Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #401640 in Books
• Published on: 1987-07-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 424 pages

Customer Reviews

Good...
This is a fairly good book on Shi'i Islam. The author knows his stuff well, however it is not particularly well written and it is perhaps worth noting that the author himself is a Bahai. This is a good book but not one I'd particularly reccomend as an introduction.

Very detailed and scientific coverage of the Shi'ism Sect
I have found this book to be a great source of knowlege and the detailed history of the information on the Shi'i Sect of islam was scientifically listed. It is a heavy read but information flow seems to happen as you reach the end of the book. I was amazed how the writer was able to put this book together but I am extremely happy and pleased to have read it and certainly have learnt alot about my own religion, Islam She'ism. I recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn about the history of Ahlul Bait (the 12 Imams) and their followers.

A valuable resource for study
The Shi'i (also known as Shi'a or Shi'ite) branch of Islam is the major minority sect within that faith. It is in the majority in Iran and certain other areas and really came to the notice of the ordinary Westerner with the "Islamic Revolution" in Iran more than twenty years ago. While it has faded somewhat from public awareness it remains an important branch of an important religion and one we should know about. This book gives an excellent overview of the subject from a sympathetic non-Muslim scholar. It is not the lightest of reads and some of the names can be a bit forbidding, which is why I have only given it four stars with the general reader in mind. It certainly appears comprehensive. There is very little material on the subject accessible to the non-scholar and this is a valuable resource for those interested enough in the subject to make a bit of an effort.