The Origins and Early Development of Shi'a Islam: Difference between revisions

This chapter shows the difference between Ali’s active role during Muhammad's lifetime and his completely inactive and isolated life in the period immediately after the Prophet's death. The most active and enthusiastic participant in all the enterprises in the cause of Islam and a great warrior in the forefront of all the battles fought under Muhammad, Ali suddenly reverted to leading a quiet life, almost confined to the four walls of his house.

In this chapter the author examines that how Shi'ism managed to survive the multitude of decisive political defeats inflicted on the movement over the years. Ali had some followers who supported his cause mainly on political grounds, especially after he made Kufa his capital. In addition to a large political following, Ali left behind him a zealous personal party which had sworn to him that they would be "friends to those whom he befriended, and enemies of those to whom he was hostile.

After the death of Ali and the abdication of his son Hasan, when Mu'awiya took control of Kufa, the strong tribal, and clan leaders were made to serve as the intermediaries in the power structure of the province. The central authority in Damascus was concerned with exercising power both over and through them. The old style tribalism was reinforced and governmental power was grounded on a tribal organization in which tribal leaders supported and in turn were supported by the government. At the time of Ali's death, the tribal leaders were on one side of the scale, the committed Shi'at Ali on the other, while the great masses were wavering between the two.

This chapter intends firstly to analyze how it became so easy for the Umayyads to destroy Husayn and crush the Shi'i movement behind him; and secondly, to determine the elements of purely religious sentiment among those who readily sacrificed their lives with Husayn and thus made another step forward towards the consolidation of Shi'i thought in Islam.

This chapter deals with the movement of the Tawwabun, (penitents) who let themselves die as a way of repenting for their inability to fulfil their commitments to the grandson of the Prophet. Shortly before the Tawwabun marched against the Syrians, Mukhtar arrived in Kufa and tried to gain the Support of Sulayman b. Surad and his followers for his own plan to rise against the Umayyads. The Tawwabun, however, refused to join him.