Caliph and the Heretic

Sean W. Anthony, Ph.D. (2009) in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, is Assistant Professor of History at University of Oregon.

• List of TableAcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroductionChapter One. Ibn Sabaʾ and the Sayfian CorpusChapter Two. Sayf ibn ʿUmar and the Sabaʾīya (I): The Caliphate of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffānChapter Three. Sayf ibn ʿUmar and the Sabaʾīya (II): ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib the Battle of the CamelExcursus: The Sayfian Corpus in the Riwāya of Naṣr ibn MuzāḥimChapter Four. Ibn Sabaʾ and the HeresiographersChapter Five. The Execution of Ibn SabaʾChapter Six. The Parousia of ʿAlī ibn Abī ṬālibExcursus 1: ʿAlī in the CloudsExcursus 2: The Letter of ʿAlī Given to ʿAbd Allāh ibn Wahb al-HamdānīChapter Seven. The Sabaʾīya of the Umayyad PeriodConclusionBibliography Index

"Anthony’s enthusiasm is evident on every page. This book is an important study on Ibn Saba’ and the Sabaʾ iyya, filling a gap that exists, despite the numerous studies that touch upon the topic, as none has been devoted entirely to them. The discovery of new sources, incorporated in the book, elucidate the portrayals of Ibn Saba’ and the Sabaʾiyya, and its flexible approach and methodology make this book an important contribution to the field."Yasmin Amin in Al-Masāq, 29:1, 91-93, January 31, 2017."... an exhaustive work carried out according to an accurate critical methodology."Rosanna Budelli in Islamochristiana 38 (2012)."... a welcome addition to the corpus of scholarship on the emergence of sectarian divisions in early Islam."Steven C. Judd in Ilahiyat Studies 4.1 (2013).“In his study on Ibn Sabaʾ, Sean Anthony succeeds in navigating the intricate maze of early historical akhbār and heresiographical accounts, highlighting the complexity of the source material on the origins of Shīʿism… The Caliph and the Heretic is an invaluable resource for scholars of early Shīʿism and early Islamic history and historiography.” Samer Traboulsi in Al-Abhath 60-61 (2012-2013), p. 191.