Apocalyptic Islam and Iranian Shi'ism

by Abbas Amanat

Publisher:

I.B. Tauris

, 2009

Overview

Interest in Shi'i Islam is running at unprecedented levels. International tensions over Iran, where the largest number of Shi'i Muslims live, as well as the political resurgence of the Shi'i in Iraq and Lebanon, have created an urgent need to understand the background, beliefs and motivations of this dynamic vision of Islam. Abbas Amanat is one of the leading scholars of Shi'ism. And in this powerful book, a showcase for some of his most influential writing in the field, he addresses the colourful and diverse history of Shi' Islam in both premodern and contemporary times.Focusing specifically on the importance of apocalypticism in the development of modern Shi'i theology, he shows how an immersion in messianic ideas has shaped the conservative character of much Shi'i thinking, and has prevented it from taking a more progressive course. Tracing the continuity of apocalyptic trends from the Middle Ages to the present, Amanat addresses such topics as the early influence on Shi'ism of Zoroastrianism; manifestations of apocalyptic ideology during the Iranian Revolution of 1979; and the rise of the Shi'i clerical establishment during the 19th and 20th centuries.
His book will be an essential resource for students and scholars of both religious studies and Middle Eastern history.

Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements and Citations
Note on Transliteration

Introduction

Part One: Apocalypticism in the Islamic Middle East

Apocalyptic Anxieties and Millennial Hopes in the Salvation Religions of the Middle East
The Resurgence of the Apocalyptic in Modern Islam

Part Two: Millennial Cycles and Commemorating Martyrs

The Nuqtavi Movement of Mahmud Pasikhani and His Persian Cycle of Mystical-Materialism
Nuqtavi Agnostics and Shaping of the Doctrine of 'Universal Peace' (sulh-i kull) in Mughal India
Meadow of the Martyrs: Kashifi's Persianisation of the Shi'i Martyrdom

Part Three: The Babi Movement and the Baha'i Faith

The Persian Bayan and the Shaping of the Babi Renewal in Iran
The Historical Roots of the Babi and the Baha'i Persecution in Iran

Part Four: Clerical Encounters with Modernity

Mujtahids and Missionaries: Shi'i Responses to Christian Polemics in the Early Qajar Period
In Between the Madrassa and the Marketplace: the Designation of Clerical Leadership in Modern Shi'ism
From ijtihad to wilayat-i faqih: The Evolving of the Shi'i Legal Authority to Political Power

Part Five: Satan and Salvation in the Islamic Revolution

Khomeini's Great Satan: Demonizing the American Other in the Islamic Revolution of Iran
Messianic Aspirations in Contemporary Iran

Product Details

• Title: Apocalyptic Islam and Iranian Shi'ism
• Author: Abbas Amanat
• Publisher: I.B. Tauris
• Print Publication Date: 2009
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9781786729521, 1786729520
• Resource ID: LLS:9781786729521
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T13:25:42Z

About the Author

Abbas Amanat is Professor of History at Yale University. He is the author of Pivot of the Universe: Nasir aldin Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1851-1896 and of Imagining the End: Visions of Apocalypse from the Ancient Middle East to Contemporary America, both published by I.B. Tauris