"This book gives us a fresh and fascinating insight into the formation of Islamic society...and the spread of Arab lineages through the emerging Muslim World."
Professor Hugh Kennedy, SOAS, University of London
The first social and political history of the 'Alids in early Islam
The 'Alids are the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, the elite family of Islam. The respect and veneration they are accorded is unparalleled in Islamic society, regardless of political or religious affiliation. They have played a major role in Islamic history: famous early rebels and founders of major Islamic sects, and many rulers - such as the 10th-century Fatimids in Egypt, the current kings of Jordan and Morocco, Ayatollah Khomeini and the Aga Khan - all claimed 'Alid descent.
This first in-depth study of the 'Alids focuses on the crucial formative period from the Abbasid Revolution to the Saljuq period, 750-1100. Exploring the rise of the 'Alids as a social phenomenon, the author asks how this family attained and extended its status over the centuries.
Key Features
¿ Distinguishes between 'Alidism and Shi'ism, opening up new possibilities for understanding the sectarian differences between Sunnis and Shi'ites
¿ Uses a wide range of primary sources to show the emergence of the Prophet's descendants as the First Family of Islam
¿ Provides the first in-depth study of the 'Alids' financial privileges, false claimants and their marriage patterns
¿ Includes case studies and family trees of the most prominent 'Alid families in early Islam
Teresa Bernheimer is Senior Lecturer in the History of the Near and Middle East in the Early Islamic Period at SOAS, University of London. She is co-editor of Late Antiquity: Eastern Perspectives (2011).
Cover image: The Prophet Muhammad, 'Ali, and His Sons Hasan and Husayn. Acquired by Henry Walters, The Walters Art Museum.
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Teresa Bernheimer is Senior Lecturer in the History of the Near and Middle East at SOAS, University of London. She is co-editor of Late Antiquity: Eastern Perspectives (2012) and Early Islamic History. Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies (2014).

Introduction; 1. The 'Alids from the 'Abbasid Revolution to the Seljuqs; 2. To Be or Not to Be: Genealogy, Money, and the Drawing of Boundaries; 3. Kinship and Social Hierarchy: Marriage Patterns; 4. The Headship of the 'Alid Family; 5. The 'Alids as Local Nobility; 6. 'Alid Dynasties; Conclusion.