twelve Imams

{{Short description|Line of successors to Muhammad in Shia Islam}}

The Twelve Imams ({{langx|ar|ٱلْأَئِمَّة ٱلْٱثْنَا عَشَر}}, {{transl|ar|DIN|al-ʾAʾimmah al-ʾIthnā ʿAšar}}; {{langx|fa|{{Nastaliq|دوازده امام}}}}, {{transl|fa|DIN|Davâzdah Emâm}}) are the spiritual and political successors to the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Twelver branch of Shia Islam, including that of the Alawite and Alevi.{{Harvnb|Olsson|Ozdalga|Raudvere|2005|p=65}}

According to Twelver theology, the Twelve Imams are exemplary human individuals who not only rule over the community with justice, but also are able to keep and interpret sharia and the esoteric meaning of the Quran. The words and deeds of Muhammad and the imams are a guide and model for the community to follow; as a result, they must be free from error and sin (known as ismah, or infallibility) and must be chosen by divine decree through Muhammad.{{Harvnb|Tabataba'i|1977|p=10}}{{Harvnb|Momen|1985|p=174}}

Imamah

It is believed in Twelver Shi’ism that the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his household are infallible, possessing Hikmah. Their oppression and suffering served greater purposes and were a means of divine grace to their devotees.{{Harvnb|Tabataba'i|1977|p=15}}{{Harvnb|Corbin|2014|pp=45–51}} The Imams are also guided by preserved texts in their possession, such as al-Jafr, al-Jamia, and unaltered past books the Torah and Injeel. Imamat, or belief in the divine guide, is a fundamental belief in the Twelver Shia doctrine and is based on the concept that God would not leave humanity without access to divine guidance.{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia of Islam and the Muslim world; vol.1 | last = Gleave | first = Robert | title=Imamate | year = 2004 | publisher = MacMillan | isbn = 0-02-865604-0}}

According to Twelvers, there is at all times an Imam of the era who is the divinely appointed authority on all matters of faith and law in the Muslim community. Ali, a cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, was the first of the Twelve Imams, and, in the Twelvers view, the rightful successor to Muhammad, followed by male descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam, with the exception of Al-Husayn, who was the brother of Al-Hasan. The twelfth and final Imam is Muhammad al-Mahdi, who is believed by the Twelvers to be currently alive, and hidden in the Major Occultation until he returns to bring justice to the world. It is believed by Twelver and Alevi Muslims that the Twelve Imams have been foretold in the Hadith of the 12 accomplishers. All of the Imams were assassinated, with the exception of the last Imam who, according to Twelver and Alevi belief, is living in occultation.

Some of the Imams also have a leading role within some Sufi orders and are seen as the spiritual heads of Islam,{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} because most of the Silsila (spiritual chain) of Sufi orders leads back to Muhammad through one of the Twelve Imams.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

List

class="wikitable" width="98%" style="background:white;"

style="border-bottom:3px solid #CCCCFF"

! Number !! Name

Kunya !! Arabic title

Persian title

Turkish titleThe Imam's Arabic titles are used by the majority of Twelver Shia who use Arabic as a liturgical language, including the Usooli, Akhbari, Shaykhi, and to a lesser extent Alawi. Persian titles are largely used by Iranian and South Asian Shias. Turkish titles are generally used by Alevi, a fringe Twelver group, who make up around 10% of the world Shia population. The titles for each Imam literally translate as "First Ali", "Second Ali", and

so forth. {{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa | year = 2004 | publisher = Gale Group | isbn = 978-0-02-865769-1 | title = Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa: D-K }}

!Lived (CE)

Lived (AH)The abbreviation CE refers to the Common Era solar calendar, while AH refers to the Islamic Hijri lunar calendar.

