the next Imam and became known as the Ismailis.
Twelve-Imam Shiism, however, stemmed from the
Shia who recognized Musa al-Kazim (d. 799), one
of Jaafar’s surviving sons, as the seventh Imam.
The culminating stage in the foundational
period of Twelve-Imam Shiism began with the
Imamate of Hasan al-Askari (r. 868–874), the
11th Imam and a descendant of Musa al-Kazim.
According to Shii accounts he was kept under
close watch by the Abbasids for most of his life
in Samarra, the Abbasid capital at that time. He
communicated with his followers through his
agents. When he died Shii historians say his fol-
lowers split up into as many as 15 sects. Some
of these maintained that the imamate had ended
with Hasan and that he had gone into occultation
(
ghayba
), or concealment. Some said that one of
his future descendants would arise as the Mahdi.
The sect that was to become that of the Twelvers,
however, maintained that Hasan actually had a
young son, Muhammad, whom he had designated
as the 12th Imam. After a brief appearance at the
age of five, Muhammad entered occultation in
874. As the Hidden Imam, he maintained contact
with his followers through his representatives
until 941. This period is known as that of the
Lesser Occultation. The period of his Greater
Occultation started in 941 and continues to the
present day. Although still alive during this sec-
ond phase, the 12th Imam is no longer in direct
communication with his representatives. Also
known as al-Hujja (the proof), al-Qaim (the one
who will arise), al-Muntazar (the awaited one),
and the Mahdi, Twelvers believe he will be sent
one day by God as a messianic redeemer who will
inaugurate the rule of justice in anticipation of the
final resurrection and Judgment Day. Meanwhile,
authority in the Shii community was exercised
through the descendants of the Imams, known as
sayyids, and Twelver Shii ulama.
bElIEFS AND DOCTrINES
The Twelve-Imam Shia believe that the Quran
is the revealed word of God, but unlike Sunnis
they have tended to read it for hidden mean-
ings that support Shii beliefs. They largely reject
Sunni hadith collections because they contain
many hadiths transmitted by a
isha
and other
c
ompanions
oF
the
p
rophet
, whom they reject
as illegitimate authorities. Instead, they look to
the hadith (or akhbar) of the Imams for guidance,
which they have brought together in collections
by Muhammad al-Kulayni (d. 939), Muhammad
ibn Babuya (d. 991), and Muhammad al-Tusi (d.
1067). Another important Shii hadith collection is
Bihar al-anwar (The Sea of Lights) by Muhammad
Baqir Majlisi (d. 1699). The Shia also hold a 10th-
century collection of Ali’s speeches, prayers, and
writings known as Nahj al-balagha (The Summit
of Eloquence) in high esteem.
Twelve-Imam Shiism has five fundamental
religious tenets (usul al-din).
(1) t
awhid
(Unity of God). Like Sunnis,
Twelver Shiis believe that there is only one God.
Unlike most Sunnis, they believe that God’s attri-
butes and names have no reality apart from God’s
essence. They assert that God does not have a
physical form, and they consider anthropomor-
phic references to his appearance and actions as
metaphorical, with no independent reality.
(2) Nubuwwa (Prophethood). Like Sunnis,
Twelvers recognize Muhammad as the last of
many prophets who have brought God’s revela-
tions to humanity through the ages. According to
a hadith, there have been 124,000 such prophets,
only a few of whom are mentioned in the Quran,
such as Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. They
are all believed to be infallible and sinless.
(3) Maad (Resurrection). Twelvers, like Sun-
nis, believe that there will be a resurrection, or
return, of all humanity on Judgment Day, when
God will reward and punish everyone based on
their faith and deeds.
(4) Imama. In contrast to the Sunnis, Twelvers
believe in 12 divinely inspired Imams descended
from Muhammad through his daughter Fatima
and her husband Ali ibn Abi Talib, counted as the
first Imam. Apart from Muhammad, the Imams are
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