The Origins of the Shi'a: Identity, Ritual, and Sacred Space in Eighth-Century K?fa

by Najam Haider

Book Overview

The Sunni-Shi'a schism is often framed as a dispute over the identity of the successor to Muhammad. In reality, however, this fracture only materialized a century later in the important southern Iraqi city of Kufa (present-day Najaf). This book explores the birth and development of Shi'i identity. Through a critical analysis of legal texts, whose provenance has only recently been confirmed, the study shows how the early Shi'a carved out independent...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 110742495X
• ISBN13: 9781107424951
• Release Date: July 2014
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"