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Ithna Ashariyah: Difference between revisions
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The term '''Ithna ‘Ashariyah''' (“T'welver”) or Imami refers to the denomination of [[Shi‘ism]] to which the majority of Shi‘as worldwide adhere. The Ithna ʿAshariyah are also known as Imamiyah because of their main tenet regarding the necessity of the [[imam]] for the establishment of the ideal Muslim community under divine revelation. The term Shiʿa is generally applied to the Twelvers, despite the fact that there are other factions, such as the [[Ismaʿiliyah]] and [[Zaydiyah]], that are also included within Shiʿi Islam. | The term '''Ithna ‘Ashariyah''' (“T'welver”) or Imami refers to the denomination of [[Shi‘ism]] to which the majority of Shi‘as worldwide adhere. The Ithna ʿAshariyah are also known as Imamiyah because of their main tenet regarding the necessity of the [[imam]] for the establishment of the ideal Muslim community under divine revelation. The term Shiʿa is generally applied to the Twelvers, despite the fact that there are other factions, such as the [[Ismaʿiliyah]] and [[Zaydiyah]], that are also included within Shiʿi Islam. | ||
Characteristic of Twelver Shi‘ism is recognition of the authority of twelve successive imams (spiritual leaders) who were members or descendants of [[ahl al-bayt]] (the prophet [[Muhammad]]’s immediate family). Their authority is said to have been transmitted over time via the lineage of Muhammad’s daughter [[Fatima]] and her husband, [[‘Ali ibn Abi Taleb]]. Also characteristic of Twelver Shi‘ism is an emotional attachment to ahl al-bayt that manifests itself in annual rituals commemorating the battlefield death of the [[imam | Characteristic of Twelver Shi‘ism is recognition of the authority of twelve successive imams (spiritual leaders) who were members or descendants of [[ahl al-bayt]] (the prophet [[Muhammad]]’s immediate family). Their authority is said to have been transmitted over time via the lineage of Muhammad’s daughter [[Fatima]] and her husband, [[‘Ali ibn Abi Taleb]]. Also characteristic of Twelver Shi‘ism is an emotional attachment to ahl al-bayt that manifests itself in annual rituals commemorating the battlefield death of the [[imam Hussain]], grandson of Muhammad. | ||
==Historical Development== | ==Historical Development== | ||
The Ithna ʿAshariyah trace their history to the investiture, in Ghadir Khumm (modern-day Juhfah), of [[ʿAli ibn Abi Talib]], the first imam, with [[wilaya]] (discretionary authority) by [[Muhammad]] after the Prophet 's Farewell Pilgrimage. Following Muhammad 's death in 632, the leadership of the nascent community was assumed by the Prophet 's leading companion, [[Abu Bakr]], but a group of Muslims refused to accept him as caliph. This group constituted the nucleus of the early [[Shiʿa]] (“partisans”). They believed that ʿAli was Muhammad 's rightful successor and that those who usurped his right were sinners. This belief marked the genesis of the Shiʿi concept of [[imamate]]. Although ʿAli did not assume political authority until after the third caliph, ʿUthman, was murdered in 656, he was regarded by the Shiʿi as the imam, that is, a person qualified to assume temporal and spiritual authority. Following ʿAli 's murder in 660, the imamate continued with [[Hasan]] (d. 669) and | The Ithna ʿAshariyah trace their history to the investiture, in Ghadir Khumm (modern-day Juhfah), of [[ʿAli ibn Abi Talib]], the first imam, with [[wilaya]] (discretionary authority) by [[Muhammad]] after the Prophet 's Farewell Pilgrimage. Following Muhammad 's death in 632, the leadership of the nascent community was assumed by the Prophet 's leading companion, [[Abu Bakr]], but a group of Muslims refused to accept him as caliph. This group constituted the nucleus of the early [[Shiʿa]] (“partisans”). They believed that ʿAli was Muhammad 's rightful successor and that those who usurped his right were sinners. This belief marked the genesis of the Shiʿi concept of [[imamate]]. Although ʿAli did not assume political authority until after the third caliph, ʿUthman, was murdered in 656, he was regarded by the Shiʿi as the imam, that is, a person qualified to assume temporal and spiritual authority. Following ʿAli 's murder in 660, the imamate continued with [[Hasan]] (d. 669) and Hussain (d. 680), the sons of ʿAli and his wife [[Fatima]], Muhammad 's daughter. | ||
===The Tragedy of Karbala=== | ===The Tragedy of Karbala=== | ||