Place of birth

!Age when assumed Imamat

!Age at death

!Duration of Imamat

! Importance

! Reason & place of death

Place of burialExcept Twelfth Imam

|Ali ibn Abi Talib
{{lang|ar|ٱلْإِمَام عَلِيّ ٱبْن أَبِي طَالِب}}

Abu al-Hasan
{{lang|ar|أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن}}

ʾAmīr al-Muʾminīn
({{lang|ar|أَمِير ٱلْمُؤْمِنِين}})
(Commander of the Faithful){{cite encyclopedia | last=Nasr | first=Seyyed Hossein | author-link=Seyyed Hossein Nasr | title=Ali | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online | access-date=2007-10-12 | url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9005712/Ali | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018014146/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9005712/Ali | archive-date=2007-10-18 | url-status=live }}
al-Murtaḍā
({{lang|ar|ٱلْمُرْتَضَىٰ}})
(The Beloved)
al-Waṣīy
({{lang|ar|ٱلْوَصِيّ}})
(The Successor)
al-Walīy
({{lang|ar|ٱلْوَلِيّ}})
(The Wali)
al-Haydar
({{lang|ar|حيدر}})
(The Lion)

----

Sheer-e-Khuda
({{lang|fa|شیر خدا}})
(The Lion of God)
Shah-e-Mardan
({{lang|fa|شاه مردان}})
(The King of the Brave)

----Birinci Ali{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa | year = 2004 | publisher = Gale Group | isbn = 978-0-02-865769-1 | title = Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa: D-K }}

|599–661

----23 (before Hijra)–40Tabatabae (1979), pp.190–192

----Makkah, Hijaz

|33

|61

|28

|Cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad. According to Twelver Shia belief he was the only person to have been born in the Ka'bah, the holiest site in Islam, and the first male to openly accept Islam. Considered by Shia Islam as the rightful Successor of Muhammad. Sunnis also acknowledge him as the fourth Caliph. He holds a high position in almost all Sufi Muslim orders (Turuq); the members of these orders trace their lineage to Muhammad through him.

|Assassinated by Abd al-Rahman ibn Muljam, a Kharijite, in Kufa, who struck his head with a poisoned sword while he was in prostration praying on the Night of Qadr in the month of Ramadan.Tabatabae (1979), p.192

Buried at the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, Iraq.

|Hasan ibn Ali
{{lang|ar|ٱلْإِمَام ٱلْحَسَن ٱبْن عَلِيّ}}

Abu Muhammad
{{lang|ar|أَبُو مُحَمَّد}}

al-Mujtabā
({{lang|ar|ٱلْمُجْتَبَىٰ}})
(The Chosen)
Sibṭ an-Nabīy
({{lang|ar|سِبْط ٱلنَّبِيّ}})
(Grandchild of the Prophet)

----İkinci Ali

|625–670

----3–50Tabatabae (1979), pp.194–195

----Madinah, Hijaz

|39

|47

|He was the eldest surviving grandson of Muhammad through Muhammad's daughter, Fatimah az-Zahra. Hasan succeeded his father as the caliph in Kufa, and on the basis of a peace treaty with Muawiyah, he relinquished control of Iraq following a Caliphate of seven months.{{cite encyclopedia | last=Madelung | first=Wilferd | author-link=Wilferd Madelung | title=ḤASAN B. ʿALI B. ABI ṬĀLEB | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2012-07-06 | url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/hasan-b-ali | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101025819/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/hasan-b-ali | archive-date=2014-01-01 | url-status=live }}

|Poisoned by his wife in Madinah on the orders of the Caliph Muawiyah (Shia view).Tabatabae (1979), p.195

Buried in Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, Saudi Arabia.

|Husayn ibn Ali
{{lang|ar|ٱلْإِمَام ٱلْحُسَيْن ٱبْن عَلِيّ}}

Abu Abdillah
{{lang|ar|أَبُو عَبْد ٱللَّٰه}}

Sayyid ash-Shuhadāʾ
({{lang|ar|سَيِّد ٱلشُّهَدَاء}})
(Master of the Martyrs)
al-Maẓlūm
({{lang|ar|ٱلْمَظْلُوم}})
(The Tyrannized)
Sibṭ an-Nabīy
({{lang|ar|سِبْط ٱلنَّبِيّ}})
(Grandchild of the Prophet)

----Üçüncü Ali

|626–680

----4–61Tabatabae (1979), pp.196–199

----Madinah, Hijaz

|46

|57

|11

|He was a grandson of Muhammad and brother of Hasan ibn Ali. Husayn opposed the validity of Yazid ibn Muawiyah. As a result, he, his family and his companions were later killed in the Battle of Karbala by Yazid's forces. After this incident, the commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali has become central to Shia identity.{{cite encyclopedia |last=Madelung |first=Wilferd |title=ḤOSAYN B. ʿALI |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica |access-date=2008-03-23 |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/hosayn-b-ali |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429191459/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/hosayn-b-ali |archive-date=2011-04-29 |url-status=live }}

|Killed and beheaded at the Battle of Karbala.

