The Hanafi school of thought of Sunnism is the most popular, with Shiism of Imami and Ismaili denominations predominating in the Pamir plateau and the western Tian Shan mountains (almost exclusively Ismailis), while boasting to a large minority population in the Zarafshan river valley, from Samarkand to Bukhara (almost exclusively Imamis).
In Shiism, the term adopted a meaning of "pietistic" tolerance, given as a byname to Husayn ibn Ali, who was killed in the Battle of Karbala.
He has published extensively on topics related to Islamic history and culture, with a focus on Islamic philosophy, Sufism, Twelver and Ismaili Shiism, and Arabic, Persian, and South Asian literatures.