Mahdi Farmaniyan, Āshnāyī bā Firaq-i Tashayyuʿ (An Introduction to the Sects of Shiʿism), 1st ed., 1 vol., Qom: The Management Center of the Qom Seminary, 1387 SH / 2008, 248 pages.
Āshnāyī bā Firaq-i Tashayyuʿ (An Introduction to the Sects of Shiʿism) is a Persian textbook compiled under the supervision and authorship of Mahdi Farmaniyan, with contributions from several specialists in the field of Islamic sectarian studies. The book was published in Qom, Iran, by the Management Center of the Qom Seminary in 1387 SH/2008. It was prepared as a textbook for a two-credit course in the study of Islamic sects, especially for seminary students and students of Islamic denominations and religious studies. The work consists of an introduction, twenty lessons, and an appendix. The book is structured as a formal instructional manual with questions and further reading sections at the end of each lesson.
The main editor and author, Mahdi Farmaniyan, was born in Kashan in 1352 SH/1973. He studied in the seminaries of Qamsar, Kashan, and later Qom. He entered the Center for the Study and Research of Religions and Denominations in 1997 and specialized in Islamic sects and denominations. He later completed graduate studies in Islamic theology and philosophy and earned a doctorate in theology with a focus on philosophy of religion and contemporary theological issues. Farmaniyan has taught in both seminary and university settings and has contributed to academic journals such as Pazhūhish-nāmih-yi Madhāhib-i Islāmī and Sirāj-i Munīr. His works include studies on Sunni theological schools, Zaydism, Ismāʿīlism, Salafism, Wahhabism, and contemporary extremist movements.
The book’s scholarly field is the study of religious communities and sects with a special focus on Shiʿi denominations. Its importance lies in providing a concise yet systematic account of the historical formation, doctrinal development, and internal diversity of Shiʿism. This work is particularly valuable because it introduces students to the complexity of Shiʿi history beyond a narrow focus on Twelver Shiʿism, while also presenting the major sects that emerged from or were associated with the Shiʿi tradition. The reason for selecting this book for review is its pedagogical clarity, its relevance to Islamic studies, and its attempt to combine historical narrative with theological analysis.
The book opens with an introduction on the significance of the study of religious sects and denominations. The author emphasizes that this field is an instrumental science, meaning that it serves broader Islamic scholarship by clarifying the doctrinal teachings of various Muslim groups and other religious communities. According to the introduction, studying sects and denominations helps readers understand the depth of theological disagreements, the historical roots of doctrinal diversity, and the broader development of Islamic thought. The author argues that one of the most important ways to understand the general principles of Islam is to study the history of kalām — Islamic theology — and the emergence of Islamic schools and sects.
The book is composed of twenty lessons. Each lesson presents the main topics under clear headings, followed by questions and suggested readings. This educational format makes the book suitable for classroom use. The overall arrangement follows a historical order: it begins with the meaning and origin of Shiʿism, then moves to early sects, major Shiʿi branches, and later movements.
The first lesson discusses the concept of tashayyuʿ — Shiʿism. It begins with five lexical meanings of the word shīʿa. In its broad linguistic sense, the term may refer to a group that follows, supports, accompanies, strengthens, or promotes the cause of another person. The book then examines various technical definitions of Shiʿism offered by Sunni and Shiʿi scholars, including al-Jāḥiẓ, Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī, Ibn Ḥazm, ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī, and Aḥmad Amīn. The author considers many of these definitions to be general and then analyzes Shaykh al-Mufīd’s definition as a more specific one.
The second lesson turns to the history of Shiʿism. The author argues that the emergence of Shiʿism should not be separated from the emergence of Islam itself. From a broad and non-sectarian perspective, Shiʿism is presented as a particular interpretation of Islam that was born alongside Islam. The lesson reviews and criticizes ten theories concerning the origin of Shiʿism. The author concludes that these theories are unfounded and distant from historical reality. He suggests that such views often arise either from polemical bias or from insufficient knowledge of early Islamic history, especially the events of the Prophet’s lifetime, the period of the caliphs, and the first Islamic centuries.
