Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shi'Ite Islam: Abu Ja'Far Ibn Qiba Al-Razi and His Contribution to Imamite Shi'Ite Thought [Hardcover]

Hossein Modarressi (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0878500952 | ISBN-13: 978-0878500956 | Publication Date: June 1, 1993

The years 260-329/874-941, known among the Shî‘ites as the period of Minor Occultation, comprised undoubtedly the most difficult and critical period in the history of Imâmite Shî'ism. The death of the eleventh Imam, with no apparent successor, resulted in internal conflicts, many desertions and conversions, and the emergence of numerous splinter groups and subsects within the Imâmite community. Contemporary Imâmite theologians had the difficult task of defending the doctrine against attack while trying to offer new interpretations of fundamental principles to accommodate contemporary developments. Abu Jafar b. Qiba al-Razi, one of the most prominent and active Imâmite theologians, had a major role in all of these reconstructions and developments. The present work attempts to shed light on some aspects of the Imâmite doctrine during the Minor Occultation and on the contributions of Abu Jafar b. Qiba to the formation of the developed Imâmite doctrine. The second part of this volume contains the texts of three short works of this scholar, together with their English translation.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Arabic

About the Author

Hossein Modarressi is Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University; Mahdi Senior Scholar of Shiite Studies at the Middle East Institute, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University; and Golestaneh Fellow in Islamic Studies at St. Antony's College, Oxford, England.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Darwin Press, Incorporated (June 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878500952
• ISBN-13: 978-0878500956
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,323,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Window into Twelver Shi'Ite Doctrine Formation, March 30, 2006

By 

Brian P. Crane (Princeton New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shi'Ite Islam: Abu Ja'Far Ibn Qiba Al-Razi and His Contribution to Imamite Shi'Ite Thought (Hardcover)

In this day of intense interest in the Shi'Ite communities of Iraq and Iran Professor Modarressi's tome is a lucid and helpful explaination of the foundations for the belief in the hidden Imam. As a student of Professor Modarressi, he is Professor of Near Eastern studies here at Princeton, I can say that the engaging style and incredible knowledge he demonstrates in the classroom come through in this book. For the novice his style is easy to follow and for the professional his notes are a a "mine" of tremendous value. It is worth the price for the essay on the period of the Minor Occultation alone.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Filling a Void - Much Needed, August 3, 2008

By 

Ali Abidi (Baton Rouge, LA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shi'Ite Islam: Abu Ja'Far Ibn Qiba Al-Razi and His Contribution to Imamite Shi'Ite Thought (Hardcover)

This book examines many areas that are not written much about. It addresses portions of several issues such as: Early Moderate Shia vs. Extremist Shia, Evolution of Shia Doctrine, How the Imams were thought of by early Shia (as perfect pious scholars) as vs. the more mystical interpretation of later Shia, the influence of the extremists (Mufawwida, etc) in the formative period, and the contribution of Ibn Qiba to the defense of Moderate Shia doctrine.

Although the top theologian in Shia circles of his time, and held in high esteem for decades or even centuries later, Ibn Qiba is none-the-less a lost name today. Most likely because he eschewed the moderate (at that time majority) view of Shia'ism and expounded on it, whereas today the view is skewed towards the other direction. The average Shia has no idea neither of the moderate views of theologians of early Shia history, nor of the moderate doctrine so well guarded and supported by them. The influence of the Safavids, Sufis, Mufawwida and Ismailiyya (among others) altered the later doctrine to the level that the average Shia who reads Prof. Modarressi's book will be flabbergasted and find it difficult to digest how different the early Moderate Shia were from later-day or current-day majority Shia. However, Modarressi barely delves on this issue. But his book, as a descriptive of early Shia views, helps make the contrast for anyone interested in early-day vs. later-day comparisons.