The major theme of this book is authority in Shi`ism with special emphasis on its institutionalization in different historic periods from the beginning of Shi`ism in the Middle Ages to the present. Part I presents new material on important or neglected issues that are at the center of current scholarly debate, including the fundamental relationship between knowledge and authority in pristine Shi`ism, aspects of popular culture in medieval Shi`ism, the institutionalization of religious authority in Shi`ite Iran from the 16th to 18th centuries, and the centralization of religious authority in the 19th century. The editor provides an analysis of the ideological revolution in Shi`ism during the 1970s and 1980s. Important documents and primary sources have been selected for Part II representing the major trends in the history of Shi`ism. With two exceptions, these sources have neither been available in English translation nor easily accessible in the original Arabic or Persian. An extensive introduction by the editor effectively connects Parts I and II of the book.

This study consists of a critical edition of Ibn al-Jawzī’s Kitāb Akhbār as-Sifāt (KAS) along with an annotated translation and introduction. KAS is a critique of anthropomorphic conceptions of God, directed in the first instance against Ibn al-Jawzī’s fellow Hanbalī, but also against Sunnī traditionalists more generally. As an intra-Hanbalīr polemic, KAS sheds important new light on the intellectual fault-lines within medieval Hanbalism, and reveals the extent to which kalām had penetrated the Hanbalite school by the 12th century. In his work, Ibn al- Jawzī’s makes extensive use of kalām, drawing on its technical language and crafting his arguments against anthropomorphism on the basis of the dialectical methods developed within the great theological schools of medieval Islam. The study also contains a translation of al-ʿAlthī's Risāla, a pointed response to Ibn al-Jawzī, written by a fellow Hanbalī from a traditionalist perspective.

Fakhr al-Din al- Razi (1148 - 1210) wrote prolifically in the disciplines of theology, Quranic exegesis, and philosophy; composing treatises on jurisprudence, medicine, physiognomy, astronomy, and astrology. His body of work marks a momentous turning point in the Islamic tradition and his influence is striking within the post-classical Islamic tradition. Razi investigates his transformative contributions to the Islamic intellectual tradition.

The famed reform debates at al-Azhar Madrasa in nineteenth-century Cairo, one of the most influential centres of religious study in Sunni Islam, were enormously influential for twentieth-century Islamic thought. Here Indira Gesink offers a revisionist history of these debates over curricular and administrative reforms, and challenges our understanding of the struggle between Islamic reform and conservatism. It has been assumed that famous Islamic modernists such as Muhammad 'Abduh instigated the reform movement and the ideas of modern religious life that emanated from al-Azhar and permeated Islamic society, a development that religious conservatives opposed. Gesink draws on obscure, but important, archival sources, legal manuals and ephemeral journals to tell the other side of the story, and to illustrate the important contributions of conservative scholars to the evolution of twentieth-century Sunni Islam. Conservative 'opponents of reform' engaged many of the same issues as reformers and actively pursued alternative visions of reform. In fact, texts of enacted reforms show greater attention to concerns of conservatives than to the original programmes of Muhammad 'Abduh, and conservatives led 'ulama committees that generated and implemented reforms. Had religious conservatives not contributed to the reforms of the early twentieth century, these reforms would have lacked the crucial cultural assonance that permitted them to become rooted in public life, in an environment of rising nationalist anti-British sentiment which saw 'Abduh as a willing agent of colonialists. The debates ultimately catalyzed public acceptance of secularism, Islamic modernism and radical Islamism. They also led to the practice of lay legal interpretation, the proliferation of competing interpretations within Sunni Islam and the rise of militant sects. By drawing on obscure archival sources and restoring conservative voices to the debate, 'Islamic Reform and Conservatism' presents a more nuanced picture of the al-Azhar debates and the forces that shaped Islamic religious life in the twentieth century than has become the norm. Its original scholarship and fresh analysis make this book indispensable for all those interested in the modern Middle East, religious history, Islamic studies, radical Islam and militancy, secularism, modernism and religious reform.

Ittiba', Ijtihad, and Taqlid are three important concepts that affect one’s practice of Islam whether he is a scholar or an ordinary Muslim. Ittiba' is "obedience", or the understanding of whom we should follow and give our obedience to in practicing or living by our religion. Ijtihad is to strive with utmost sincerity in arriving at the truth or the resolution of a problem. And taqlid is "blind imitation" or accepting the opinion or judgment of a person or a group without checking for its validity or evidence, believing that it is always correct. One who engages in taqlid does not consider any contrary opinion even if it may be backed up by authentic evidence from the Sunnah, since he/she believes that his Imam or madhhab is always correct or has the best opinions already. This work shows that Islam teaches us to submit our intellect to none but Allah and accept opinions based on objective evidence regardless of affiliations. It also points out some of the ill effects of taqlid on the ummah.

