New Book by Dr Farhad Daftary: A History of Shiʿi Islam

This book, by one of the most distinguished Muslim historians, provides a definitive account of the development of Shiʿism, also clarifying the frequent misunderstandings and misrepresentations that colour many perceptions about it.

The author draws on the scattered findings of modern scholarship to explain the formative era of Shiʿi Islam, when a multitude of Muslim groups and schools of thought were elaborating their doctrinal positions. Subsequent chapters are devoted to the history of the Ithnaʿasharis, or Twelvers, the Ismailis, the Zaydis and the Nusayris (now more commonly known in Syria as the ʿAlawis), the four communities that account for almost the entirety of the Shiʿi Muslim population of the world (ca. 200 million).

The result is a comprehensive survey of Shiʿi Islam that will serve as a work of reference for academics in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, as well as the broader field of the History of Religions. At the same time, the author’s accessible text will assure a wide interest among general, non-specialist readers who follow contemporary events in the Middle East and the Islamic world.

via The Institute of Ismaili Studies – A History Of Shiʿi Islam.
I.B.Tauris