No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

The Shi’atu Ali (the “party of Ali”) continued to offer a minority alternative to the increasingly dynastic Umayyads under the leadership of Ali’s son Hasan and later his younger brother Husayn, after Hasan’s death (by poison, according to rumor). After an initial peace, war broke out and the far superior Umayyad force killed Husayn at the Battle of Karbala. Within a few years, supporters who had not been in battle came together at Karbala in public acts of penance for their failure to save Husayn. Their shared rituals of mourning and remembrance continue today in Shi’ism, a distinct new branch of Islam that emphasized martyrdom and self-sacrifice for the sake of justice.

Shi’a Muslims believe that this public, communal shedding of tears for Husayn brings salvation. Shi’a Muslims honor Muhammad, Ali, Hasan, Husayn, and their legitimate successors as Imams through whose intercession they can face the last judgment. Sunni Islam has imams who lead prayer services at the mosque; Shi’a Imams are a fixed series of leaders who have religious authority to preserve and creatively apply God’s revelation. Imams translate the prophetic message through a special divine gift of insight. They can discern and teach secret allegorical meanings of the