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Suffering is a problem addressed by many world religions. This paper examines the understanding of suffering in three religions: Catholic Christianity, Shia Islam, and Shakta Hinduism. In each of these cases, ordinary suffering is transformed into mystical sorrow, becoming a path to closeness and divine union. This transformation makes use of religious symbolism of the family, emphasizing the role of the mother. Worldly suffering is no longer meaningless; instead, it becomes a spiritual path through which the individual person, and even the world at large, may be redeemed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern history of the intellectual resilience within the ḥawza ʿilmīya of Qum and its contribution to the downfall of the Pahlavi regime in 1979 is of particular importance. Following the death of Ayatollah Borujerdi (1875–1961), the ḥawza ʿilmīya of Qum was led by Ayatollahs Golpaygani (1899–1993), Shariʿatmadari (1906–1986), and Marʿashi Najafi (1887–1990), offering informally structured collective leadership. The intention behind this article is twofold: firstly, to critically review the impact of the ʿulamāʼs political, social, and religious contributions in this period, secondly, to assess their involvement in positioning the ḥawza institution against the Shah's regime prior to the exile (1964–1979) of Ayatollah Khomeini (1900–1989) from Iran and afterwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Kırıkkale University Journal of Social Sciences is the property of Kirikkale University Journal of Social Science (KUJSS) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article delves into the impact of anti-modern convictions on the doctrinal evolutions of Shi'ism among Italian converts, employing a synergy between history and sociology. To illustrate this impact, the digital and paper publications of select converts have been analysed. Editorial initiatives serve as primary channels through which converts express their intellectual inclinations and impart a new cultural dimension to Shi'ism. This new cultural dimension is shaped by the motivations that have driven converts toward religious mobility. In this framework, Shi'a tenets and its relations with other religions have been redefined based on converts' socio-psychological needs. As a result, Italian Shi'ism, with its anti-modern substructure, has acquired certain traits that align it with the pre-political manifestations of the religion. Notably, converts exhibit a preference for metaphysical perspectives over juridical and sociological developments within Shi'ism, delineating a distinct trajectory in their engagement with the faith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes Hezbollah's mobilization strategy for the participation in the Syrian conflict. It rests on a thematic analysis of 52 speeches of Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah in the period 2011 to 2023 to uncover political patterns in the group's mobilization strategy. It argues that Hezbollah exploited people's fears, important Shia narratives and symbols to foster an incentive structure to step up mobilization for the war in Syria. This mobilization was instrumentally connected to Hezbollah's previous experiences, e.g., conflict against Israel, to highlight continuities in the struggle against the enemy, broadly construed. The article shows that these patterns ensured continuous mobilization to fight "takfiri" groups in Syria, but could also provide avenues for mobilization to future causes. Critical in this process was the credibility of Hassan Nasrallah whose speeches concentrated on the existential risks and threats posed by "takfiri" groups by highlighting problems, suggesting solutions and calling members to action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the challenges that accusations of heresy pose for peacebuilding processes. Although heresy is often viewed among the most intractable drivers of conflict, presenting an impenetrable impasse between minority and majority religious groups, little is known about its impact on peacebuilding processes. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in Indonesia, where claims of heresy have seen some members of the minority Islamic Ahmadiyya and Shia sects subjected to violence, discrimination, and displacement from their homes, the paper identifies the ongoing challenges that heresy claims are playing in these cases. It reveals the limitations of peacebuilding programmes that focus on converting heretics to mainstream religion, showing that, even when conversion efforts are successful, conflict often nevertheless continues. The paper offers some potential pathways forward for Indonesia's peacebuilding processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Oriental Scientific Research / E-Şarkiyat Ilmi Arastirmalar Dergisi is the property of Journal of Oriental Scientific Research / e-Sarkiyat Ilmi Arastirmalar Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies is the property of Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies is the property of Turkish Journal of Shiite Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cumhuriyet Ilahiyat Dergisi / Cumhuriyet Theology Journal is the property of Cumhuriyet Universitesi, Ilahiyat Fakultesi / Cumhuriyet University, Faculty of Theology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Algerian Historical Journal is the property of Algerian Historical Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Sirnak University Journal of Divinity Faculty / Sirnak Üniversitesi Ilahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Sirnak University, Journal of Divinity Faculty / Sirnak