This book examines the development of Shi'i Islam through the lenses of belief, narrative, and memory.

Najam Haider is Assistant Professor of Religion at Barnard College of Columbia University. His articles have been published in many journals, including Der Islam, the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, and Islamic Law and Society. His research interests include early Islamic history, Islamic law, and the impact of modernity on the contemporary Muslim world. His first book, The Origins of the Sh¿'a was published by Cambridge University Press in 2011. He is currently working on a new project that focuses on early Islamic historical writing.

Introduction; Part I. Theology: 1. 'Adl (rational divine justice); 2. Imamate (legitimate leadership); Part II. Origins: 3. Community; 4. Fragmentation; Part III. Constructing Shi'ism: 5. Zaydism in the balance between Sunni and Shi'a; 6. The weight of Isma'ili expectations; 7. Twelver Shi'ism and the problem of the hidden imam; Part IV. Shi'ism in the Modern World: 8. Zaydism at the crossroads; 9. (Nizari) Isma'ilism reconstituted; 10. The politicization of the Twelver Shi'a; Conclusion: Sunni-Shi'i relations.