Shaykh Mugid (949-1022) was the leading Imami Shi'I scholar of his time and the first of a group of writers responsible for the introduction of rationalist ideas into Imamism. In this illuminating and highly readable new study. Tamima Bayhom- Daou draws upon carefully slsected historical resources and the most up-to-date scholarship to present a fascinating account of Mufid's life and work, assessing his contributions to the fields of jurisprudence, theology and sacred history and setting his thought in the wider context of developments in the Imami conception of religious authority. Mufid's particular importance lies in his advocacy of the role of reason in religion, and his writings still have great relevance to the lives and beliefs of many Shi'I Muslims today. With straightforward explanations of all the key ideas and themes of al-Mufid's work, this accessible introduction to an influential thinker also features a guide to further reading and will prove an indispensible resource for readers of all backgrounds.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Preface
1 INTRODUCTION
The Sunni-Shi'i Divide
Imami Shi'ism: an Outline of Main Developments
2 THE TIMES AND CAREER OF MUFID
The Buyids
Imamism under the Buyids
Other Religious Groups
The Career of Mufid
3 THE IMAMATE: THE HISTORICAL ARGUMENTS
The Mainstream Historical Tradition
The Imamate of 'Ali
The Other Imams
4 THE IMAMATE: THE RATIONAL ARGUMENTS
The Necessity of the Imamate
The Imams' Infallibility
The Imams' Knowledge
The Imams and the Qur'an
The Imams' Miracles
The Imams after Death
Unacceptable Exaggeration
The Occultation of the Twelfth Imam
5 THEOLOGY
Mu'tazili Theology
Sunni Theology
Early Imamism between Reason and Revelation
Mufid and the Role of Reason
The Dogmas of Imamism
6 JURISPRUDENCE
The Principles of Imami Jurisprudence
The Jurist as Deputy of the Imam
Ritual Practices and Laws Specific to Imamism: Emblems of Communal Identity
7 CONCLUSION
Further Reading
Index
