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Author: Najam HaiderPublication planned for: September 2014availability:  available from September 2014format: Paperbackisbn: 9781107625785DescriptionDuring the formative period of Islam, in the first centuries after Muhammad's death, different ideas and beliefs abounded. During this period two particular intellectual traditions emerged, Sunnism and Shi'ism. Sunni Muslims endorsed the historical caliphate, while Shi'i Muslims, supporters of 'Ali, cousin of the Prophet and the fourth caliph, articulated their own distinctive doctrines. The Sunni-Shi'i schism is often framed as a dispute over the identity of the successor to Muhammad, whereas in reality, Sunni and Shi'i Muslims also differ on a number of seminal theological doctrines concerning the nature of God and legitimate political and religious authority. This book examines the development of Shi'i Islam through the lenses of belief, narrative, and memory. This book also covers, for the first time in English, a wide range of Shi'i communities from the demographically predominant Twelvers to the transnational Isma'ilis to the scholar-activist Zaydis. The portrait of Shi'ism that emerges is that of a distinctive and vibrant community of Muslims with a remarkable capacity for reinvention and adaptation, grounded in a unique theological interpretation of Islam.Stretches from early Islam to the contemporary period.Covers three different Shi'i communities: the Twelvers, the Isma'ilis, and the Zaydis.Structured flexibly and cogently.Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I. Theology: 1. 'Adl (rational divine justice). 2. Imamate (legitimate leadership) Part II. Origins: 3. Community. 4. Fragmentation. Part III. Constructing Shi'ism: 5. Zaydism in the balance between Sunni and Shi'a. 6. The weight of Isma'ili expectations. 7. Twelver Shi'ism and the problem of the hidden imam. Part IV. Shi'ism in the Modern World: 8. Zaydism at the crossroads. 9. (Nizari) Isma'ilism reconstituted 10. The politicization of the Twelver Shi'a. Conclusion: Sunni-Shi'i relations.&#160;