An Investigation into the Leadership Style and Methods of Obiedence – Seeking of Followers in Shi'ah Uprisings During the Umayyad Rule

Document Type : Research Paper

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Abstract

To surpass history as just a process of verbal transfer of information and enter the domain of analytical history necessitates the use of human Knowledge in the realms of humanities and social sciences. Having this in mind and adopting a sociological approach, this investigation tries to analyze the social – political developments of a certain period of Islam's history. While reviewing the Shi'ah uprisings of 62-132 A.H., through employing the historical – comparative method, this investigation studies and determines the typology of these uprising's points of convergence and divergence based on their "leadership style" and "methods of obedience – seeking of followers. "Based on the findings of the investigation, the "Tawwabin" and "Zayd ibn Ali" uprisings can be classified in one type (considering our two criterions of classification) while "Mukhtar" and "Abdullah ibn Mu'awiyah" uprisngs are categorized in another type.

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