Early Shi`i Thought The Teachings of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir by Arzina R. Lalani (London: UK: I.B. Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2004. 192 pages.)

Abstract

The work under consideration is a clear and concise exposition of the life
and thought of Muhammad al-Baqir, the great-grandson of Prophet
Muhammad and one of the most influential Shi`i Imams, recognized by both
the Isma`ili and Ithna`ashari Shi`ahs. In this revised version of her doctoral
dissertation, the author draws on a wide-range of primary sources and a
selection of secondary materials in order to provide the reader with a portrait
of a central figure in Shi`i Islam, one who can also tell us a great deal about
the formative stage of Islamic thought. For this reason, Early Shi`i Thought
should be of interest not only to students of Shi`ism, but also to all those concerned
with the often complex development of Islamic civilization during its
early period.
The first chapter, which serves as the introduction, constitutes a brief
summary of the lives of the first Shi`i Imams and the succession to the
Prophet. Here, the author provides us with a list of the primary sources that
she will be using throughout her study. The second chapter, dealing with the
imamate before the time of Muhammad al-Baqir, is also an historical
overview of the lives of the early Imams and their struggles against both the
Umayyads as well as some of their own partisans. Chapter 3 is devoted to
al-Baqir’s succession to the imamate and to the divisions among the Shi`ah
at that time. Al-Baqir’s quietism is contrasted with the political activism of
his half-brother Zayd ibn `Ali and the emerging Zaydi Shi`ah, who were
willing to revolt against their rulers ...