ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the concept of faith and its relation to the righteous deeds as discussed in early Islamic theology and in response to those discussions, develops a theory of faith and righteous deeds from the Qur’an. The major claim of the dissertation is that the faith theories that were developed in early Islamic theology aimed to identify the minimum necessary qualities for the constitution of faith whereas the Qur’anic theory of faith aims to identify the perfecting qualities for faith. Likewise, the faith theories of early Islamic theology visioned a mereological relation between faith and righteous deeds. However, the Qur’an sets a cyclical relation between the two. In this respect, the dissertation offers an avant-garde theory of faith and righteous deeds based on the Qur’an. It proposes a faith theory that aims for perfection, provides a thick definition for the concept of righteous deed, and dissects the cyclical relation between faith and righteous deeds. To propose a complete Qur’anic theory of faith and righteous deeds, it finally discusses the righteous people and their rewards as depicted in the Qur’an. / Religion

Mental health has received more attention and stigma associated with it has decreased over time in the United States. However, subpopulations have differing views on mental illness since cultural factors can shape perceptions of and influence access to mental health information. Previous studies have investigated such cultural factors among Sunni Muslims (the majority sect of Islam) and less so among Shia Muslims (the minority sect). To address this gap, two research questions were investigated in this project: (1) What are the mental health attitudes among Shia Muslim adults in the United States, and (2) How much mental health knowledge or literacy do Shia Muslim adults in the United States have? A survey was created to assess Shia Muslim mental health attitudes (including stigma) and knowledge. Using snowball sampling, 256 responses were collected. Analysis showed Shia Muslims believe biological, sinful, spiritual, and external factors contribute to mental illness and have low social stigma towards the mentally ill. They also have high mental health knowledge/literacy. Barriers to care reported include cost, time, mistrust of the mental healthcare system, social/self-stigma, and lack of culturally competent care.

This doctoral thesis is on the subject of Islamic and Shia liturgy or prayer. it covers its history, philosophy and doctrinal content / This dissertation explores the historical, doctrinal, and philosophical aspects pertaining to Twelver Shīʿī liturgy. In doing so, it brings to light the broad historical contours which established its textual development and proliferation from the period of the Imāms until that of Shaykh ʿAbbās al-Qummī. This historical development entailed the production of the liturgical genre as a textual tradition that developed from the 2nd/8th century. It is believed that portions of this early textual tradition went on to form the basis of later liturgical collections such as al-Kulaynī’s Kitāb al-duʿāʾ, Ibn Qūlawayh’s Kāmil al-ziyārāt and al-Ṭūsī’s Miṣbāḥ al-mutahajjid. This is also indicative of a profound interest in liturgical material by both the scholars who compiled this material and the faithful who performed it, which is evidenced by the repeated copying and transmission of such texts in various parts of the Muslim world. These liturgical texts (duʿāʾ and ziyāra) are also replete with philosophical and theological motifs which underly their function as a means of developing Shīʿī piety and a religious identity that focuses upon complete submission to the Imāms of the People of the House (ahl al-bayt). Considering the above, the texts, when recited and enacted, may be described as a form of performative theology in the Twelver Shīʿī tradition. It is this performative theology which aided in the development and fortification of Twelver Shīʿī identity, especially in light of their minority and often beleaguered social-political position at various times in history. Through an in-depth investigation into the culture and practice of the rigorous and systematic transmission of liturgical texts, this dissertation provides, for the first time, clear evidence of a method for preserving the liturgical compositions that were attributed to the Imāms. With a selection of words and phrases drawn from these texts, a sensitive analysis is made of their theological and cosmological underpinnings. It is hoped that such an analysis will pave the way for further consideration of this, until now, somewhat neglected field of Islamic Studies. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This dissertation explores the historical, doctrinal, and philosophical aspects pertaining to Twelver Shīʿī liturgy. In doing so, it brings to light the broad historical contours which established its textual development and proliferation from the period of the Imāms until that of Shaykh ʿAbbās al-Qummī. This historical development entailed the production of the liturgical genre as a textual tradition that developed from the 2nd/8th century. It is believed that portions of this early textual tradition went on to form the basis of later liturgical collections such as al-Kulaynī’s Kitāb al-duʿāʾ, Ibn Qūlawayh’s Kāmil al-ziyārāt and al-Ṭūsī’s Miṣbāḥ al-mutahajjid. This is also indicative of a profound interest in liturgical material by both the scholars who compiled this material and the faithful who performed it, which is evidenced by the repeated copying and transmission of such texts in various parts of the Muslim world. These liturgical texts (duʿāʾ and ziyāra) are also replete with philosophical and theological motifs which underly their function as a means of developing Shīʿī piety and a religious identity that focuses upon complete submission to the Imāms of the People of the House (ahl al-bayt). Considering the above, the texts, when recited and enacted, may be described as a form of performative theology in the Twelver Shīʿī tradition. It is this performative theology which aided in the development and fortification of Twelver Shīʿī identity, especially in light of their minority and often beleaguered social-political position at various times in history. Through an in-depth investigation into the culture and practice of the rigorous and systematic transmission of liturgical texts, this dissertation provides, for the first time, clear evidence of a method for preserving the liturgical compositions that were attributed to the Imāms. With a selection of words and phrases drawn from these texts, a sensitive analysis is made of their theological and cosmological underpinnings. It is hoped that such an analysis will pave the way for further consideration of this, until now, somewhat neglected field of Islamic Studies.

