The Rising of al-Ḥusayn: Its Impact on the Consciousness of Muslim Society is an important modern study by a leading Shīʿi scholar on the implications of the rising of al-Ḥusayn and his martyrdom for Islam in general, and for Shīʿi Islam in particular. The author surveys the literary and religious sources from the earliest period down to modem times in order to show how the rising and martyrdom of al-Ḥusayn has affected the spiritual life of Shīʿi Muslims. His main concern is in three fields of religious and literary life; the evolution and development of the special pilgrimages made to the tomb of al-Ḥusayn; the effect of his rising and martyrdom on poetry, and the interaction between. poetry and popular consciousness; and the development of religious rites of remembrance held by Shīʿis and those who sympathise with the rising of al-Ḥusayn in honour of the Imam. This is a pioneering work in its field, and should do much to give both Muslims and non-Muslims a clearer understanding of this important event and its role in the spiritual life of Shīʿi Islam.