Political Thought in Contemporary Shi'a Islam

This book offers an intellectual history of one of the leading Shi'i thinkers and religious leaders of the 20th-century in Lebanon, Shaykh Muhammad Mahdi Shams al-Din. The authorexamineshis role as the foremost figure of Shi'i intellectual life, a key associate of Musa al-Sadr, and president of theIslamic Shi'i Supreme Council of Lebanon, having maintained the independence of this institution until his death from the domination of Shi'i political parties. The core of the book consists of three interrelated main themes that constitute the major threads of Shams al-Din's intellectual legacy:a discussion of Islamic governmentinvolving a critique of Khomeini's theory ofwil?yat al-faq?h, the role of Islam within civil government, andthe necessity for political integrationof the Shi'ain their Arab nation-states to protect them from policies that raise doubts over their political allegiance to their respective countries. The project will appeal to scholars, students, academics, and researchersinMiddle Eastern politics and history.