This article seeks to explain and identify the foundational dimensions of the Shi‘i political discourse that emerged in the city of Kufa under the influence of diverse forms of political agency, which can be traced through an analytical examination of the policy-making approaches of Imam Ali (a.s.). Following Imam Ali, these forms of political agency appeared intermittently in the political practices of Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Imam Husayn (a.s.), and subsequently developed into a historically formative discursive capacity that shaped the historical and identity-based characteristics of Shi‘i relations and practices during the Age of the Imams’ Presence and thereafter. After the first three Imams (a.s.), this capacity played a significant role in shaping the historical and identity formation of Shi‘ism.
The article seeks to demonstrate how, through a particular engagement with the historical potential for agency arising from Imam Ali’s approaches, the epistemic dimensions of Shi‘ism during the Age of Presence found both an opportunity for realization and a foundation for expansion. These dimensions came to constitute a framework for understanding the nature and modalities of Shi‘i action and practice. These theoretical dimensions were subsequently historically formulated through the intellectual potential of Shi‘i theology (kalām) and Shi‘i jurisprudence (fiqh) and continued to develop over the following centuries. In turn, they contributed to the consolidation of Shi‘a religious identity and the group cohesion of Shi‘is. To examine this subject, the article consists of an introduction, two main sections, and a concluding section.