Universitesi Ilahiyat Fakultesi Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Marmara University Journal of Turkology / Marmara Türkiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi is the property of Marmara University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Mixed jurisdictions are uniquely positioned to add their voice to the comparative law conversation. This article forays into worlds that have not been featured in the traditional mixed jurisdiction scholarship, which has narrowly discussed civil law/common law encounters. In a first case study, the article explores how a mixed jurisdiction perspective might have persuaded the US Supreme Court to construe the French source term lésion corporelle in an international air law treaty to cover purely mental injuries. The article's second case study features the Iranian waqf--a property endowment, which is rooted in Twelver Shia Islam, yet housed in a codification reminiscent of the great European codes. In addition, the Iranian waqf exhibits a powerful capacity to converse with other Islamic schools of jurisprudence in Sunni and Shia Islam as well as counterparts in the common law (in particular, the trust) and the civil law (in particular, the foundation) when it comes to isolating, managing and disposing of assets for designated purposes. In the light of both case studies, the article concludes with a call for a broader conception of mixity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article assesses a Shi'i-Lebanese debate over Sunni Hadith in the context of state formation and Shi'i integration into this new entity. ʿAbd al-Ḥusayn Sharaf al-Dīn al-Mūsawī, the most authoritative Shi'i-Lebanese jurist of his time, relied on Sunni compilers of Hadith, to prove the veracity of Shi'i Islam, to a Sunni audience. Nevertheless, these treatises cannot be viewed as traditional polemics. Instead, they reflected Mūsawī's position as a proud Shi'i leader of a community which received historical recognition in the new nation state. Beyond Lebanon, Mūsawī perceived himself as a peer of Sunni modernized forces and thought the time was ripe for acceptance of Shi'ism, through shared values, a pan-Islamic vision and a critical approach to Hadith, in its content and narrators, within a more humanized depiction of the Companions. Mūsawī did not deviate from classical Shi'i notions. Nevertheless, he joined forces with Shi'i reformists in their quest for historical reconciliation with Sunnis, within an expanded notion of orthodoxy. In his understanding, Sunni recognition of a toned down Shi'i historiography, together with Shi'i endorsement of Sunni Hadith, may pave the way for a cross-sectarian narrative based on a progressive vision of Islam and on a rational approach to the texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the compatibility of liberal citizenship with Twelver Shia jurisprudence, a topic previously analyzed from the perspective of Sunni schools, most notably in the extensive research of Andrew F. March. This study confronts the challenges of reconciling liberal citizenship with Islamic jurisprudence, as highlighted in March's work, through the lens of Shia legal thought. Rather than aiming to critique or review March's research, this article considers his work solely as a representative example addressing the topic from the perspective of Sunni jurisprudence. This approach provides readers with a fundamental contrast, illuminating the unique insights that emerge from examining the subject within the framework of Shia jurisprudence. Unlike Sunni jurisprudence, which addresses these issues case-by-case by reviewing relevant Quranic and narrational sources, Twelver Shia jurisprudence offers a more foundational resolution. Owing to the belief in the occultation of the twelfth Imam and its implications for the implementation of Islamic law, Shia scholars have advanced theories such as the theory of obstruction (insidād) and the suspension of the social and political dimensions of Sharia. These theories effectively narrow the scope of Sharia, allowing for the acceptance of laws from non-Islamic states and circumventing potential conflicts with liberal citizenship in the absence of the twelfth Imam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saḥīfat al-Riḍā (AS) (hadith collection of al- Riḍā) is one of the most famous hadith collections attributed to Ahl al-Bayt (AS) (Household of the Prophet) and quoted in the style of Sunni narrations. The best way to assess the validity of this book is Takhrīj (extraction) and comparison of all its hadithss, which is the basis of this article. Most of the book's hadiths have not been transmitted through another valid chain of narrators from Ahl al-Bayt. Also, most of its hadith texts are similar to Sunnites' narrations that usually have time precedence over Saḥīfat al-Riḍā. There are various problems in the hadiths of this collection, such as non-conformity of the text and the Isnad, change in the characters of the narrations, combination of hadiths, error in reading and quoting the text, anachronism, and inconsistency with the Quran and Shia hadiths. These problems not only cast doubt on its narrations' authenticity but also show that the compiler of the collection has used the early written sources and changed their Isnads. Sakkūnī's book is the most important written source identified for Saḥīfat al-Riḍā. Probably, more than ten facent of the narrations of Saḥīfat al-Riḍā have been extracted from Sakkūnī's book. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pamukkale University Journal of Social Sciences Institute / Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi is the property of Pamukkale University, Social Sciences Institute and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Contemporary Research on Islamic Revolution is the property of University of Tehran and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Contemporary Research on Islamic Revolution is the property of University of Tehran and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines the role of both ideology and identity in Iran's policy in Iraq. In each society, there are competing self-images such as ethnic, ideological, and religious perceptions that impact foreign policy. Which begs the question whether identity or ideology has more influence? I argue that shared religious identity in two different countries is more important than ideology in mobilizing segments within multi-confessional societies. In addition, these forces become operational after the collapse of the state. The existence of a formidable central state thwarts the mobilization of counter identity and ideology, but when it weakens the door opens for sub-identities. The Islamist ideology of the Iranian revolution, for example, galvanized Muslims from different sectarian backgrounds. However, these ideological precepts gave away to shared identity. The Iraqi Shia today do not believe in the precepts of velayat-e faqih as much as shared Shia identity with Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Social Sciences Institute / Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi is the property of Bingol University / Rectorate and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Despite the traditional Islamic theory of Dar al-Ḥarb and Dar al-Islam, a third region known as "Dar Al-Muwāda'a" was recognized by Islamic jurists, particularly Shafi'i and Shia scholars. Dar Al-Muwāda'a region is one where non-Muslim nations have entered into a treaty or agreement with Muslim states, resulting in a commitment to cooperation and coexistence. Despite the limited scope of this agreement, the Islamic system recognizes and supports such nations, as long as both parties adhere to their agreed-upon terms. This concept highlights Islam's willingness to coexist with other faiths, despite the traditional division of the world into Dar al-Ḥarb and Dar al-Islam. Islam obligates the Islamic system to support these nations under the agreement of Dar Al-Muwāda'a. This study will employ the historical-analytical method and refer to the Qur'an, Sunni, and Shia jurisprudence to investigate Dar Al-Muwāda'a and its defining characteristics. This research aims to shed light on the conditions, obligations, and mutual rights of nations under the agreement of Dar Al-Muwāda'a, and its implications for contemporary international relations. The objective of this study is to challenge the misconception that Islam views non-Muslim lands as perpetual war zones, seeking domination. Our findings reveal that this assertion does not align with historical and jurisprudential foundations. Our research offers an alternative theory, Dar Al-Muwāhad'a, which acknowledges the existence of nations that have agreed with the Islamic State to coexist and cooperate. This theory provides a more nuanced understanding of Islam's view of other faiths and the potential for peaceful relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the issues raised under the topics of "ijtihād and taqlīd" is the invalidity of an obligatory act in the absence of taqlīd and caution, which almost all Shi'a jurists believe is invalid. The need to address this issue is because a person, after years of acting without imitation and caution, decides to perform actions with imitation of a mujtahid or caution from then on. Now, if his past deeds are invalid, he will suffer a lot of hardship to make up for his past deeds. In this article, in an analytical-descriptive method and citing library sources, the theories and arguments of Shi'a jurists have been criticized, and the basic question has been answered that, "in the case of action without imitation and caution, are all the past actions of the obligee (mukallaf) are considered void and should be made up for?" "And what is the criterion of the validity or invalidity of such a person's action the opinion of the mujtahid during the action or during the recourse?" By examining the evidence, it has been concluded that if such an action is in accordance with the facts or in accordance with the opinion of one of the two mujtahids during the action and during the reference (valid evidence), it is permissible and valid and does not require the compensation of past actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Magazine of Historical Studies & Archaeology is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Trabzon Theology Journal / Trabzon İlahiyat Dergisi is the property of Trabzon Theology Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There are hadiths mentioned in Shia and Sunni theological sources regarding the succession of the Holy Prophet which have been criticized. However, the question is why there are significant differences and conflicting results among hadiths mentioned in Farighain hadith books, such as the hadith of Gadeer, that are almost accepted in related theological sources? This article aimed at showing the perceptible parts of these differences that are respectively referred to as the “methods of criticism” and basic parts are related to theological foundations of Imamate and its characteristics. This purpose is achieved through describing and analyzing the methods and contents of Sunni theological sources. Also, it aims at pursuing the perceptible level, which is more prominent. Evaluating the methods of criticism carried out on the hadith of Gadeer, it is found that the Sunni