Opposing the Imam
The Legacy of the Nawasib in Islamic Literature

Examines the enduring legacy of the nawasib, early Muslims who were hostile to Islam's fourth caliph, Ali, and his descendants.

Nebil Husayn (Author)

9781108832816, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 April 2021

252 pages
15 x 23 x 1.5 cm, 0.51 kg

'This study makes a valuable contribution to the discourse surrounding the construction and formation of Islamic history, offering a hypothesis into the decisions that were taken in formulating Sunni orthodoxy …' Rebecca Masterton, Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies

Islam's fourth caliph, Ali, can be considered one of the most revered figures in Islamic history. His nearly universal portrayal in Muslim literature as a pious authority obscures centuries of contestation and the eventual rehabilitation of his character. In this book, Nebil Husayn examines the enduring legacy of the nawasib, early Muslims who disliked Ali and his descendants. The nawasib participated in politics and scholarly discussions on religion at least until the ninth century. However, their virtual disappearance in Muslim societies has led many to ignore their existence and the subtle ways in which their views subsequently affected Islamic historiography and theology. By surveying medieval Muslim literature across multiple genres and traditions including the Sunni, Mu'tazili, and Ibadi, Husayn reconstructs the claims and arguments of the nawasib and illuminates the methods that Sunni scholars employed to gradually rehabilitate the image of Ali from a villainous character to a righteous one.

Introduction
1. 'Ali: A Contested Legacy
2. The Umayyads and the 'Uthmanis
3. The Mu'tazili: al-Jahiz
4. The Ibadi: al-Warjalani
5. The Sunni: Ibn Taymiyya
6. The Rehabilitation of 'Ali in Sunni Hadith and Historiography
Afterword
Chapter 1 Appendix: Anti-'Alid Statements in Historical Literature
Chapter 2 Appendix: Reports about the Umayyads and the 'Uthmanis
Chapter 5 Appendix: Ibn Taymiyya's Minhaj al-sunna.

Subject Areas: Islam [HRH], Middle Eastern history [HBJF1]