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Although the majority of Filipinos are Christian, recent developments reflect an upsurge in conversion to Islam, particularly in the northern Philippines. This dissertation examines one of the fastest growing religious phenomena in Southeast Asia, Balik-Islam, which means “reverts to Islam,” or the process of “returning to Islam.” The Balik-Islam movement has become popular since the 1970s, and its religious narratives on Muslim reversion challenge and complicate what we already know generally about conversion to new religions, including the impact of the external “non-religious” factors associated with it. This dissertation shows how a discourse of “reversion” among Balik-Islam members reveals complex realities about the appeal of Islam to Filipinos. While other scholars have used paradigms concerning “othering” and underlying “symbolic” forces to understanding the reasons why conflict and crisis might appear in conversion narratives, this characterization also tends to reify religion and position Christianity and Islam as polar opposites operating within a hostile environment. My approach is to understand how Balik-Islam members negotiate their transition to Islam by virtue of social and cultural settings that are both fluid and multifaceted. By critically assessing their “reversion” narratives, this dissertation reveals how their transition to Islam reflects a “symbolic negotiation,” or an act of reimagining the process of religious conversion itself, substituting it for a discourse of reversion that reflects a diverse set of spiritual and social needs. / Religion

At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Muslims of the newly conquered territory of Granada rebelled against their Catholic Castilian and Aragonese masters. The Muslims of Granada were subsequently given the choice of expulsion or conversion, with many choosing to remain and convert to Catholicism. Beginning with these initial conversions, the question of Morisco Muslim-ness is one that has historians for years. For many scholars, Morisco religiosity represents a form of syncretic religion that blends both the Catholic and the Muslim in specific instantiations of religious practice. For others, the Moriscos represent a crypto-Islamic community that practiced a form of taqiyya, or the Islamic practice allowing Muslims to conceal their religious affiliation under duress or the threat of death. What these analyses fail to take into account is the performative aspects of Morisco religious practice at the boundaries of Catholicism and Islam. This dissertation intends to look at Moriscos as a suspect community from the perspective of the Spanish state, but also from the vantage point of the Moriscos themselves, who attempted to navigate the boundaries of Catholicism as articulated in legislation, polemical texts, and inquisitorial trials, while framing their religious practice in terms of cultural preservation. Similarly, this dissertation will examine the methods employed by the Moriscos in their performance of an oppositional Muslim identity set in direct contrast to a developing Spanish nationalism. Performance here is being employed to investigate how Moriscos, who represented a “fifth column” for the nascent Spanish state, constructed fluid identities that fluctuated in response to the socio-cultural and/or political context. / Religion