Includes bibliographical references (p. 249-282) and index
Genealogical tables and lists.- Preface.- Note on transliteration and dates.- Abbreviations.- 1. Introduction: progress in the study of Shici Islam: Diversity in early Islam; Medieval Sunni perceptions; Medieval European perceptions; Orientalist perspectives; Modern scholarship on Shici Islam.- 2. The origins and early history of Shici Islam: Origins of Shicism; The early Shica; The Kaysaniyya; The ghulat; The early Imamiyya; The Imami Shici doctrine of the imamate.- 3. The Ithnacasharis or Twelvers: The later Twelver imams and the hidden Mahdi; From the occultation of the twelfth imam to the Mongol invasions; From Nasir al-Din al-Tusi to the advent of the Safawids; From the Safawids to early modern times; From around 1215/1800 to the present.- 4. The Ismailis: The early Ismailis; The Fatimid phase in Ismaili history; The Tayyibi Ismailis: The Yamani and Indian phases; The Nizari Ismailis: The Alamut phase; Later developments in Nizari Ismaili history; The Anjudan revival; The modern period.- 5. The Zaydis: The early Zaydis; The Zaydis of the Caspian region in Persia; The Zaydis of Yaman.- 6. The Nusayris or cAlawis: Nusayri studies; History of the Nusayris; The Nusayri-cAlawi doctrines.- Glossary.- Bibliography