Scripturalist Islam

The Akhbari School dominated the intellectual landscape of Imami Shi'ism between the Seventeenth and early Nineteenth Centuries. Its principal doctrines involved a reliance on scripture (primarily the sayings or akhbar of the Shi'ite Imams) and a rejection of the rational exegetical techniques which had become orthodox doctrine in Imami theology and law. However, the Akhbaris were not simple literalists, as they are at times portrayed in secondary literature. They developed a complex theory of exegesis in which texts could be interpreted, whilst at the same time remaining doggedly committed to the ability of the revelatory texts to provide answers to theological and legal questions arising within the Shi'i community. This book is the first in-depth study of the intellectual development and historical influence of the Akhbari School.