Includes bibliographical references (pages 345-361) and index.
An outline of the life of Muhammad and the early history of Islam -- The question of the succession to Muhammad -- The lives of the Imams and early divisions among the Shiʻis -- Early history of Shiʻi Islam, AD 632-1000 -- Shiʻi Islam in the medieval period, AD 1000-1500 -- Shiʻi Islam in modern times, AD 1500-1900 -- The Imamate -- The Twelfth Imam, his occultation and return -- Doctrines, ritual practices and social transactions -- Shiʻi jurisprudence and the religious hierarchy -- Sufism, ʻIrfān and Ḥikma -- Schools within Twelver Shiʻism -- The popular religion -- Contemporary Shiʻism.