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An Early Shīʿi Cosmology

An Early Shīʿi Cosmology * I researched and wrote most of this article while working at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in 2013; I would like to thank my colleagues at the Institute for their help and support throughout this process. In particular, I am grateful to Shah Hussein for providing me with manuscripts and printed materials from the Institute’s library, and Asma Hilali for her help with several difficult passages. My friend Hussein Abdulsater went through the arduous process of carefully reading the entire critical edition, and I am grateful to him for suggesting numerous valuable readings and insights. Introduction One of the chief theological controversies in the Shīʿi community of Iraq in the second/eighth and third/ninth centuries revolved around the nature of the Imams. Part of their followers viewed them as knowledgeable leaders of the community, while another attributed to them divine characteristics, viewing them at times as God’s appointees charged with the mission to regulate the affairs of the world, and at times as God’s incarnations on earth. 1 By the outsiders, these ardent followers of the Imams were called with the Arabic term ghulāt (pl. of ghālin ) i.e. “extremist,” for their “extreme” devotion to the Imams. Among http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Studia Islamica Brill

An Early Shīʿi Cosmology

Studia Islamica , Volume 110 (1): 1 – May 26, 2015

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References (2)

Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0585-5292
eISSN
1958-5705
DOI
10.1163/19585705-12341311
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

* I researched and wrote most of this article while working at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in 2013; I would like to thank my colleagues at the Institute for their help and support throughout this process. In particular, I am grateful to Shah Hussein for providing me with manuscripts and printed materials from the Institute’s library, and Asma Hilali for her help with several difficult passages. My friend Hussein Abdulsater went through the arduous process of carefully reading the entire critical edition, and I am grateful to him for suggesting numerous valuable readings and insights. Introduction One of the chief theological controversies in the Shīʿi community of Iraq in the second/eighth and third/ninth centuries revolved around the nature of the Imams. Part of their followers viewed them as knowledgeable leaders of the community, while another attributed to them divine characteristics, viewing them at times as God’s appointees charged with the mission to regulate the affairs of the world, and at times as God’s incarnations on earth. 1 By the outsiders, these ardent followers of the Imams were called with the Arabic term ghulāt (pl. of ghālin ) i.e. “extremist,” for their “extreme” devotion to the Imams. Among

Journal

Studia IslamicaBrill

Published: May 26, 2015

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