Buried at the Imam Husayn Mosque in Karbala, Iraq.

|Ali ibn Husayn
{{lang|ar|ٱلْإِمَام عَلِيّ ٱبْن ٱلْحُسَيْن ٱلسَّجَّاد}}

Abu Muhammad
{{lang|ar|أَبُو مُحَمَّد}}

as-Sajjād
({{lang|ar|ٱلسَّجَّاد}})
(The Consistently Prostrating)
Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn
({{lang|ar|زَيْن ٱلْعَابِدِين}})
(Ornament of the Worshippers){{cite encyclopedia | last=Madelung | first=Wilferd | author-link=Wilferd Madelung | title=ʿALĪ B. ḤOSAYN B. ʿALĪ B. ABĪ ṬĀLEB, ZAYN-AL-ʿĀBEDĪN | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2007-11-08 | url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ali-b-hosayn-b-ali | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805150237/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ali-b-hosayn-b-ali | archive-date=2017-08-05 | url-status=live }}

----Dördüncü Ali

|658/9 – 712Tabatabae (1979), p.202

----38–95

----Madinah, Hijaz

|23

|57

|34

|Author of prayers in Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, which is known as "The Psalm of the Household of the Prophet." He survived the Battle of Karbala because he was told not to participate due to a debilitating illness.

|He was poisoned on the order of Caliph al-Walid I in Madinah.

Buried in Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, Saudi Arabia.

|Muhammad ibn Ali
{{lang|ar|ٱلْإِمَام مُحَمَّد ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱلْبَاقِر}}

Abu Ja'far
{{lang|ar|أَبُو جَعْفَر}}

Bāqir al-ʿUlūm
({{lang|ar|بَاقِر ٱلْعُلُوم}})
(The Opener of Knowledge){{cite encyclopedia | last=Madelung | first=Wilferd | author-link=Wilferd Madelung | title=BĀQER, ABŪ JAʿFAR MOḤAMMAD | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2007-11-08 | url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/baqer-abu-jafar-mohammad | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429171737/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/baqer-abu-jafar-mohammad | archive-date=2011-04-29 | url-status=live }}

----Beşinci Ali

| 677–732

----57–114

----Madinah, Hijaz

|38

|57

|19

|Sunni and Shia sources both describe him as one of the early and most eminent legal scholars, teaching many students during his tenure.Tabatabae (1979), p.203

|He was poisoned by Ibrahim ibn Walid ibn 'Abdallah in Madinah on the order of Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik.

Buried in Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, Saudi Arabia.

|Ja'far ibn Muhammad
{{lang|ar|ٱلْإِمَام جَعْفَر ٱبْن مُحَمَّد ٱلصَّادِق}}

Abu Abdillah{{cite encyclopedia | title=JAʿFAR AL-ṢĀDEQ, ABU ʿABD-ALLĀH | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2014-07-07 | url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/jafar-al-sadeq | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181020011502/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/jafar-al-sadeq | archive-date=2018-10-20 | url-status=live }}
{{lang|ar|أَبُو عَبْد ٱللَّٰه}}

aṣ-ṢādiqTabatabae (1979), p.203–204
({{lang|ar|ٱلصَّادِق}})
(The Honest)

----Altıncı Ali

| 702–765

----83–148

----Madinah, Hijaz

|31

|65

|34

|Established the Ja'fari jurisprudence and developed the theology of Twelvers. He instructed many scholars in different fields, including Imams Abu Hanifah and Malik ibn Anas in fiqh, Wasil ibn Ata and Hisham ibn Hakam in Islamic theology, and Jabir ibn Hayyan in science and alchemy.

|He was poisoned in Madinah on the order of Caliph Al-Mansur.

