The Caliph and the Heretic: Ibn Sabaʼ and the Origins of Shīʻism

Review

"Anthony's enthusiasm is evident on every page. This book is an important study on Ibn Saba' and the Sabaʾ iyya, filling a gap that exists, despite the numerous studies that touch upon the topic, as none has been devoted entirely to them. The discovery of new sources, incorporated in the book, elucidate the portrayals of Ibn Saba' and the Sabaʾiyya, and its flexible approach and methodology make this book an important contribution to the field."
Yasmin Amin in Al-Masāq, 29:1, 91-93, January 31, 2017.

"... an exhaustive work carried out according to an accurate critical methodology."
Rosanna Budelli in Islamochristiana 38 (2012).

"... a welcome addition to the corpus of scholarship on the emergence of sectarian divisions in early Islam."
Steven C. Judd in Ilahiyat Studies 4.1 (2013).

"In his study on Ibn Sabaʾ, Sean Anthony succeeds in navigating the intricate maze of early historical akhbār and heresiographical accounts, highlighting the complexity of the source material on the origins of Shīʿism... The Caliph and the Heretic is an invaluable resource for scholars of early Shīʿism and early Islamic history and historiography." Samer Traboulsi in Al-Abhath 60-61 (2012-2013), p. 191.


Product Description

This book offers an examination of the origins of Shīʿite Islam as viewed through the lens of the traditions surrounding its earliest and most infamous heretic, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sabaʾ, and the sectarian movement he purportedly founded, the Sabaʾīya.

About the Author

Sean W. Anthony, Ph.D. (2009) in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, is Assistant Professor of History at University of Oregon.