"During the formative period of Islam, in the first centuries after Muḥammad's death, different ideas and beliefs abounded. It was during this period of roughly three centuries that two particular intellectual traditions emerged, Sunnism and Shī;'ism. Sunnī Muslims endorsed the historical caliphate, while Shī'ī; Muslims, supporters of 'Ali, cousin of the Prophet and the fourth caliph, articulated their own distinctive doctrines. The Sunnī-Shī'ī schism is often framed as a dispute over the identity of the successor to Muḥammad, whereas in reality, Sunnī and Shī'ī Muslims also differ on a number of seminal theological doctrines concerning the nature of God and legitimate political and religious authority. This book examines the development of Shī'ī Islam through the lenses of belief, narrative, and memory. In an accessible yet nuanced manner, it conceives of Shī'ism as a historical project undertaken by a segment of the early Muslim community that felt dispossessed. This book also covers, for the first time in English, a wide range of Shī'ī communities from the demographically predominant Twelvers to the transnational Ismā'īlīs to the scholar-activist Zaydīs. The portrait of Shī'ism that emerges is that of a distinctive and vibrant community of Muslims with a remarkable capacity for reinvention and adaptation, grounded in a unique theological interpretation of Islam"-- Provided by publisher.