Buried in Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, Saudi Arabia.

|Musa ibn Ja'far
{{lang|ar|ٱلْإِمَام مُوسَىٰ ٱبْن جَعْفَر ٱلْكَاظِم}}

Abu al-Hasan I
{{lang|ar|أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن ٱلْأَوَّل}}{{cite encyclopedia | last=Madelung | first=Wilferd | author-link=Wilferd Madelung | title=ʿALĪ AL-REŻĀ | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2007-11-09 | url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ali-al-reza | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921034922/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ali-al-reza | archive-date=2012-09-21 | url-status=live }}

al-KāẓimTabatabae (1979), p.205
({{lang|ar|ٱلْكَاظِم}})
(The Confined)

----Yedinci Ali

|744–799

----128–183

----Al-Abwa', Hijaz

|20

|55

|35

|Leader of the Shia community during the schism of Ismailis, and other branches such as Waqifis, after the death of the former Imam, Jafar al-Sadiq.Tabatabae (1979) p. 78 He established the network of agents who collected khums in the Shia community of the Middle East and the Greater Khorasan. He holds a high position with the Mahdavia; the members of these orders trace their lineage to Muhammad through him.{{Harvnb|Sachedina|1988|pp=53–54}}

|Imprisoned and poisoned in Baghdad, Iraq on the order of Caliph Harun al-Rashid.

Buried in the Al-Kazimiyah Mosque in Baghdad, Iraq.

|Ali ibn Musa
{{lang|ar|ٱلْإِمَام عَلِيّ ٱبْن مُوسَىٰ ٱلرِّضَا}}

Abu al-Hasan II
{{lang|ar|أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن ٱلثَّانِي}}

ar-RiḍāTabatabae (1979), pp.205–207
({{lang|ar|ٱلرِّضَا}})
(The Pleasing)

----Sekizinci Ali

|765–817

----148–203

----Madinah, Hijaz

|35

|55

|20

|Made crown-prince by Caliph Al-Ma'mun, and famous for his discussions with both Muslim and non-Muslim religious scholars.

|He was poisoned in Mashad, Iran on the order of Caliph Al-Ma'mun.

Buried in the Imam Rida Mosque in Mashad, Iran.

|Muhammad ibn Ali
{{lang|ar|ٱلْإِمَام مُحَمَّد ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱلْجَوَّاد}}

Abu Ja'far
{{lang|ar|أَبُو جَعْفَر}}

al-JawwādTabatabae (1979), p. 207
({{lang|ar|ٱلْجَوَّاد}})
(The Generous)
at-TaqīyTabatabae (1979), p. 207
({{lang|ar|ٱلتَّقِيّ}})
(The God-Fearing)

----Dokuzuncu Ali

|810–835

----195–220

----Madinah, Hijaz

|25

|17

|Famous for his generosity and piety in the face of persecution by the Abbasid caliphate.

|Poisoned by his wife, Al-Ma'mun's daughter, in Baghdad, Iraq on the order of Caliph Al-Mu'tasim.

Buried in the Al-Kazimiyah Mosque in Baghdad, Iraq.

|Ali ibn Muhammad
{{lang|ar|ٱلْإِمَام عَلِيّ ٱبْن مُحَمَّد ٱلْهَادِي}}

Abu al-Hasan III
{{lang|ar|أَبُو ٱلْحَسَن ٱلثَّالِث}}

al-Hādī{{cite encyclopedia | last=Madelung | first=Wilferd | author-link=Wilferd Madelung | title=ʿALĪ AL-HĀDĪ | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2007-11-08 | url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ali-al-hadi-abul-hasan-b | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117000459/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ali-al-hadi-abul-hasan-b | archive-date=2015-11-17 | url-status=live }}
({{lang|ar|ٱلْهَادِي}})
(The Guide)
an-Naqīy
({{lang|ar|ٱلنَّقِيّ}})
(The Pure)

----Onuncu Ali

|827–868

----212–254

----Surayya, a village near Madinah, Hijaz

|42

|34

|Strengthened the network of deputies in the Shia community. He sent them instructions, and received in turn financial contributions of the faithful from the khums and religious vows.

|He was poisoned in Samarra, Iraq on the order of Caliph Al-Mu'tazz.Tabatabae (1979), pp.208–209

Buried in the Al Askari Mosque in Samarra, Iraq.

