The Caliph and the Heretic: Ibn Sabaʾ and the Origins of Shī´ism, by Sean W. Anthony

The Caliph and the Heretic: Ibn Sabaʾ and the Origins of Shī´ism, by Sean W. Anthony (Islamic History and Civilization, Studies and Texts: 91), (Leiden & Boston: Brill, 2012), xiii + 352 pp., ISBN: 978-90-04-20930-5; â¬128.00 / $175.00 (hb) (First paragraph) In this study, Sean Anthony explores a variety of sources in his quest to explain the influence of the enigmatic ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sabaʾ, who appears in the historical narrative surrounding the murder of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān and subsequent events while also playing a role in the emergence of Shīʿism, or at least its radical apocalyptic strain. This is no easy task, given the scarcity and inconsistency of reports on Ibn Sabaʾ, as well as the problematic nature of the sources with which Anthony must grapple. His efforts have produced an important, though likely not definitive, treatment of a central figure in early Islamic sectarian history and the polemics surrounding the emergence of Shīʿism.