The Identity- Constructing Works of the Shiite Community

Abstract

From the beginning of the third century and the initiation of occultation of the twelfth Imam, the scholars of Twelver Shiites felt the need for the development of the works on hadith, jurisprudence and theology. The development of these works with diverse purposes such as collecting hadith from Shiite Imams, answering the scientists belonging to the other sects and religions as well as trying toward the awareness of Shiite community. The main purpose of the present article is to introduce some of these works which have been written in line with granting identity to the Shiite community. In this regard, five works in the third and fourth centuries (A.H) namely Al- Mo’men, Al Tamhis, Sefat al- Shi’a, Fazael al- Shi’a, and Masadiq al- Akhavan have been investigated in terms of their pattern of writing as well as the way of selecting hadith in them. Finally, it has been concluded that the purpose of writing these works was not a simple gathering but developing a coherent religious identity for the Twelver Shiites after the occultation of the twelfth Imam and making distinction between them as a group being independent and different from the other religious sects. This sectarian identity was of three significant aspects including moral, social and jurisprudential identity

Keywords

• shiite identity
• hadith texts
• early shi’ism
• ibn hamad al- ahwazi
• skafi
• sheikh saduq