The Karbala Story and Early Shi'ite Identity
In 680 CE al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, the grandson of the Prophet Muḥammad, was killed in a battle at Karbala. Ancient accounts describe this event as a minor skirmish, similar to the numerous battles that were waged in the early history of Islam. Among Shiʿites, however, the story of the event soon developed into a narrative about a cosmic battle between the powers of universe, with al-Ḥusayn personifying good and life-giving powers. The story came to epitomise the trauma that is at the heart of the Shiʿite ethos: the treachery of the non-Shiʿite community against the family of the Prophet.

This book investigates this development in the 7th to 10th centuries CE and its significance for emerging Shiʿite identity in early Islam. It provides an in-depth analysis and diachronic comparison of the three earliest versions of the Karbala story, analyses the story of the Penitents who attempted to avenge the death of al-Ḥusayn, and surveys the development of the image of al-Ḥusayn and the rituals associated with him in historiography, poetry and Shiʿite hadith.

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The Karbala Story and Early Shi'ite Identity
In 680 CE al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, the grandson of the Prophet Muḥammad, was killed in a battle at Karbala. Ancient accounts describe this event as a minor skirmish, similar to the numerous battles that were waged in the early history of Islam. Among Shiʿites, however, the story of the event soon developed into a narrative about a cosmic battle between the powers of universe, with al-Ḥusayn personifying good and life-giving powers. The story came to epitomise the trauma that is at the heart of the Shiʿite ethos: the treachery of the non-Shiʿite community against the family of the Prophet.

This book investigates this development in the 7th to 10th centuries CE and its significance for emerging Shiʿite identity in early Islam. It provides an in-depth analysis and diachronic comparison of the three earliest versions of the Karbala story, analyses the story of the Penitents who attempted to avenge the death of al-Ḥusayn, and surveys the development of the image of al-Ḥusayn and the rituals associated with him in historiography, poetry and Shiʿite hadith.

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The Karbala Story and Early Shi'ite Identity

The Karbala Story and Early Shi'ite Identity

by Torsten Hylén
The Karbala Story and Early Shi'ite Identity

The Karbala Story and Early Shi'ite Identity

by Torsten Hylén

Hardcover

$110.00 
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Overview

In 680 CE al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, the grandson of the Prophet Muḥammad, was killed in a battle at Karbala. Ancient accounts describe this event as a minor skirmish, similar to the numerous battles that were waged in the early history of Islam. Among Shiʿites, however, the story of the event soon developed into a narrative about a cosmic battle between the powers of universe, with al-Ḥusayn personifying good and life-giving powers. The story came to epitomise the trauma that is at the heart of the Shiʿite ethos: the treachery of the non-Shiʿite community against the family of the Prophet.

This book investigates this development in the 7th to 10th centuries CE and its significance for emerging Shiʿite identity in early Islam. It provides an in-depth analysis and diachronic comparison of the three earliest versions of the Karbala story, analyses the story of the Penitents who attempted to avenge the death of al-Ḥusayn, and surveys the development of the image of al-Ḥusayn and the rituals associated with him in historiography, poetry and Shiʿite hadith.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781399522052
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Publication date: 04/30/2025
Series: Edinburgh Studies in Classical Islamic History and Culture
Pages: 280
Product dimensions: 6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Torsten Hylén was Associate Professor (docent) in Religious studies at Dalarna University, Sweden until his retirement in 2024. He is co-editor of Den nya människan [The New Human Being] (2022), and author of a number of articles in academic journals and anthologies.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Note on Conventions
Note on the Cover Image
Preface and Acknowledgements
Map of the Region
Genealogy of the Imams


1. Introduction: The Karbala Story and Shiʿite Identity
2. Studying the Karbala Story as Myth

Part I. The Karbala Story
3. Three Times Karbala: Early Accounts of the Killing of al-Ḥusayn
4. Karbala and Covenant according to Abū Mikhnaf

Part II. Revenge or Martyrdom: The Story of the Tawwābūn (‘the Penitents’)
5. Introducing the Story of the Tawwābūn
6. Betrayal and Guilt in the Tawwābūn’s Speeches and Letters
7. The Visit to al-Ḥusayn’s Grave
8. The Story of the Tawwābūn: Date and Concluding Remarks

Part III. From Skirmish to Cosmic Battle
9. Al-Mukhtār and the Mahdi
10. The Contest over the Imams in Early Shiʿism
11. Al-Ḥusayn among the Imams
12. Conclusion: Mythmaking and Identity in Early Shiʿism

Bibliography
Index

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