SHIITE ISLAM:
ORTHODOXY OR HETERODOXY?

By: Luis Alberto Vittor

Translation by:
John Andrew Morrow

Author: Luis Alberto Vittor
Translated, Edited and Annotated by: John Andrew Morrow
With Forward by: Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi
Preface by: Barbara Casteton
Publisher: Ansariyan Publications
First Edition 1427 -1385 - 2006
Sadr Press
Quantity: 2000
Number of Pages: 264
Size: 143 x 205 mm
ISBN: 964-438-842-9

ALL RIGHTS RECORDED AND RESERVED FOR THE PUBLISHER

 Ansariyan Publications
P.O. Box 187
22 Shohada St., Qum
Islamic Republic of  Iran
Tel: 0098 251 7741744 Fax: 7742647
Email: ansarian@noornet.net
www.ansariyan.net & www.ansariyan.org

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION 4
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 7
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR 9
FOREWORD 11
COMMENDATORY PREFACE 13
TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE 15
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS 29
PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION 39
INTRODUCTION THE ISSUE AT HAND 71
CHAPTER 1:
TOWARDS A DEFINITION OF HETERODOXY IN ISLAM		 79
CHAPTER 2:
TOWARDS A DEFINITION OF SHA‘ISM		 135
CHAPTER 3:
AL-IJMA‘ OR SCHOLARLY CONSENSUS:
AN ACCEPTED METHOD FOR CONTROLLING HERESY?		 145
CHAPTER 4:
THE INFALLIBLE DIVINE AUTHORITY:
SOURCE OF LAW AND DOCTRINE IN ISLAMIC IJMA‘		 155
CHAPTER 5:
MUKHTAR AL-THAQIFI
THE ENLIGHTENED MESSIANIC ACTIVIST:
THE SHA‘ITE INSURRECTION AS POLITICAL REACTION,
REPARATION AND REVENGE		 161
CHAPTER 6:
THE CALIPHATE AT A CROSSROADS:
ABA BAKR AND THE COLLUSION OF THE POWERFUL CLASSES		 183
CHAPTER 7:
PROPHECY AND IMAMATE:
TWO INSEPARABLE METAPHYSICAL REALITIES		 195
CHAPTER 8:
THE WILAYAH:
THE SPIRITUAL AND TEMPORAL AUTHORITY OF THE IMAMS		 209
CHAPTER 9:
THE IMAMATE:
THE ESOTERIC INHERITANCE OR THE BATIN OF THE PROPHET		 223
CONCLUSIONS 229
BIBLIOGRAPHY 231
Onomastic and Terminological Index 253