Critical Investigation of the Orientalists’ Works Concerning Imam Kazem (PBUH)

It has been a long time that orientalists have been involved in the studies regarding Islam with diverse motivations, whereas the academic and methodical research of westerns related to Shiism is less than a century. Their study concerning Shiism within the last decades has been of considerable development while their investigation related to Imamate has not been so extensive and it is limited to some encyclopedic articles and a number of books in regard with the history of Shiism having been occasionally discussed about Shiite Imams (PBUT). The consideration as well as the clarification of the article of Imam Kazem (PBUH) compiled by Ethan Kohlberg in the encyclopedia of Islam Leiden as well as the section related to Imam Kazem (PBUH) from the book "religion of Shiism" (mazhab e-shiah) by Donaldson and the book "Shiism" (tashayyó) by Hines Halm would be the major concern of the present article. The study of the material of these three Shiite western researches declares a rather general picture around the life of Imam from birth to martyrdom. This issue of the succession of Imam and the advent of dispute among Shiites and also the development of numerous sects, the social political problems in the time of Imam, the confrontation of Imam with caliphates, Imam’s numerous arrestments, the investigation of several speeches about martyrdom of Imam and its consequences along with the investigation of the reasons of advent of Vaqefiah sect following Imam’s martyrdom would be the positive points of researches of westerns. On the other hand, the way of Imam’s collaboration with the sects, the positions of Imam about the uprisings of Alawites in this period, the political-social positions of Imam particularly in the interaction with caliphates, the way of relationship of Shiites with Imam specially within scientific-cultural ground would be the points not being considered by the orientalists concerning the life of Imam Kazem (PBUH).