College and Fairfield University.

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