What Is Shiʿi Writing?

What is it about?

The article is a study of how Shii Muslims in the eleventh century CE expressed their Shii identity in works of literature written for mostly non-Shii audiences. It explores how these works of literature contain Shii ideas and figures in ways that are assertive but calculated not to alienate non-Shiis, creating a distinctive form of Shii writing. It asks, in turn, how this kind of writing affects the usual ways that Shiism and Shii thought are understood. Since Shiis have historically usually been in the minority, the process of addressing non-Shiis has frequently been an important part of Shii experience, and the article therefore argues that this kind of literature should be more widely recognised as an important form of Shii writing, alongside works that Shiis wrote for a mostly Shii readership. One of the three works upon which the article focusses is Nahj al-balagha, which has become an immensely revered work of scripture for millions of Shii readers. Accordingly, another goal of the article is to increase understanding of Nahj al-balagha and how it came to be written.

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