Abstract
ABSTRACT This article examines how the littérateur and theologian al-Jāḥiẓ (d. 869) portrayed the Imāmī community (Rāfiḍa) in terms of both its theological views and its social practices. In addition to their early date and unique beauty, Jāḥiẓ’s texts are unparalleled records of doctrinal debates and sociological insights. What emerges from his writings on the Rāfiḍa is an image of a community of simple-minded fanatics. On the one hand, the Imāmīs adhere to anthropomorphic and deterministic beliefs and are blind followers of authority. On the other hand, they are passionate believers who strongly stand in solidarity with one another. This, for Jāḥiẓ, explains their coalition with the superficial traditionalists against the rationalist Muʿtazila. The article is a stage in a larger monograph project.
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