University of Arkansas

Research Frontiers

Spring 2008

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The world view of four Arab sects in 8th and 9th century Iraq and Iran is powerful centuries later, influencing revolutionary Shiites and their religious leaders in today's volatile Middle East.

Sect members formed the first millenarian groups to emerge in Muslim history, their beliefs often intersecting with those found in other religious traditions. They expected imminent, total salvation in this world, led by the Mahdi, or savior, who would

Historian William Tucker traces their genesis in his book Mahdis and Millenarians. He examines their theology and their political and cultural beliefs. He is one of the first scholars to examine millenarianism in Islamic society.

In present-day Iraq and Iran, scholars find a similar emphasis on the Mahdi and on political and economic justice among the Shiites.

Early Shiite groups often comprised the downtrodden or persecuted, who saw themselves as true believers who were the real community of worth. Because they recognized the leadership of the Imam, they also felt they didn't have to obey societal rules or laws.

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