Focused on Shi'ism and Sufism in the formative period of Islam, this book examines the development of the concept ofwalÄya,a complex term that has, over time, acquired a wide range of relationships with other theological ideas, chiefly in relation to the notion of authority.
The book offers a textual and comparative analysis ofwalÄyabased on primary sources in the ninth and tenth centuries, from both Shi'i and Sufi circles. The starting point is one of the oldest surviving Shi'i sources,KitÄb Sulaym. Alongside this, the author analysesal-Īá¸Äḥof Faá¸l ShÄdhÄn al-NishÄbÅ«rÄ«,KitÄb al-MaḥÄsinof al-BarqÄ« andKitÄb al-KÄfÄ«of al-KulaynÄ«. Three major texts in Sufism are considered:KitÄb al-á¹¢idqby AbÅ« SaÊ-Ä«d al-KharrÄz,TafsÄ«ral-Qurʾanal-Ê-AáºÄ«mby Sahl al-TustarÄ«, and Al-TirmidhÄ«'sKitÄb SÄ«rat al-AwliyÄʾ. Together, these sources highlight the doctrinal aspects ofwalÄya, exploring the identity, function, appointment, and description of those considered 'walÄ«'. The author ultimately argues thatwalÄyais a cluster of rich, deep-rooted responses to the question of authority, developed within both Shi'ism and Sufism after the death of the Prophet.
The book is much-needed reading for students and scholars interested in Shi'i and Sufi studies and Islamic philosophy.