The second most significant event during the formative period of the Ithna ʿAshariyah was the murder of the third imam, [[ | The second most significant event during the formative period of the Ithna ʿAshariyah was the murder of the third imam, [[Hussain]], on the plains [[Karbala]], Iraq, in 680. The Karbala episode provided the Shiʿa with the ethos that led to the distinct Shiʿi belief system, which is constructed around the notion of divinely designated ideal leadership, and the pathos that set the tone of the Ithna ʿAshari religious praxis for posterity. From the Ithna ʿAshari perspective, Karbala became the paradigm for defiance against the unjust authority that culminated in martyrdom ([[shahadah]] in the sense of sacrificial death in the path of God). It also marked a shift in the subsequent role of the Shiʿi imam from politically activist upholder of just authority to politically quietist successor of Hussain. The imamate was identified more in terms of the imam 's religious-legal knowledge of Islamic revelation than his activist posture as the redresser of the wrongs committed against the [[ahl al-bayt]] (the Prophet 's family). | ||
Imami Shi’ite also links | Imami Shi’ite also links Hussain’s martyrdom at Karbala with the imam’s power to grant [[intercession]] in paradise to those who honor Hussain through acts of ritual commemoration. | ||
===Theological and Juridical Formation=== | ===Theological and Juridical Formation=== | ||
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===Tawalla=== | ===Tawalla=== | ||
The obligation of tawalla (befriending) has led to two important religious practices unique to the Shiʿis: first, the [[ziara]] (visitations) to the mashhad (mausoleums) of the imams and their descendants; and second, [[majalis]] (devotional gatherings) to mourn the [[martyrdom]] of [[Imam | The obligation of tawalla (befriending) has led to two important religious practices unique to the Shiʿis: first, the [[ziara]] (visitations) to the mashhad (mausoleums) of the imams and their descendants; and second, [[majalis]] (devotional gatherings) to mourn the [[martyrdom]] of [[Imam Hussain]] on [[Ashura]], the tenth day of [[Muharram]], in [[Karbala]]. Both these practices have provided the Shiʿi minority with a renewed sense of loyalty to the Prophet 's family. The shrine cities of [[Karbala]], [[Najaf]], [[Mashhad]], and [[Qom]] have functioned as the religious centers for the ordinary Shiʿis and learning centers for their mujtahids, who continue to teach in the holy sanctuaries. The Muharram commemoration has fostered among the Shiʿa an identity consonant with their vision of history in which the godly people suffer at the hands of the oppressors until God commands the [[Mahdi]] to restore justice and equity on earth. | ||
===Love of Ahl al-Bayt=== | ===Love of Ahl al-Bayt=== | ||
Public rituals lamenting the Karbala martyrs are attested as early as the tenth century in Baghdad. The Safavid era, however, witnessed the elaboration of a soteriology that joined ritual mourning with Shi‘ite communal identity. This is attested in a work that became increasingly popular during the reign of the Safavids, [[Rawdat al-shuhada]] (The garden of the martyrs), which was written by [[ | Public rituals lamenting the Karbala martyrs are attested as early as the tenth century in Baghdad. The Safavid era, however, witnessed the elaboration of a soteriology that joined ritual mourning with Shi‘ite communal identity. This is attested in a work that became increasingly popular during the reign of the Safavids, [[Rawdat al-shuhada]] (The garden of the martyrs), which was written by [[Hussain Waez al-Kashifi]] (d. 1504). “Paradise is awarded to anyone,” argues Kashifi, “who weeps for Hussain for the following reason, that every year, when the month of Muharram comes, a multitude of the lovers of the family of the Prophet renews and makes fresh the tragedy of the martyrs.” <ref>David Pinault (2004). “Imami (Twelver)”. Encyclopedia of Islam and Muslim World (ed. Richard Martin). P: 624-628. New York: Macmillan.</ref> | ||
“Lovers of the family of the Prophet”: Here Kashifi defines the community of believers not in terms of doctrine but in terms of emotional disposition and ritual activity. His description suggests an important aspect of Imami Shi‘ite identity. At the popular level, from the premodern era through the twenty-first century, Twelver Shi‘as tend to define themselves as those Muslims who excel beyond all others in their love for the Prophet’s family and for the Prophet’s descendants, the imams. ‘his affection is expressed annually in the action of matam (displays of grief for the Karbala martyrs). <ref>David Pinault (2004). “Imami (Twelver)”. Encyclopedia of Islam and Muslim World (ed. Richard Martin). P: 624-628. New York: Macmillan.</ref> | “Lovers of the family of the Prophet”: Here Kashifi defines the community of believers not in terms of doctrine but in terms of emotional disposition and ritual activity. His description suggests an important aspect of Imami Shi‘ite identity. At the popular level, from the premodern era through the twenty-first century, Twelver Shi‘as tend to define themselves as those Muslims who excel beyond all others in their love for the Prophet’s family and for the Prophet’s descendants, the imams. ‘his affection is expressed annually in the action of matam (displays of grief for the Karbala martyrs). <ref>David Pinault (2004). “Imami (Twelver)”. Encyclopedia of Islam and Muslim World (ed. Richard Martin). P: 624-628. New York: Macmillan.</ref> | ||