Torsten Hylén was Associate Professor (docent) in Religious studies at Dalarna University, Sweden until his retirement in 2024. He is co-editor of Den nya människan [The New Human Being] (2022), and author of a number of articles in academic journals and anthologies.

• List of IllustrationsNote on ConventionsNote on the Cover ImagePreface and AcknowledgementsMap of the RegionGenealogy of the Imams1. Introduction: The Karbala Story and Shiʿite Identity2. Studying the Karbala Story as MythPart I. The Karbala Story3. Three Times Karbala: Early Accounts of the Killing of al-Ḥusayn4. Karbala and Covenant according to Abū MikhnafPart II. Revenge or Martyrdom: The Story of the Tawwābūn (‘the Penitents’)5. Introducing the Story of the Tawwābūn6. Betrayal and Guilt in the Tawwābūn’s Speeches and Letters7. The Visit to al-Ḥusayn’s Grave8. The Story of the Tawwābūn: Date and Concluding RemarksPart III. From Skirmish to Cosmic Battle9. Al-Mukhtār and the Mahdi10. The Contest over the Imams in Early Shiʿism11. Al-Ḥusayn among the Imams12. Conclusion: Mythmaking and Identity in Early ShiʿismBibliographyIndex

The tragedy of Karbala left an indelible mark on the history of Islam. A few decades after the death of the Prophet, the authorities who claimed to be followers of his religion massacred almost all of his immediate family. The event and its implications have been studied from many different angles but Torsten Hylén's work is groundbreaking in its surgical examination and critical scrutiny of sources that have been rarely utilised on this subject.