Combining history, comparative religion, and political interpretations, the author elucidates Shi'ism and political developments in the Middle East for the Western reader.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Halm (history, Univ. of Tubingen) attempts here to lessen the reader's confusion about the bewildering events in the Middle East. His work has three parts: the first, "The House of Sorrow?The Twelve Imams," recounts the history and doctrine of Shi'a, the "party" of Ali ibn Ali Tahib and his 11 heirs, regarded as the true imams and only legitimate successors to the prophet Muhammed. Part 2, "The Deluge of Weeping?Flagellant Procession and Passion Play," describes distinctive Shi'ite rituals that display grief and penitence over the martyrdoms of the successive imams. Most valuable in terms of modern history is the third part, "The Government of the Expert?Islam of the Mullahs," which discusses the forming of the Shi'ite hierarchy of mullahs and ayatollahs and how they came to religious and political power. Two minor criticisms of an otherwise excellent source: the hardcover is rather pricey, and the brief bibliography will not satisfy serious scholars. Recommended for academic libraries.?James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The origin and tenets of Shiite Islam receive fair treatment from a German historian. Since it is also fair to say Americans were perplexed and angered by televised images of Shiites during the Iranian revolution, this book offers a healthy dose of fact over emotion and prejudice. Halm straightforwardly recounts the schism that divided Islam into Sunni and Shiite branches; the latter believe Muhammad bequeathed his authority to Ali, a claim disputed by Sunnis. However, the claim was passed down through a succession of imams ("leaders"), the death of one of whom in 680 is intensely remembered by Shiites to this day in such rituals as self-flagellations and passion plays, the details of which occupy the middle third of Halm's book. After a short history of how Shiism became centered in Iran and southern Iraq, Halm explains the institution of religious scholars and how they doctrinally justify their rule in Iran. With all these facts, interested readers can start learning about Shiism on their own terms. Gilbert Taylor
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Approach with an open-mind,
By Haider Al-Mosawi (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shi'a Islam: From Religion to Revolution (Princeton Series on the Middle East) (Paperback)
As a Shi'i, I do not have any difficulties in accepting the Shi'i doctrines because I have always been taught the reasoning behind them. Therefore, it can be misleading to those who are not very familiar with Shi'i beliefs, to read books that do not give its reasoning, (clearly indicated by the misunderstanding by many). It is also worth noting that not everything published about the Shi'a are true, and so reliable sources must be followed. I recommend to those interested the book, Then I Was Guided, by Sheikh Teejani al-Samawi (available online, and summarised in al-islam.org). This book traces the life of the author and his first encounter with a Shi'i, his detailed study of Shi'ism and its acceptance (very enjoyable to read). You can also ask the Shi'a about their beliefs, especially when the reasoning is needed.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Little misleading,
By
This review is from: Shi'a Islam: From Religion to Revolution (Princeton Series on the Middle East) (Paperback)
Coming from a guy who's been researching the Shi'i context of Islam, this book is a little misleading, no offense to Heinz Halm. The misleading part of this book stems off from the stereotypical Orientalist view of Shiism. I read this book about four years back and I remember when I started reading into different schools of Islamic thought, what I realized was that its sources were mainly ripped off from Pro Sunnite scholarship, claiming Shiism to be a politically inflamed creed, based upon revolution and rebellion( which is true to some extent), what it fails to introduce is real resources from Shiite scholarly works from Al kulayni to Majilisi, Tusi etc.. and the philosophical nature of the theological stance on Imamate. It neglects to give Shiism a say from a Shiites scholars point of view. For anybody interested in learning about Shi'ism at its roots, this is not a great book to look at.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good introduction,
By Will Jerom (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shi'a Islam: From Religion to Revolution (Princeton Series on the Middle East) (Paperback)
Content Summary: Halm focuses on the following in this book: A) the separation of Shia from Sunni Islam at Karbala, B) the development of the Ashura ritual and Taziyeh passion play after that fact, and C) some of the historical, political and religious underpinnings for the radical Shia Revolution in Iran in 1979. Some large tracts of Khomeini's writings are included here.
Analytical Review: Halm claims neither to attack nor defend Shia Islam, but to merely rely the facts, and one has confidence that he does just that. His style seems very objective and straightforward, and I would strongly recommend him as a dependable scholar of Shia Islamic thought.
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