Tārīkh-i Taḥlīlī-yi Islām [Analytical History of Islam], Qom: Maʻārif, 1379 Sh/ 2000. 282 pp.
This is a set book for the general course of Islamic history that is taught at Iranian universities. It starts with useful discussions on the various definitions, aspects, and most influential figures in the realm of historical scholarship, both Iranian and non-Iranian. It explores various fields and perspectives unto Islamic history, among them, narrative vs. scholarly history. To adopt a scholarly view, it tackles the periods covered with their socio-geographical background, hence shedding light on the backbones of those events. With this view, it surveys a wide range of Muslim historians and those Muslim philosophers who had a particular interest or outlook of history.
After the above preliminary discussions, the book takes the reader to the very contexts of the advent of Islam in ancient Arabia. It is in such a context that it sheds light on the ancient Roman and Persian empires and renders an inside view of the Arabian communities by the advent of Islam. The book then proceeds to provide a bird’s eye view of the life and times of the Prophet Muḥammad and his success in establishing the first Islamic state at Medina. As for the events that took place after the demise of the Prophet Muḥammad, it outlines them in a chapter, covering the major events that took place from the disgraceful event of Saqīfah down to the murder of ʻUthmān.
The life and imamate of the first Infallible Imam ʻAlī are included in a separate chapter. Here the reader can explore various and selected aspects of the management and sagacity of Imam ʻAlī. As three domestic wars were imposed on him during his short period of rulership, they are pointed out, all after a detailed mention of the back scenarios of the Saqīfah, a conspiracy to deny him of his Divinely-granted right of immediate successorship to the Prophet Muḥammad.
The last two chapters of the book provides the audience with brief glimpses of the lives and activities of the rest of eleven Infallible Imams during the reign of Umayyad and Abbasid rulers. Noteworthy is that it pays particular attention to the four delegates of the Twelfth Infallible Imam al-Mahdī. This is of particular significance, for the occultation of Imam al-Mahdi had two phases: shorter and longer. In the shorter period that lasted around 70 years, the four delegates, all residing in Baghdad, Iraq, were intermediaries between people and Imam al-Mahdī. After their demise, the longer phase of the occultation started which has continued up to now.
The book finishes with a bibliography of over 145 sources.
