Controversies in formative Shiʻi Islam: the Ghulat Muslims and their beliefs

Author
Asatryan, Mushegh
Publisher
I.B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies
Year
2017
Language
English
Call Number
BP194.1 .A83 2017
ISBN
9781784538958
Reference Only
Off
Number of Pages
206
Library of Congress Subject Heading
Islamic sects -- History
Library of Congress Subject Heading 2
Shīʻah -- Doctrines
Abstract

Among the various Muslim communities that were articulating their doctrinal positions in the early Islamic centuries, one in particular was known derisively as the Ghulat ("extremists"). This was owing to their specific interpretation of Islam, which included an "extreme" devotion to the Shi'i Imams and the family of the Prophet, and controversial religious ideas, such as the transmigration of souls into other human or sub-human forms.

Widely active in Iraq in the 8th and 9th centuries, the Ghulat developed a complex worldview and produced a rich religious literature. Until now, understanding of this community has mainly relied on sources produced outside of the group, which are inaccurate or polemical in nature. This book looks at newly recovered primary texts to study the Ghulat first hand.

Mushegh Asatryan examines the development of the Ghulat writings, situating the community within a broader historical context and offering a comprehensive survey of their distinctive cosmology. Through his detailed analysis, the book offers insight into the formation of one of the earliest religious traditions in Islamic history as well as the nature of the community in which texts were produced and circulated.