Encyclopedia of Islam

Akhbari School

  

27  J

---

the Imams to make a ruling. The Akhbaris were 

therefore legal literalists who feared ijtihad would 

corrupt the authentic Islamic tradition. Although 

the Usulis triumphed over them in the 19th cen-

tury, they still have a respected place in the wider 

Shii community of scholars.

See also 

ahl

 

al

-

bayt

; 

imam

; s

hiism

; t

Welve

 i

mam

s

hiism

.

Further reading: Robert Gleave, Inevitable Doubt: Two 

Theories of Shii Jurisprudence (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2000); 

Mojan Momen, An Introduction to Shii Islam (New 

Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1985).

Alawi

Technically meaning “pertaining to Ali” in Arabic, 

Alawi is a name for individuals or groups with a 

special attachment to a

li

 

ibn

  a

bi

  t

alib

 (d. 662). 

The importance of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law 

of the prophet m

Uhammad

, in Islamic history has 

led to use of this term for a variety of organiza-

tions and groups of people, which are known col-

lectively as Alawiyya. Descendants of Ali through 

either of his sons Hasan (d. 669) and Husayn (d. 

680)—and thus descendants of Muhammad (d. 

632) through his daughter F

atima

 (d. 633)—are 

often called Alawi, in addition to being known as 

sharifs or sayyids. Supporters of Ali in the political 

struggle over the 

caliphate

 in early Islamic history 

are sometimes also referred to as Alawi, though 

they are more commonly called Shii. Also, claim-

ing descent from Ali and Fatima has been used to 

legitimate a form of local ruling dynasties, some 

of which have carried the name Alawi, the prime 

example being the a

laWid

 

dynasty

, which has 

ruled m

orocco

 since the 17th century.

Because Ali is considered by most Sufis to 

represent the esoteric interpretation of the Quran, 

many Sufi orders trace their spiritual lineages 

back to him and are known as Alawi orders, as 

opposed to Bakri orders such as the n

aqshbandi

-

yya

 s

UFi

 o

rder

, which trace their lineages to a

bU

b

akr

 (d. 634), the first 

caliph

. Other orders were 

named Alawi because of their leaders’ presumed 

blood descent from Ali, such as the Alawiyya 

order of Hadramawt (in the southern region of the 

Arabian Peninsula) and the Alawiyya branch of 

the Darqawi order in a

lgeria

, which was formed 

by Ahmad al-Alawi (d. 1934) in the early 20th 

century.

The two largest religious groups carrying the 

name Alawi are hereditary groups whose devotion 

to Ali is so intense that their belief systems are 

considered heretical by orthodox Sunnis, and they 

have both been persecuted by them. The Arab 

Alawis (historically known as Nusayris) of s

yria

, 

l

ebanon

, and southern t

Urkey

 and the Turkish 

and Kurdish Alevis (Turkish rendering of Alawi; 

historically known as Kizilbash) of Turkey have 

each preserved esoteric beliefs and secret practices 

for centuries by living secluded in remote areas in 

their respective countries. Both see Ali as divine; 

rather than regarding him as a historical figure, 

they believe in a cosmic Ali who embodies a mani-

festation of God.

Alevis in Turkey conduct ceremonies in which 

mystical songs are sung and a spiritual dance is 

performed. Numbering several million, they have 

in recent years become more open about their 

beliefs and practices and are presently attempt-

ing to negotiate a distinctive identity vis-à-vis the 

nationalist state and Sunni majority. The Arab 

Alawis limit transmission of their secret beliefs to 

those who have been formally initiated into their 

community. Though they constitute a minority 

in Syria, certain members of the sect have estab-

lished themselves in important military positions 

there and have even managed to assume political 

control over the country through the Syrian b

aath

p

arty

.

See also 

ahl

 

al

-

bayt

; 

ghulat

;  h

Usayn

 

ibn

  a

li

; 

shariF

; s

hiism

; s

UFism

; 

tafsir

; 

tariqa

.

Mark Soileau