The Origins of the Shi'a Identity, Ritual, and Sacred Space in Eighth-Century K?fa Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization Series

The Sunni-Shi'a schism is often framed as a dispute over the identity of the successor to Muhammad. In reality, however, this fracture only materialized a century later in the important southern Iraqi city of Kufa (present-day Najaf). This book explores the birth and development of Shi'i identity. Through a critical analysis of legal texts, whose provenance has only recently been confirmed, the study shows how the early Shi'a carved out independent religious and social identities through specific ritual practices and within separate sacred spaces. In this way, the book addresses two seminal controversies in the study of early Islam, namely the dating of Kufan Shi'i identity and the means by which the Shi'a differentiated themselves from mainstream Kufan society. This is an important, original and path-breaking book that marks a significant development in the study of early Islamic society.

Part I. Narratives and Methods: 1. Kufa and the classical narratives of early Shi'ism; 2. Confronting the source barrier: a new methodology; Part II. Case Studies: 3. In the name of God: the Basmala; 4. Curses and invocations: the Qunūt in the ritual prayer; 5. Drinking matters: the Islamic debate over prohibition; Part III. The Emergence of Shi'ism: 6. Dating sectarianism: early Zaydism and the politics of perpetual revolution; 7. The problem of the ambiguous transmitter: ritual and the allocation of identity; 8. The mosque and the procession: sacred spaces and the construction of community; 9. Conclusion.

Najam Haider is Assistant Professor of Religion at Barnard College in New York City.