theologians have applied the content, documentary, and textual criticism methods. Considering the former method, the lexical, literary, and rational criticisms are associated with the highest statistics, respectively. Taking the mentioned criticism methods into consideration, the impacts of accepted verbal assumptions and foundations are clearly observed and it seems that the criticisms have been carried out with the purpose of achieving a predetermined goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the taqiyyah traditions that has been narrated with various isnad and texts in the Shia hadith books is a tradition that Imam Sadiq (a.s.) argues to the part of the story of Yusuf (a.s.) in the Quran to prove the correctness of taqiyya. It is hard to understand that the quality of the implications of this narration, on the correctness of taqiyyah in the books of hadith jurisprudence. It seems that Imam Sadiq (a.s.) in this narration very closed head presents an argument that has been accepted by the audience. In order to understand the meaning of this narration of Imam Sadiq (a.s.) it is beneficial to use the method of violation of Grice’s principle of cooperation. Its purpose is to understand more meanings of this narration. In order to understand the implicit meanings, this research has focused on the principle of empathy of Imam Sadiq (a.s.) with the companions of Hadith. A comparative study between the conditions of Imam Sadiq (a.s.) and the companions of Hadith, with the story of Hazrat Yusuf (a.s.) shows that Imam Sadiq (a.s.) sought to express three important issues. First: correctness of Taqiyyah, second: stating that the allegation of stealing hadith is wrong and third: announcing the victory of the movement of the Companions of Hadith in the revival of the Prophetic Sunnah. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muhaddith Urmawi, one of the contemporary researchers and scientists, corrects many Shia written heritages in various fields such as interpretation, hadith, theology, history, rijal, mysticism, etc., and is also the author of a detailed commentary on Du’a Nudba. His hadith research efforts, apart from the description of Du’a Nudba, are reflected in the numerous introductions, footnotes, and appendices that he has written on his research works, which are sometimes considered independent authors due to their detail. In this research, by using the descriptive-analytical method while analyzing and reflecting on Urmawi’s efforts in hadith works, the basics of his attention in examining the document, text, and origin of hadiths have been extracted. The results of the research show that the opinion on the necessity of verifying the authenticity of the hadith in terms of its transmission from Maʿsūm (A.S.) or otherwise, and the evaluation of the document rijal on its basics in documental investigations, and the opinion on the necessity of the investigation of the text of the hadith in order not to contradict the Qur’an, sunnah, hadith, definite history, the essentials of ritual and religion, as well as the necessity of elevating content and eloquence in the text issued by Maʿsūm (A.S.) are the basics of the study of the text of Urmawi Muhadith. Also, in examining the origin of hadiths, he emphasizes the necessity of obtaining hadiths from reliable sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to delineate what it means to be Shia in relation to home-making in Sunni-majority Bangladeshi society. Unlike longer established Shias, those primarily settled in Old Dhaka and who are integrated into Dhakaiya culture and linguistic traditions, the post-Partition Urdu-speaking Shia migrants within the "Bihari" fold, a pejorative term used by Sunni-majority Bengalis, continue to seek to root home-making in Bangladeshi society. Both groups, however, have repeated a common practice in making home to bridge geographical and historical distance from a culturally significant center by reproducing it in the new location. Yet, despite the clear connections with Iran, it is the post-Partition migrants who find themselves negatively represented as collaborators with West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and this hinders the integration of this group into their new home. The article demonstrates that home is never produced in isolation of wider geopolitical, spatial, and historical factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of e-Makâlât Journal of Islamic Sects Research / e-Makâlât Mezhep Arastirmalari Dergisi is the property of e-Makalat Mezhep Arastirmalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of e-Makâlât Journal of Islamic Sects Research / e-Makâlât Mezhep Arastirmalari Dergisi is the property of e-Makalat Mezhep Arastirmalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Eskiyeni is the property of Anadolu Ilahiyat Akademisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The mainstream literature on the religiosity of Muslims in Europe often homogenises this diverse minority. This article diverges by focusing on a less visible ethno-religious minority within the Muslim population, specifically examining how Hazara Shia Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, resettled in the UK, live and organise Islam in everyday contexts. Addressing this gap, the research highlights the intersectionality of religion, ethnicity, and migration in reconfiguring religious practice. Grounded in the intersectional and lived religion approaches, this study contends that the religiosity of this Muslim minority undergoes a dynamic shift entwined with agency and adaptation in the new secular and plural context, becoming more individualised, privatised, and elective. Employing an