The caliph and the heretic : Ibn Sabaʼ and the origins of Shīʼism / / by Sean W. Anthony.

• Superior document: Islamic history and civilization. Studies and texts, v. 91
• Author: Anthony, Sean W.
• Year of Publication: 2012
• Language: English
• Series: Islamic history and civilization ; v. 91.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (xiii, 352 pages)

This book is an examination of the traditions and legends concerning early Islam’s first and most infamous heretic, the Yemenite Jew known as ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sabaʾ. Tracing the evolution and transformation of the many stories and narratives about Ibn Sabaʾ as adapted by Sunnī and Shīʿī scholars alike, this work attempts for the first time to give a comprehensive account of the formation of the image of Ibn Sabaʾ as the quintessential heretic of Islam’s early years. It also offers a new interpretation of the historical importance and beliefs of Ibn Sabaʾ and those early Shīʿa reviled as his followers, the Sabaʾīya. The end result is a revolutionary, new portrait of Shīʿite origins and early Islamic sectarianism.

Table of Contents

Ibn Sabaʻ and the Sayfian corpus -- Sayf ibn ʻUmar and the Sabaʻiya (i): the caliphate of ʻUthman ibn ʻAffan -- Sayf ibn ʻUmar and the Sabaʻiya (ii): ʻAli ibn Abi Tālib the Battle of the camel -- Excursus: The Sayfian corpus in the riwaya of Nasṛ ibn Muzahịm -- Ibn Sabaʻ and the heresiographers -- The execution of Ibn Sabaʻ -- The parousia of ʻAli ibn Abi Tạlib -- Excursus 1: ʻAli in the clouds -- Excursus 2: The letter of ʻAli given to ʻAbd Allah ibn Wahb al-Hamdani -- The Sabaʻiya of the Umayyad period.