Charismatic Community

Maria Massi Dakake is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at George Mason University.

• AcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsAuthor’s Notes Introduction Part I: The Principle of Walayah and the Origins of the Community 1. Walayah in the Islamic Tradition2.  The Ghadir Khumm Tradition: Walayah and the Spiritual Distinctions of Ali b. Abi Talib3. Walayah, Authority, and Religious Community in the First Civil War4. The Shiite Community in the Aftermath of the First Civil War Part II: Walayah, Faith, and the Charismatic Nature of Shiite Identity 5. Walayah as the Essence of Religion: Theological Developments at the Turn of the Second Islamic Century6. Membership in the Shiite Community and Salvation7. Predestination and the Mythological Origins of Shiite Identity8. The Charismatic Nature and Spiritual Distinction of the Shiites Part III: Creating a Community within a Community 9. Shiites and Non-Shiites: The Distinction between Iman and Islam10. Degrees of Faith: Establishing a Hierarchy within the Shiite Community11. "Rarer than Red Sulfur": Women’s Identity in Early Shiism12. Perforated Boundaries: Establishing Two Codes of Conduct NotesBibliographyIndex

"In this richly documented study, Maria Dakake traces with great care and deep erudition the nuances in the pronouncements recorded on behalf of the earliest voices of the Shiites, such as they survive, principally, but not exclusively, in Shiite hadith literature … Dakake's reconstruction is as convincing as it is thoroughly and thoughtfully based on a close analysis of the sources." — Journal of the American Oriental Society"The Charismatic Community is very well written, with clear, cogent arguments, no errors of Arabic transliteration to speak of, and only a few instances where one might quibble about translation. It constitutes a substantial contribution to our understanding of Shi'ism's early history and thought and stands out for the imaginative and intelligent use it makes of hadith as a window into social religious concepts current in early Islamic history." — American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences"Dakake's book is a welcome addition to the scant number of works on classical Shiism. [Her] landmark book does much to fill in the gaps of existing scholarship and leaves the reader with a more comprehensive understanding of Shiism's formative period." — Philosophy of Religion"The author admirably manages to highlight the major developments of early Shi>ite events and ideas within the general development of Islamic thought and history. This book enriches our knowledge and discussion of one of the most crucial periods of Muslim history." — Mahmoud M. Ayoub, author of The Qur'an and Its Interpreters, Volume II: The House of Imran