ethnographic design, data are collected through semi-structured and key informant interviews, as well as participant observation, over 18 months of fieldwork across various council areas in Scotland. The findings illustrate reconfiguration, adaptation, and innovation in everyday Islam among this intersectional Muslim minority, identifying three main themes: the adaptation and reconfiguration of religious practices and rituals, the renegotiation of authoritative sources, and the navigation of intersectional identities and belonging since resettlement in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the long-term response of the Indian Muslim salariat to the lifting of usury laws in British India in 1855. The salariat were a group of urban professionals and landed gentry in north India who emerged after the uprising of 1857. They espoused a self-conscious brand of Islamic modernism, a central feature of which was a reinterpretation of Islamic traditions pertaining to 'rent on money' (interest/usury). Hitherto, Islamic legal rules authorizing interest/usury transactions had been context-dependent, but, motivated by the colonial state's abrogation of usury caps and a critique of prevailing Islamic legal norms, the salariat articulated a context-free interpretation of interest/usury in which the two were made distinct. Henceforth, interest transactions among Muslims were acceptable, but 'usurious' moneylending, conflated with 'Hindu' moneylending, was condemned. This pro-interest, anti-usury programme frequently fused Islamic exegesis with readings from European political economy. In turn, the salariat crafted a vernacular political-cum-moral economy that they sought to propagate among the Muslim masses. Nevertheless, by 1914 the salariat had largely disavowed this programme, convinced that the colonial state's revocation of usury laws had produced a Hindu–Muslim wealth gap. Now a new conception of an 'Islamic' economy, in which all interest was anathema, materialized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines Iran's internal identity conflicts and its strategy to expand Shia influence in the Middle East. Iran's growing confidence in its regional power stems from its perceived victory in the prolonged confrontation with the United States and the belief that its constructive role will soon gain recognition. However, Iran faces internal ideological rifts as the younger generation challenges the conservative regime, exemplified by recent hijab protests. Simultaneously, Iran has been fostering Shia militant groups in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen to project its influence and engage in shadow warfare against Israel and Saudi Arabia. The escalating Iran-Israel conflict and Iran's involvement in the Syrian civil war highlight its geopolitical maneuvers. The study argues that there is an interplay between Iran's internal politicized identity crises and its external power projection, as the regime seeks to consolidate its legitimacy by emphasizing anti-Western and anti-Israeli sentiments. However, this strategy faces a dilemma, as resources allocated to suppressing domestic dissent and maintaining regional influence may further strain Iran's economy and exacerbate internal instability. The changing regional dynamics, such as the U.S.—Iran nuclear deal and the Arab-Israeli normalization, also pose challenges to Iran's strategic calculus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shaykh Ibrahim Zakzaky is one of the most prominent Shia scholars in Nigeria, who has gained considerable fame throughout West Africa for his unparalleled efforts in promoting and developing the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS). The present study aims to examine the tumultuous life of this esteemed scholar and to provide a shining portrayal of his services to the Shia community in Nigeria. The main focus of this paper is on the life and challenges of the leader of nigerian Shia Muslims; and answer the central question posed regarding ‘To what extent Shaykh Zakzaky has succeeded in his strategic goals?’ The theoretical framework of this article is based on the theory of charismatic leadership by the German sociologist Max Weber, and the hypothesis of the article revolves around Shaykh Zakzaky's public acceptance among the Shia community in Nigeria. The research method applied is library-based with a descriptiveanalytical approach, and the attention paid to this topic, which is somewhat novel and original in its nature, is considered an innovative aspect of the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of the social and scientific developments of the modern era in Europe, Muslim thinkers have been seeking a new method of ijtihad (independent reasoning) in order to adapt Islam to the changes of the time or to produce new Islamic jurisprudential rulings for the emerging social transformations. Attention to the objectives (Maqaṣid) of Shariʻah in ijtihad has been a way for the flourishing and dynamism of jurisprudence and providing appropriate responses to new issues. Attention to the objectives (Maqaṣid) of Shariʻah is more prominent in the views of jurists who have had a social and governmental approach to the religion of Islam. Imam Khomeini and Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Sadr are among these jurists. In this research, using the descriptive method and library data collection, the following questions have been addressed: ‘What position the objectives (Maqaṣid) of Shariʻah have in the thought of Imam Khomeini and Sadr?’ and ‘What are the differences and similarities with the views of Sunni jurists?’ The result indicated that Imam Khomeini has presented novel views with regard to the objectives (Maqaṣid) of Shariʻah, and his attention to the objectives of Shariʻah in the process of inference has been effective both in the expansion and deepening of jurisprudence. Sadr, too, based on definitive rational methods, seeks to find and uncover the ultimate goals of Shariʻah, and for this purpose, he distinguishes the objectives of Shariʻah from its aims. The common point between the views of Sunni jurists and Imam Khomeini and Sadr in enumerating the objectives of Shariʻah is the establishment of social justice and the preservation of the social system, and the difference is in the attention to the preservation of religion as one of the objectives of Shariʻah in the view of Shi'a jurists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses how the visual and embodied storytelling methods of the theater may be used in the formation of Islamic knowledge. Examining productions staged by young women in Oslo in the tradition of the Twelver Shia theater, taʿziyeh / shabih , during commemorative rituals, I ask: How did producers and actors perceive theater to generate knowledge? How were visual and embodied storytelling methods used in conveying religious knowledge? What kind of knowledge was generated? Inspired by theater theory and post-structuralist semiotics, the analysis shows that the theater had transformative qualities that could contribute to cultural transmission, education, and moral and spiritual development. Knowledge was produced through sensorial communication, thinking, and understanding, and was held to emerge from the spectators' and actors' aesthetic and affective experiences, in addition to their abilities to create emotional relations with holy protagonists and the divine. The learning outcome was therefore presented as open-ended and invited young spectators and actors to take responsibility and reflect on how to act and respond in our time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article outlines the key pilgrimage sites in Baku and the Absheron Peninsula in Azerbaijan, offering a comprehensive discussion of the history of Shia Islam in this region, with a particular focus on the Republic of Azerbaijan. Each site is examined in terms of its historical development, the figure of devotion associated with it, architectural features, surrounding environment, and religious practices, encompassing both orthodox and heterodox traditions. By integrating personal observations and an analysis of existing literature, this study discusses the main patterns of worship and devotion, providing insights into the broader context of Shia religious practices in Azerbaijan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I show how a group of Iranian Muslims in Trump-era rural Kentucky conceptualize their Islamic practices in relation to the dominant American social, political, racial, and economic norms to compromise Americanness with Muslimness in order to claim cultural citizenship. Drawing on 14 months of ethnographic fieldwork involving participant observation and in-depth interviews conducted with Iranian-American Muslims in rural Kentucky, I develop an argument regarding how these individuals conceive of Islam differently from the monolithic Islam promoted by both Islamic clerics and the post-9/11 dominant discourse that has racialized Muslims. By examining a theoretical and analytical category that can conceptualize the unauthorized practices of Islam, I explore how Iranian Americans in rural Kentucky negotiate some of the most established Shi'i practices independent from clerics and reconcile their Islamic practices with the sociocultural and religious norms and values of the South rather than pursuing orthodox or heterodox Islam. Iranian Muslims in Kentucky are surrounded by multiple transnational Muslim communities that have created a diasporic condition, empowering them to foster a collective identity not by conforming to homogeneity, but rather by developing a nuanced web of intersecting bonds that unifies them through differentiation while confronting Islamophobia and the Muslim experiences of racialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 1947, following the UN decision to divide Palestine, Bahrain's Jewish community became the target of communal violence. As crowds protested the partition plan, Manama's Jewish quarter was attacked and looted. In their aftermath, the Manama riots have been understood as a nationalist show of anger against Zionism, unfortunately unleashed against local Bahraini Jews. However, a close reading of events shows the riot as complex event involving local labour politics, anti-colonialism and Shi'a religious rituals. Drawing on British records, Jewish correspondence and personal memoirs, this paper locates the riot in its post-war Persian Gulf context and argues that it represented an encounter between regional politics of the Palestine Mandate and the post-war tensions of Manama as a late colonial oil city. While ostensibly driven by Arab opposition to Zionism, the riots also saw the culmination of socio-political tensions over labour and colonial rule, exacerbated by five years of war. As such, the Manama riots should be understood not only as an extension of emerging Arab-Jewish conflict in Palestine, but also within the local politics of the post-war Persian Gulf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to correct a common inaccuracy in the study of Musa al-Sadr's politico-religious activity vis-a-vis the Syrian ʿAlawi regime. The thesis presented by the author is that Shīʿi authorities in Lebanon provided a religious statement that the ʿAlawis are Jaʿfari Muslims, but that this statement did not come from al-Sadr himself as many historians