Product Description

Shows how the frictions and disparities between the different pockets of believers scattered throughout the Eastern Islamic world in the late ninth and tenth centuries, the relations between each of these and the Abbasid political institution

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1418087 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

From the Back Cover
Ten per cent of the world's one billion Muslims profess Shi'i Islam. There has yet to appear any systematic and comparative examination of the various collections of the Imams' traditions and in particular the four earliest collections produced during the first two centuries following the disappearance of the last Imam. This book focuses on the texts found in the first two of the four great collections of the Imams' statements compiled after the disappearance of the twelfth Imam: al-Kafi 'Ilm al-Din of Muhammed b. Ya'qub al-Kulayni and Man La Yahdaruhu al-Faqih of Muhammed b. 'Ali al-Qummi. The book shows that the frictions and disparities between the different pockets of believers scattered throughout the Eastern Islamic world in the late ninth and tenth centuries and the relations between each of these and the Abbasid political institution favoured the narration of different bodies of the Imams' traditions.

Customer Reviews

An analysis of hadith as seen in the Shii tradition
This book is good due to two main points. It discusses in detail the early works of hadith (traditions from the Holy Prophet and Imams of his family).It goes through the four books (kutub al-arba'ah) of hadith in Shii tradition as well as kitab Basa'ir al-Darajat.

It analyses the hadith contained in them in detail thus giving the non-Arabic reader a chance to gain the knowledge of these early compilations of hadith.

It also traces out the realtionship between each of the compilers of these books with the development of theology in early shii circles in Qum and Baghdad and how this theology also affected the way they look at Islamic law and methods of deriving rulings.

It is a very good book for the specialist and beginner alike. For the specialist the wealth of material and analysis trudges a new path in the study of the Shii sect of Islam. It will appeal to the beginner who wants to know more about the early history of shiism (during the minor occultation).

The only thing i didn't like about the book was its price. Wish they could publish it in paperback but the investement is worth it. A must for all Islamic library.