The third lesson is devoted to the Kaysāniyya, introduced as the first Shiʿi sect. The book notes that classical works of milal wa niḥal (the study of religious sects and denominations) do not present a single unified definition of the Kaysāniyya and often divide them into several subgroups. Nevertheless, their central belief is identified as the doctrine of the imamate of Muḥammad b. al-Ḥanafiyya after Imām Ḥasan and Imām Ḥusayn. The lesson also discusses Kaysān, Mukhtār al-Thaqafī, and the opinions of Shiʿi scholars regarding Mukhtār.
Lessons four to eight focus on the Twelver Imāmī Shiʿa. The fourth lesson examines the distinction between Shiʿism and the majority Muslim community after the event of Saqīfa. The author presents the view that, for the supporters of Imām ʿAlī, the selection of another person as caliph represented a deviation from the truth because of the textual indications and unique virtues of Imām ʿAlī. The lesson then studies Shiʿism during the caliphate of Imām ʿAlī, the Umayyad period, and the Abbasid era. Lesson five introduces the Twelve Imāms one by one, from Imām ʿAlī to Imām al-Mahdī, and discusses the Occultation. Lesson six surveys the history of Imāmī Shiʿism from the fourth to the fourteenth Islamic century, including the Mongol period, the rise of the Safavids, the period from the Safavids to the Islamic Revolution of Iran, and the contemporary era. Lesson seven summarizes Twelver Shiʿi doctrines under seven headings: tawḥīd — divine unity; ʿadl — divine justice; nubuwwa — prophethood; imāma — divinely guided leadership; maʿād — resurrection and eschatology; badāʾ — the manifestation of a change in divine decree as perceived by human beings; and rajʿa — the return of certain individuals before the final resurrection.
Lesson eight introduces major Twelver Shiʿi theologians and scholars. Among those discussed are Hishām b. al-Ḥakam, Ibn Qibah al-Rāzī, Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, Shaykh al-Mufīd, Sayyid al-Murtaḍā, Shaykh al-Ṭūsī, Khwāja Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī, ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, Fāḍil Miqdād, Mullā Ṣadrā, ʿAllāma Majlisī, and ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī. This lesson is important because it connects sectarian history with the development of Shiʿi intellectual traditions.
Lessons nine to twelve examine the Zaydiyya. The ninth lesson discusses the emergence and formation of Zaydism, the personality of Zayd b. ʿAlī, the question of imamate, Zayd’s position in Imāmī sources, Zaydī uprisings, early Zaydī subsects such as the Jārūdiyya, Ṣāliḥiyya, and Sulaymāniyya, and the establishment of Zaydī political authority. Lesson ten focuses on Zaydism in Yemen, including different Zaydī states and internal trends. Lesson eleven presents Zaydī doctrines, including tawḥīd, ʿadl, waʿd wa waʿīd — divine promise and threat — imāma, the Zaydī view of the Companions, and maʿād. Lesson twelve surveys Zaydī law and ḥadīth, including the Iraqi school, the Qāsimiyya, Hādawiyya, Nāṣiriyya, and Muʾayyidiyya schools, as well as Zaydī tafsīr — Qurʾanic exegesis — and ḥadīth literature.
Lessons thirteen to fifteen deal with the Ismāʿīliyya. Lesson thirteen traces the origins of Ismāʿīlism, the rise of the Qarāmiṭa, the Qarāmiṭa of Bahrain, the Fāṭimid dynasty in Egypt, the emergence of the Druze, the Nizārīs, the Āghā Khānīs, and the Ṭayyibīs. Lesson fourteen introduces major Ismāʿīlī intellectuals such as Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Nasafī, Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī, Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sijistānī, Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān, Ḥamīd al-Dīn al-Kirmānī, and Nāṣir Khusraw. Lesson fifteen presents Ismāʿīlī doctrines, including theology, cosmology, divine justice, prophethood, imamate, the cosmic position of the Imām, the organization of the Ismāʿīlī daʿwa — missionary summons — eschatology, transmigration of souls, and taʾwīl — esoteric interpretation.
