Saudi clerics and Shi'a Islam

This book examines the attitudes of the Saudi 'ulama' toward the Shi'a. It is an in-depth study of the theological convictions of the 'ulama' and their political motivation when examining Shi'a sects, communities, and political actors. The Saudi 'ulama' are known for their strong opposition to Shi'a theology, Shi'a communities in Saudi Arabia, and external Shi'a influences such as Iran and Hezbollah.

Cover; Saudi Clerics and Shī'a Islam; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Acknowledgments; A Note on Conventions; Nouns and Adjectives; Introduction; The 'Ulamā' and Shī'a Islam; Religious Convictions; Political Circumstances; Categorizing the 'Ulamā'; Outline of Chapters; 1. The Saudi 'Ulamā'; The Emergence of Wahhābism; The Relationship between the 'Ulamā' and the Ruling Family (Umarā'): State Bureaucratization; Establishment 'Ulamā'; Education; Interpreters of the Sharī'ah; Regulators of Morality; Non-establishment 'Ulamā'; Conclusion; 2. The Sunni-Shī'a Divide: A Historical Overview.

Origins: The Shī'a FaithThe Shī'a during the Umayyad Caliphate; The Shī'a during the 'Abbasid Caliphate; The Shī'a during the Ottoman Caliphate and the Rise of the Safavid and Qajar Dynasties; Shī'a Evolution and Sunni Scholars; Imām Mālik Ibn Anas: The Early Period of Shī'a Evolution; Ibn Taymiyyah; Maḥmūd Shaltūt and Yūsuf al-Qarḍāwī; Conclusion; 3. The Theological Convictions of the Saudi 'Ulamā' toward Shī'īsm; Who Are the Rāfiḍah?; Shī'a Religious Beliefs: The Interpretations of the Saudi 'Ulamā'; The Shī'a Imāmate and the Infallibility of the Shī'a Imāms.

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