Al-Dhahabī tentang Shī‘ah: Analisis Hermeneutik atas Sejarah, Varian Sekte, dan Penafsiran

Abstract

This study examines historiographical perspectives on the early emergence of Shīʿism in Islamic history using a historical-critical approach and a library-based research method. Drawing on primary and secondary sources, particularly the works of Ḥusain al-Dhahabī such as Tafsīr wa al-Mufassirūn, it traces the chronology, intellectual genealogy, and formation of Shīʿī identity and terminology in the early Islamic period. The study emphasizes al-Dhahabī’s position as both a historian and a Sunnī ḥadīth scholar who integrates isnād criticism, biographical evaluation, and theological judgment in his reading of history, resulting in an approach to Shīʿism that is not merely descriptive but also shaped by Sunnī doctrinal frameworks. Methodologically, the study seeks to balance objective historical description with normative evaluation by presenting data through rigorous source verification and socio-political contextual analysis, while theological principles function as ethical boundaries. From a historiographical standpoint, the study records differing views on the origins of Shīʿism, ranging from the period immediately after the death of the Prophet Muḥammad to the late caliphate of ʿUthmān and the early rule of ʿAlī, with most scholars identifying the arbitration following the Battle of Ṣiffīn as a decisive turning point that accelerated political and theological polarization. In addition, the study reviews Qurʾānic interpretation among major Shīʿī sects, such as the Zaydiyyah, Ithnā ʿAshariyyah, and Rāfiḍah, and underscores the need for methodological caution, rigorous source criticism, and awareness of theological implications in the study of Islamic sectarian history to preserve academic objectivity.