Lesson sixteen is devoted to the Wāqifiyya, a group that emerged after the martyrdom of Imām Mūsā al-Kāẓim in 183 AH. Some of his followers denied his death and believed in his messianic role as the Mahdī. The lesson discusses the causes of the group’s emergence, its leading figures, and its beliefs.
Lessons seventeen to nineteen discuss ghulūw — exaggeration or extremist belief concerning the status of the Imāms — and the ghulāt, those accused of such exaggeration. Lesson seventeen defines ghulūw, explains its types, and surveys its history from early figures such as ʿAbd Allāh b. Sabaʾ to the periods of Imām al-Bāqir, Imām al-Ṣādiq, and the Minor Occultation. Lesson eighteen examines the psychological and social causes of ghulūw and the doctrines of extremist groups. Lesson nineteen discusses the responses of the Imāms to the ghulāt, including the clarification of correct beliefs, refutation of false doctrines, expression of disavowal, prohibition of close association, and, in some cases, physical confrontation.
The twentieth lesson studies the Shaykhiyya, a movement that branched from Twelver Shiʿism and followed Shaykh Aḥmad al-Aḥsāʾī. It introduces Shaykhī doctrines, especially concerning resurrection and imamate, and discusses the successors of Shaykh Aḥmad and the later Shaykhī branches.
Finally, the appendix examines groups described in the book as deviant or splinter movements connected to Shiʿism: the Bābiyya, Bahāʾiyya, Ahl-i Ḥaqq, Nuṣayriyya, and the Alevis of Turkey. The book also includes a supplementary list of Shiʿi sects based on classical works by al-Nawbakhtī, Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī, and others.
The primary audience of Āshnāyī bā Firaq-i Tashayyuʿ is seminary students, university students of Islamic studies, and readers seeking an introductory but structured understanding of Shiʿi sects. Because the book was designed for a two-credit course, it avoids excessive technical detail while still presenting a broad historical and theological map of Shiʿism. This makes it especially useful for beginners who need a reliable framework before moving to more specialized works.
The book’s academic value lies in its contribution to the field of Islamic sectarian studies, particularly the study of Shiʿi sects. It does not limit Shiʿism to Twelver Imāmism, although Twelver Shiʿism receives considerable attention. Instead, it places Imāmism alongside other Shiʿi or Shiʿi-related traditions such as the Zaydiyya, Ismāʿīliyya, Wāqifiyya, Shaykhiyya, and movements associated with ghulūw. This comparative perspective helps readers understand Shiʿism as a historically diverse phenomenon.
One of the book’s major strengths is its pedagogical organization. Each lesson is clearly structured, followed by questions and suggested readings, which helps students review and expand their knowledge. Another strength is its chronological arrangement, which allows readers to follow the development of Shiʿi sects from the earliest period to later historical formations. The inclusion of major theologians, legal schools, intellectual figures, and doctrinal themes gives the book a balanced character, combining history, theology, and intellectual biography.
At the same time, since the book is written from within a seminary context, readers should be aware of its confessional orientation. Some groups are described as “deviant” or “extremist,” which reflects a traditional Imāmī theological classification. For academic use, this perspective is valuable but should ideally be supplemented by comparative and non-confessional studies.
In conclusion, Āshnāyī bā Firaq-i Tashayyuʿ is a well-organized and useful introduction to the history, doctrines, and internal diversity of Shiʿism. Its lesson-based structure, concise explanations, and inclusion of further reading make it highly suitable for classroom use. The book is especially recommended for seminary students, undergraduate students of Islamic studies, teachers of Islamic denominations, and researchers who need a foundational overview of Shiʿi sects before engaging with more advanced sources.
The work’s greatest value is that it connects theological concepts with historical developments, showing how different Shiʿi communities emerged, developed, and defined themselves. Although its confessional language should be read critically in academic contexts, it remains an important Persian textbook in the study of Islamic sects and Shiʿi intellectual history. For anyone seeking a systematic entry into the field of Shiʿi sectarian studies, this book provides a clear, informative, and accessible starting point.