A reasoned, objective examination of the role of madrasas The emergence of radical Islamist movements in various parts of the world, the rise and fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the 9/11 attacks, widespread vilification spearheaded by Hindutva groups"all these and more have made madrasas a much talked about institution. Focussing on the madrasas of India, Bastions of the Believers seeks to critically interrogate sensationalist and stereotypical images of the madrasas by highlighting their diversity and the complex social roles that they play in the lives of many Muslims. Madrasas, as a rule, represent a conservative form of theology and jurisprudence that is, in many ways, ill-suited to a modern, pluralistic society. Much of what is taught in madrasas is outdated and unscientific (the Deoband madrasa, for instance, still insists that the sun revolves around the earth, and it has special seating arrangements for invisible jinns). Yet, obscurantism need not necessarily lead to militancy and hostility against others. For instance, in the decades leading to India's independence, the Deobandis, representing an extreme form of religious conservatism, insisted on Hindu–Muslim amity and a joint struggle for a free and united India. It is this integrated view of madrasas and a more liberal and open understanding of Islam, and indeed of all faiths, which Yoginder Sikand seeks to promote"for he believes this is one of the principal duties confronting committed believers if we have to learn to live together despite our differences. Bastions of the Believers covers a wide range of thought-provoking issues"from the origins and develoent of the institution to critiques of madrasa curricula and the alleged links between madrasas and Islamist militancy"making this a must-read for all those interested in creating and preserving a just social order.

This book offers a comparative and cross-cultural history of Islamic reform and European colonialism as both dependent and independent factors in shaping the multiple ways of becoming modern in Indonesia and Malaya during the first half of the twentieth century.

Scholars have come to recognize the importance of classical Islamic philosophy both in its own right and in its preservation of and engagement with Greek philosophical ideas. At the same time, the period immediately following the so-called classical era has been considered a sort of dark age, in which Islamic thought entered a long decline. In this monumental new work, Frank Griffel seeks to overturn this conventional wisdom, arguing that what he calls the "post-classical" period has been unjustly maligned and neglected by previous generations of scholars. The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam is a comprehensive study of the far-reaching changes that led to a re-shaping of the philosophical discourse in Islam during the twelfth century. Earlier Western scholars thought that Islam's engagement with the tradition of Greek philosophy ended during that century. More recent analyses suggest that Islamic thinkers instead integrated Greek thought into the genre of rationalist Muslim theology (kalām). Griffel argues that even this new view misses a key point. In addition to the integration of Greek ideas into kalām, Muslim theologians picked up the discourse of classical philosophy in Islam (falsafa) and began to produce books in the tradition of Plato, Aristotle, and Avicenna—a new and oft-misunderstood genre they called "ḥikma"—in which they left aside theological concerns. They wrote in both genres, kalām and ḥikma, and the same writers argued for opposing teachings on the nature of God, the world's creation, and the afterlife depending on the genre in which they were writing. Griffel shows how careful attention to genre demonstrates both the coherence and ambiguity of this new philosophical approach. A work of extraordinary breadth and depth, The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in Islam offers a detailed, insightful history of philosophy in Iraq, Iran, and Central Asia during the twelfth century. It will be essential reading for anyone interested in the history of philosophy or the history of Islam.

In recent times, there has been intense global interest on and scrutiny of Islamic education. In reforming Islamic schools, what are the key actions initiated and are they contested or negotiated by and among Muslims? This edited collection brings together leading scholars to explore current reforms in Islamic schools. Drawing together international case studies, Reforms in Islamic Education critically discusses the reforms, considering the motivations for them, nature of them and perceptions and experiences of people affected by them. The contributors also explore the tensions, resistance, contestations and negotiations between Muslims and non-Muslims, and among Muslims, in relation to the reforms. Highlighting the need to understand and critique reforms in Islamic schools within broad historical, political and socio-cultural contexts, this book is a valuable resource for academics, policymakers and educators.

This is the first collection of scholarly essays on the history of the Bahá'í Faith to be published as a book. Included are the works of five scholars who have conducted original research on specific aspects of the Bábí and Bahá'í religions.Two essays are concerned with Bahá'í history in Iran. Denis MacEoin's provocative paper traces the first years of interaction and conflict between the Shaykhí School and the emerging Bábí Movement. Moojan Momen provides a fascinating account of the relations of Christian missionaries in Iran with Bábís and Bahá'ís. The three remaining essays discuss American Bahá'í history. Peter Smith's comprehensive survey of the American community from 1894 to 1917 adds substantially to our knowledge of that period. William Collins offers an in-depth study of the Bahá'ís of Kenosha, Wisconsin, where one of the first Bahá'í communities was established. Finally, Loni Bramson-Lerche examines the development of Bahá'í administrative procedures from 1922 to 1936.This is the first volume in the Studies Series and remains a classic work of Bahá'í history. It is a basic text for any study of the history of the Bahá'í Faith.Comments about the series include: "The series demonstrates both that a critical mass of young scholars interested in these movements have formed & that the Baha'i community in the U.S. can now support academic books on the religion."--(British Society for Middle Eastern Studies Bulletin). "...much more work needs to be done on Baha'i history in Iran...that process is now underway & this collection carries it further."--(Middle East Journal). "There is...a mass of information here that could be used in more comparative or theoretically-oriented studies ..."--(Iranian Studies). "... a fascinating volume which offers much new information on the development of a modern faith."--(Religious Studies Review). "This volume is well worth reading by anyone seriously interested in religion in modern Iran."--(British Society for Middle Eastern Studies Bulletin).