An Analytical Study of the Concept of An-Naṣb and Its Adaptation in the Twelver Shiism

Abstract

The Twelvers remain the most prominent Shiite denomination in Islamic world today. The Islamic Republic of Iran adopted the Twelver tenets as its theological and political doctrines, including several countries in the Arab world and African continents. The present study explores the Shiite perception of an-naṣb (hostility to the Ahlul-Bayt) as enshrined in the Shiite theological and jurisprudential works. The research is based on textual analysis to garner information. It was observed that an-naṣb (hostility to the Ahlul-Bayt) and nāṣib (Ahlul-Bayt adversary) had been strictly adopted by the Twelver theologians and jurists to discredit other Shiite denominations and Muslim sects. Moreover, the two parlances (an-naṣb and nāṣib) are primarily coined to entrench Hz. Ali’s Imamate as well as to declare other non-Shiite Muslims out of the fold of faith. The study therefore recommends that further research be made within the context of Twelver Shiism to unravel other concepts as embedded in the Twelver theological and juristic treatises.