The author successfully provides a well-organized map of al-Murtaḍā’s theological thought, deploying his vast magna opera, fulfilling a demanding task. In every chapter, Abdulsater follows an elaborate plan to present the content of his analysis. He starts with the theoretical model, and then moves to the concepts at work, then arguments, and at last conclusions. His approach renders the book a smooth read.

- Majid Montazer Mahdi, Reading Religion

Among the chief accomplishments of this study is its meticulous discussion of the issue of “influence.” (...) This and other results of this commendable work make it an invaluable source for the study of early Shiite theology and history.

- Hamed Fayazi, Religious Studies Review

God is not free to act; He is bound by human ethics. To be just, He must create an individual of perfect intellect and infallible morality. People are obligated to submit to this person; otherwise eternal damnation awaits them. While these claims may be interpreted as an affront to God’s power, an insult to human judgment and a justification for despotism, Shiʿi Muslims in the eleventh century eagerly adopted them in their attempts to forge a ‘rational’ religious discourse. They utilized everything from literary studies and political theory to natural philosophy and metaphysical speculation in support of this project. This book presents the contribution of al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā (d. 1044) of Baghdad, the thinker most responsible for this irreversible change, which remains central to Imami identity. It analyzes his intellectual project and establishes the dynamic context which prompted him to pour the old wine of Shiʿi doctrine into the new wineskin of systematic Muʿtazili theology.
Les mer
A study of a little-known author – al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā – whose views are still a major influence for Shiʿi Muslims.
DedicationAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. Life and Works2. God and the World3. Moral Theory and Divine Justice4. Humans and the Origins of Religious Experience5. The Imama and the Need for Moral Leadership6. Prophethood and the Value of Divine GuidanceConclusionBibliographyIndex
Les mer
Comprehensive coverage of al-Murtaḍā’s enormous oeuvre (running to several thousand pages) and diversity (spanning virtually all contemporary fields of knowledge) 

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781474441247
Publisert
2018-11-14
Utgiver
Edinburgh University Press
Vekt
396 gr
Høyde
234 mm
Bredde
156 mm
Aldersnivå
UP, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet

Biografisk notat

Hussein Ali Abdulsater is Associate Professor of Arabic Culture and Islamic Studies in the Department of Classics at the University of Notre Dame. His research is concerned with uncovering the historical roots and social contexts of major theological themes in Islam. It also traces the ethical and philosophical aspects of Islamic religious thought as expressed in humanistic disciplines such as historiography and literature. His publications include: · “A Jāḥiẓian Contribution to Reason in Islam? Revisiting al-Muḥāsibī’s Māʾiyyat al-ʿaql,” Journal of the American Oriental Society, 142:1 (2022), 1-32. · Shiʿi Doctrine, Muʿtazili Theology: al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā and Imami Discourse (Edinburgh University Press, 2017). · “Reason, Grace and the Freedom of Conscience: The Period of Investigation in Classical Islamic Theology,” Studia Islamica, 110:2 (2015), 233-262.