The Making of Martyrdom in Modern Twelver Shi'ism: From Protesters and Revolutionaries to Shrine Defenders

In Twelver Shi'a Islam, the wait for the return of the Twelth Imam, Hujjat-Allah al-Mahdi, at the end of time overshadowed the value of actively seeking martyrdom. But what is the place of martyrdom in Twelver Shi'ism today?

This book shows that the Islamic revolution in Iran resulted in the marriage of Shi'i messianism and extreme political activism, changing of mindset among the Shi'a worldwide.

Suddenly, each drop of martyrs' blood brought the return of al-Mahdi one step closer and the Islamic Republic of Iran became the prelude to the foretold world revolution of al-Mahdi.

Adel Hashemi traces the unexplored area of Shi'i discourse on martyrdom from the 1979 revolution - when the Islamic Republic's leaders cultivated the culture of martyrdom to topple the Shah's regime - through to the dramatic shift in understanding of martyrdom today, including the reaction to the Syrian crisis, the war with ISIS and other Salafi groups in the region, and renewed commitment to the defence of shrines.

This book reveals the striking shifts in the meaning of martyrdom in Shi'ism, revealing the real relevance of the concept to the present-day Muslim world.