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3 - Shi‘a Islam and the Umma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 September 2019

James Piscatori
Affiliation:
Australian National University, Canberra
Amin Saikal
Affiliation:
Australian National University, Canberra
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Summary

Chapter 3 provides a complementary discussion of the umma in Shi‘i thought and practice. While religious authority is central, as with the Sunni conception, the Shi‘i conceptualisation of the Imams elevates genealogical descent and theological erudition to essential ingredients of leadership. It follows that their absence from this world created a dilemma with religious and political significance: who would guide the community until the return of the redeeming Imam Mahdi (Guided One)? From the medieval centuries to the modern period, a rough consensus emerged that the clerical class would fill the void of religious guidance. The minority view that they should also have a political role found its full articulation, in the last quarter of the twentieth century, in Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini’s theory of clerical rule and its institutionalisation in the Islamic Republic. The chapter shows that the Khomeinist-revolutionary Iranian appeal to lead the universal umma has, however, been undermined by an assertive sectarian interpretation and geopolitical rivalries.

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Chapter
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Islam beyond Borders
The Umma in World Politics
, pp. 50 - 84
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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  • Shi‘a Islam and the Umma
  • James Piscatori, Australian National University, Canberra, Amin Saikal, Australian National University, Canberra
  • Book: Islam beyond Borders
  • Online publication: 06 September 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108666589.004
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  • Shi‘a Islam and the Umma
  • James Piscatori, Australian National University, Canberra, Amin Saikal, Australian National University, Canberra
  • Book: Islam beyond Borders
  • Online publication: 06 September 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108666589.004
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Shi‘a Islam and the Umma
  • James Piscatori, Australian National University, Canberra, Amin Saikal, Australian National University, Canberra
  • Book: Islam beyond Borders
  • Online publication: 06 September 2019
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108666589.004
Available formats
×