110 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 23:1

Early Shi`i Thought: The Teachings of
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir

Arzina R. Lalani
London: UK: I.B. Tauris in association with

the Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2004. 192 pages.

The work under consideration is a clear and concise exposition of the life
and thought of Muhammad al-Baqir, the great-grandson of Prophet
Muhammad and one of the most influential Shi`i Imams, recognized by both
the Isma`ili and Ithna`ashari Shi`ahs. In this revised version of her doctoral
dissertation, the author draws on a wide-range of primary sources and a
selection of secondary materials in order to provide the reader with a portrait
of a central figure in Shi`i Islam, one who can also tell us a great deal about
the formative stage of Islamic thought. For this reason, Early Shi`i Thought
should be of interest not only to students of Shi`ism, but also to all those con-
cerned with the often complex development of Islamic civilization during its
early period.

The first chapter, which serves as the introduction, constitutes a brief
summary of the lives of the first Shi`i Imams and the succession to the
Prophet. Here, the author provides us with a list of the primary sources that
she will be using throughout her study. The second chapter, dealing with the
imamate before the time of Muhammad al-Baqir, is also an historical
overview of the lives of the early Imams and their struggles against both the
Umayyads as well as some of their own partisans. Chapter 3 is devoted to
al-Baqir’s succession to the imamate and to the divisions among the Shi`ah
at that time. Al-Baqir’s quietism is contrasted with the political activism of
his half-brother Zayd ibn `Ali and the emerging Zaydi Shi`ah, who were
willing to revolt against their rulers.

The next four chapters are devoted to analyzing his views on several
key theological and juristic issues and represent the main contribution of
Lalani’s book. As the author herself remarks, Shi`i theology and jurispru-
dence would both be inconceivable without the contributions of al-Baqir



and his son Ja`far al-Sadiq (p. 106). Al-Baqir’s understanding of the ima-
mate and his interpretations of those Qur’anic verses that seem to uphold
this central Shi`i doctrine are the subject of the fourth chapter. This chapter
also includes an overview of the tradition of Ghadir Khumm, according to
which, the Shi`ah argue, the Prophet appointed `Ali ibn Abi Talib as his
successor. Chapter 5 explains al-Baqir’s opinions on some early theologi-
cal debates, including those regarding the nature of faith and the concept of
predestination. 

The sixth chapter highlights al-Baqir’s role as a transmitter of hadith.
We learn that he was viewed positively by those outside of his own circle,
namely by the Sunni traditionists and the eponymous founders of the Sunni
schools of law. We are also furnished with a valuable report on his follow-
ers’ geographical distribution. Chapter 7 discusses al-Baqir’s contribution to
Shi`i jurisprudence by addressing his opinions on the sources of the law, his
prescriptions for ritual and the believers’ conduct, and his role as a system-
atizer and founder of Shi`i jurisprudence. The book concludes with a brief
epilogue.

As stated above, the author has been quite thorough in her use of pri-
mary sources to flesh out her picture of Muhammad al-Baqir’s life and
teachings. She draws upon the histories of al-Ya`qubi (d. ca 900) and al-
Tabari (d. 923), the heresiographies of al-Nawbakhti (d. ca 912-22) and al-
Shahrastani (d. 1153), as well as the works of the Ithna`ashari traditionist al-
Kulayni (d. 940-41) and the Fatimid jurist al-Qadi al-Nu`man (d. 974),
among many others. While this reliance upon primary source material is to
be commended, Lalani is not very rigorous in sketching the historical and
cultural contexts from which they emerged and does not explain their possi-
ble relationship to each other. 

With regards to the problem of authenticity, she justifiably favors “a
judicious use rather than outright rejection” (p. 19) of the traditions attrib-
uted to al-Baqir. Nevertheless, she should have been more explicit about
which sources she considered the most authoritative and why, how the
authors’ confessional and historical backgrounds influenced their depictions
of al-Baqir, and how the sources fit together chronologically. Such issues are
only mentioned in passing. Given that the author crafts a portrait of al-Baqir
from such a diverse and complex array of source materials, each piece of the
picture needs to be supported by the proper critical analysis. This, added to
the great number of generalizations or vague formulations that she makes
regarding many important historical and doctrinal developments, tends to
detract from the soundness of her arguments. 

Book Reviews 111



112 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 23:1

Despite these reservations, it is important to stress that the author suc-
cessfully fulfills her objective of providing an overview of Muhammad al-
Baqir’s life and thought. Her work leaves us in no doubt of his centrality to
Shi`i theology and jurisprudence, as well as his position as a role model for
the early Shi`i community. While the author is particularly interested in
highlighting al-Baqir’s place in the Shi`i tradition, she also emphasizes that
he is a figure of no small importance for the general development of Islamic
thought in its early period. A study such as Lalani’s reminds us that there is
much to be learned about the formative period of the Islamic community
from so-called marginal or sectarian figures. For this reason, her work is
worth reading and should serve as the basis for further informative studies
on the topic.

Heather Empey
Ph.D. Candidate, Institute of Islamic Studies

McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada