Najam Haider, "The Origins of the Shī῾a: Identity, Ritual, and Sacred Space in Eighth-Century Kūfa"

Summary: Najam HaiderView on AmazonWhen did groups in Kūfa begin forming unique identities leading to the development of Imamī Shī῾ism and Zaydī Shī῾ism? Najam Haider, professor of Religion at Barnard College of Columbia University, answers this question in his book, The Origins of the Shī῾a: Identity, Ritual, and Sacred Space in Eighth-Century Kūfa (Cambridge University Press, 2011) This study is a boon for those with research interests in early Shī῾ism, Kūfa, or the history of Islam prior to the 3rd/9th century. In the first section of his book, Haider announces his intention to test literary narratives of the origins of Sḥī'ism: namely, if Imamī Shī῾ism did, in fact, develop during the early 2nd/8th century and if Zaydī Shī῾ism was the product of the merging of two distinct Shī῾a groups, the Jārūdīs and Batrīs. To answer those questions he proposes to analyze 2nd/8th century Kūfan traditions (Ḥadīths and Akhbār), from Sunnī, Imamī, and Zaydī sources. Haider examines traditions on the basis of their legal authorities, the composition of their isnāds, and their narrative styles, a methodology known among scholars of Islam as matn-cum-isnād. He applies this method to three cases studies in the second section of his book: (1) the basmala in ritual prayer, (2) the use of qunūt, a blessing or curse, in prayer, and (3) the prohibition of intoxicants. Each case study centers on ritual which Haider argues is a more determinative means of ascribing identity then an individual or group's theology. Based on the results of these three case studies, Haider proposes a revised history of Zaydī Shī῾ism in his third section; a history in which Zaydism was a movement with strong Batrī influence in its nascent stages but later became Jārūdī. Haider's work stands out for the clarity of the questions he seeks to answer and the method he employs in doing so. Every chapter concludes with a concise summary of the major points and the entire work is filled with charts of data to help readers understand how the massive corpus of information he utilized was organized and categorized. Scholars will obviously benefit from its proposed revised history, but its readability makes it useful for undergraduates and laypersons.