claim. Tracing the source of this inaccuracy leads to western research from 1986. In order to prove the thesis, the article reviews the Arabic literature on the topic, including writings of the ʿAlawi community in Syria and Lebanon, which systematically do not cite any fatwa by al-Sadr on this matter. This enquiry leads to new conclusions as to the background of the discussed fatwa, as well as concerning the relation between political interests and religious judicial decisions. Appendices appearing at the end of the article include a useful translation, presented for the first time in this work, of the most important Shīʿi declarations concerning the ʿAlawi religious identity, and the correspondence between al-Sadr and the ʿAlawi Youth Movement in Tripoli, Lebanon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The general autonomy of Central European authors from a Western power agenda as postulated by the mainstream critique of Orientalism is well known. At the same time, scholars have paid much less attention to the attitude of the modern Hungarian, Czech, Polish, and Slovenian corpus vis-à-vis Shi'ism, a narrow branch of the subject of Orientalism. This study argues that a certain bias in this context can be identified on the part of regional academics of the twentieth century, which might be explained by personal preferences for Sunni Orthodoxy. Simultaneously, this paper seeks to explore the reasons for such a tendency within the context of specific historical development at the frontiers. To this end, it presents case studies that juxtapose the relevant experiences with the classic Orientalist criticism of Western intellectual life introduced by scholars such as Edward Said, Talal Asad, Joseph Massad, and Mahmood Mamdani. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) is a Shia-dominated province within a Sunni-majority country, having a cluster composition of diversified religious identities including the segments of Shia, Sunni, Noorbakhshi, and Ismailia populations respectively. It is located between the disputed regions of India and Pakistan and is a sensitive region to sectarian violence. Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has always remained in the headlines of the news not because of its natural and scenic beauty landscapes, but because of sectarian unrest. Tension and a sense of fear prevailing across the region on the rise of the inflammatory statements made from both communities' lives in Gilgit Baltistan. Before 1970, the region had no such eruptions and escalation of sectarian violence, all the ethnic and religious diversity segments had the sentiments, and cooperation, and lived in the coexistence with the amicable environment of brotherhood. The outbreak began to be executed with the development of the Karakoram Highway, the major transformative policies adopted by the regime of General Zia ul Haq, and foreign forces contributed their role to initiating the sectarian conflict in the 1980s In Gilgit Baltistan. The formulation of anti-Shia discourse and imposition of Sunni doctrine in propagating communal violence by neglecting the Shia segments, by having support from foreign powers such as Saudi Arabia, and the unneeded series of Afghanistan Jiddad all these have contributed their role in making the outbreak of sectarian conflict in Gilgit Baltistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sectarian conflict in G-B has remained an outstanding issue for decades. The conflict over religious differences is not a new dispute in the region. G-B claims to be home to various sects. The segments are Shia, Sunni, and Ismailia, who claim to live peacefully and have cordial relationships with each other. However, the rise of sectarianism began in the region in the late 1980s. The changes in the demographic composition, which included the abolition of the local law of the state-subject rule, led to a shift in power dynamics and further fueled sectarian tensions. The situation further changed with the formulation of the Kakoruram Highway. All this development leads to sectarianism in GB, which has a devastating impact on all segments of society. Based on all this, the market suffers a lot of such incidents because various segments depend on them. The whole region remained closed for a period with these unprecedented clashes of sectarian violence between the two sects of Muslims. It leads to an irreparable and chronic impacts on the common masses suffer greatly. During the sectarianism, region remained in deep crisis, which caused collateral damage for all sectors to suspend activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The legitimacy crisis of Iran's clerical state may be at a tipping point: its fading Islamist façade and crumbling republican pretensions can no longer disguise its mismanagement and failures at governance. With the public more attuned to the hypocrisy and corruption of the ruling elite, the Islamic Republic has been plagued by a succession of popular uprisings. Its characteristic response has been violence, draconian repression, and the intensification of securitisation. But the more it focuses its efforts at self-preservation, the more it risks eroding its veneer of legitimacy. The centralisation of power around an increasingly autocratic Supreme Leader, the obsequiousness of elected institutions, and the kleptocracy of unelected entities, have contributed to disillusionment even among core supporters. Concerted efforts at marginalising Iran's non-Islamic heritage, and subsuming Iranian national identity into a Pan-Islamist Shia ideology, also raise questions about whom the Islamic Republic regards as its true constituency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]