Imam Muhammad al-Baqir was one of the most erudite Muslims of his age, and played a significant role in the history of early Islam. At once a versatile leader and scholar in the eighth-century Muslim world, he was also an authority on the exegesis of the Qur'an, the traditions of the Prophet, and all matters relating to the rites, rituals and practice of Islam. Using hitherto largely ignored Shi'i sources, both published and unpublished, Arzina Lalani explores al-Baqir's pivotal contributions to Islamic thought in its early formative period, contributions that were powerfully to affect developments in Shi'a law, theology and religious practice. Dr. Lalani's work presents the first systematic account of the life, career and teachings of this brilliant eighth-century luminary.

"Imam Muhammad al-Baqir was one of the most erudite Muslims of his age, and played a significant role in the history of early Islam. At once a versatile leader and scholar in the eighth-century Muslim world, he was also an authority on the exegesis of the Qur'an, the traditions of the Prophet, and all matters relating to the rites, rituals and practice of Islam. Using hitherto largely ignored Shi'i sources, both published and unpublished, Arzina Lalani explores al-Baqir's pivotal contributions to Islamic thought in its early formative period, contributions that were powerfully to affect developments in Shi'a law, theology and religious practice. Dr. Lalani's work presents the first systematic account of the life, career and teachings of this brilliant eighth-century luminary."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Until recently, the study of early Shi'i Islam has been one of the most neglected area in modern Islamic scholarship, and the few works that have been published are concerned with the historical rather than the intellectual and doctrinal genesis of Shi'ism.

This volume presents a comprehensive selection from Etan Kohlberg’s research, undertaken over a period of fifty years, on doctrinal and historical developments of Imāmī Shiʿi intellectual tradition with a primary focus on the medieval period.

This book examines the development of Shi'i Islam through the lenses of belief, narrative, and memory.

This volume advances the critical study of exegetical, doctrinal, and political authority in Shiʿi Islam. It presents new frameworks for interpreting the diverse modes of rationality and esotericism in Shiʿism and the socio-epistemic values they represent within Muslim discourse.

The Charismatic Community examines the rise and development of Shiite religious identity in early Islamic history, analyzing the complex historical and intellectual processes that shaped the sense of individual and communal religious vocation. The book reveals the profound and continually evolving connection between the spiritual ideals of the Shiite movement and the practical processes of community formation. Author Maria Massi Dakake traces the Quranic origins and early religious connotations of the concept of walayah and the role it played in shaping the sense of communal solidarity among followers of the first Shiite Imam, Ali b. Abi Talib. Dakake argues that walayah pertains not only to the charisma of the Shiite leadership and devotion to them, but also to solidarity and loyalty among the members of the community itself. She also looks at the ways in which doctrinal developments reflected and served the practical needs of the Shiite community, the establishment of identifiable boundaries and minimum requirements of communal membership, the meaning of women's affiliation and identification with the Shiite movement, and Shiite efforts to engender a more normative and less confrontational attitude toward the non-Shiite Muslim community.