Description
Book SynopsisTwelver or Imami Shi'i Islam has long been understood through the concepts of the authority of jurists and political theology. However, building upon recent scholarship in the fields of religious studies and anthropology, this book argues that Imami Shi'ism is better understood as a discursive tradition, and that from the late Abbasid to the post-Ilkhanid period, Hillah, in southern Iraq, was a center of scholarship, debate and exchange, challenging the traditionally authoritarian view of the development of Shi'i Islam's largest sect.Aun Hasan Ali applies the techniques of social network analysis to bio-bibliographical sources to reveal the school of Hillah as a formative period where outstanding and landmark works were written in practically every field of classical Islamic scholarship. He uses state-of-the-art electronic databases to study the transmission of knowledge and networks of kinship, learning, and patronage to show the way that the school was socially, politically and histo
Trade ReviewProfessor Ali’s book is a mammoth undertaking that interrogates the archival record to meticulously trace the relationships that existed between scholars and their texts. By recentering Hillah (from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries) as a key site for the formation of Twelver Shi'ism, he demonstrates the ways in which the intellectual tradition that flourished in this city continues to impact our understanding of Twelver Shi'ism until today * Nebil A. Husayn, Associate Professor, University of Miami, USA *
A tour de force of Shi'i Islamic studies, Aun Hasan Ali’s The School of Hillah manages to combine historical precision with the larger theoretical interests of religious studies. Ali carefully outlines the evolution of Shi'i law, theology, and exegesis by untangling a pivotal and complex network of scholars. Above all else, the book’s clarity and intellectual vigor render it a sheer joy to read. * Cyrus Ali Zargar, Professor, University of Central Florida, USA *
Aun Hasan Ali’s book provides an enlightening, comprehensive analysis of intellectual life at one of the most important centers of Shi'i scholarship during the formative period of Imami thought and practice. Surveying the pertinent scholarly networks, their controversies and literary contributions to the main disciplines and genres, the author demonstrates the extent to which the intellectual landscape of Imami scholarship of Southern Iraq between the twelfth and fourteenth century CE was determined by an underlying framework of disagreement. * Sabine Schmidtke, Professor, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA. *
Aun Hasan Ali offers a long-overdue, in-depth and interdisciplinary examination of the careers and contributions of the Imami Shi'i scholars of this pivotal period in the history of the faith.
The School of Hillah constitutes a masterful contribution to the field of Shi'i studies. * Andrew J. Newman, Professor, University of Edinburgh, UK *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements A Note on Conventions Chapter 1: Introduction Early scholarship on Imami law The development of Imami legal studies Recent scholarship on Imami law General observations about the field The Islamic tradition The Imami
madhhab Conclusion
Chapter 2: The School of Hillah in Islamic History The Seljuks and the late Abbasids The Ilkhanids The Jalayirids and the Qara-Qoyunlu The Mazyadids and Hillah Conclusion
Chapter 3: The Learned Families of Hillah The family of Nama The family of Said al-Hudhali The family of Tawus The family of Fikhar The family of Mutahhar The family of Bitriq The family of Mu'ayyah The family of Rafi The family of Abd al-Hamid al-Nili The family of Wishah The family of al-A'raj The smaller families of Hillah Conclusion: the Mazyadids
Chapter 4: The Literary Construction of the Imami Madhhab Imami authorities Rational sciences: philosophy, logic, and science Theology and doctrine Substantive law and jurisprudence Imami bio-bibliography Major compilations of Sunni h
adith Sunni scholars Supplication and ritual
Fada'il Quranic sciences and exegesis Arabic language and literature Uncategorized material, minor collections of
hadith, and historical sources Conclusion
Chapter 5: Substantive Law and Jurisprudence The early jurists of hillah Ibn Idris and
al-Sara'ir The methodology of the later scholars Reason The greatest battle Conclusion
Chapter 6: Bio-bibliography Jamal al-Din Ibn Tawus Ibn Dawud al-Allamah Conclusion
Chapter 7: General Works of Hadith, Supplication and Ritual, and History and Genealogy General works of
hadith Supplication and ritual History and genealogy
Chapter 8: Exegesis and Fada'il Exegesis
Fada'il Chapter 9: A Brief Excursus on Philosophy and Theology Chapter 10: Conclusion Bibliography Index