|Hasan ibn Ali
{{lang|ar|ٱلْإِمَام ٱلْحَسَن ٱبْن عَلِيّ ٱلْعَسْكَرِيّ}}

Abu al-Mahdi
{{lang|ar|أَبُو ٱلْمَهْدِيّ}}

al-ʿAskarīy{{cite encyclopedia | last=Halm | first=H | title=ʿASKARĪ | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2007-11-08 | url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/askari-abu-mohammad-hasan-b | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429165812/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/askari-abu-mohammad-hasan-b | archive-date=2011-04-29 | url-status=live }}
({{lang|ar|ٱلْعَسْكَرِيّ}})
(The Garrison Town One)

----Onbirinci Ali

|846–874

----232–260

----Madinah, Hijaz

|22

|28

|For most of his life, the Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tamid, placed restrictions on him after the death of his father. Repression of the Shia population was particularly high at the time due to their large size and growing power.Tabatabae (1979) pp. 209–210

|He was poisoned on the order of Caliph Al-Mu'tamid in Samarra, Iraq.

Buried in Al-Askari Mosque in Samarra, Iraq.Tabatabae (1979), pp.209–210

|Hujjat Allah ibn al-Hasan
{{lang|ar|ٱلْإِمَام حُجَّة ٱللَّٰه ٱبْن ٱلْحَسَن ٱلْمَهْدِيّ}}

Abu al-Qasim
{{lang|ar|أَبُو ٱلْقَاسِم}}

al-Mahdīy{{cite encyclopedia | title=THE CONCEPT OF MAHDI IN TWELVER SHIʿISM | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2014-07-07 | url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/islam-in-iran-vii-the-concept-of-mahdi-in-twelver-shiism | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429160008/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/islam-in-iran-vii-the-concept-of-mahdi-in-twelver-shiism | archive-date=2011-04-29 | url-status=live }}
({{lang|ar|ٱلْمَهْدِيّ}})
(The Guided)
al-Qāʾim
({{lang|ar|ٱلْقَائِم}})
(The Riser)
al-Ghāʾib{{cite encyclopedia | title=ḠAYBA | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2014-07-07 | url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gayba | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809065845/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gayba | archive-date=2014-08-09 | url-status=live }}
({{lang|ar|ٱلْغَائِب}})
(The Hidden)
Baqīyat Allah
({{lang|ar|بَقِيَّة ٱللَّٰه}})
(Remainder of Allah's)
al-Ḥujjah ʾĀl Muḥammad{{cite encyclopedia | title=Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Hujjah | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online | access-date=2007-11-08 | url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9054165/Muhammad-al-Mahdi-al-Hujjah | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017223131/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9054165/Muhammad-al-Mahdi-al-Hujjah | archive-date=2007-10-17 | url-status=live }}
({{lang|ar|ٱلْحُجَّة مِن آل مُحَمَّد}})
(The Proof of the House of Muhammad)
Wali al-‘Asr (ولي العصر (the guardian of the age)

----Onikinci Ali

|869–presentTabatabae (1979), pp.210–211

----255–present

----Samarra, Iraq

|unknown

|present

|According to Twelver Shia doctrine, he is the current Imam and the promised Mahdi, a messianic figure who will return with the prophet Isa (Jesus). He will reestablish the rightful governance of Islam and establish justice and peace in the whole earth.Tabatabae (1979), pp. 211–214

|According to Twelver Shia doctrine, he has been living in the Occultation since 874, and will continue as long as God wills.

Footnotes

References

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{{cite book|last1=Olsson|first1=Tord| last2=Ozdalga| first2=Elisabeth| last3=Raudvere| first3=Catharina| title=Alevi Identity: Cultural, Religious and Social Perspectives|year=2005|publisher=Routledge|isbn= 978-1-135-79725-6}}
{{cite book | last=Pierce| first=Matthew|title= Twelve Infallible Men: The Imams and the Making of Shi'ism| publisher=Harvard University Press | year=2016 | isbn=978-0674737075}}
{{cite book | last=Sachedina | first=Abdulaziz Abdulhussein | author-link=Abdulaziz Sachedina | title= The Just Ruler (al-sultān Al-ʻādil) in Shīʻite Islam: The Comprehensive Authority of the Jurist in Imamite Jurisprudence| publisher=Oxford University Press US | year=1988 | isbn=0-19-511915-0}}
{{cite book | last=Tabataba'i | first=Sayyid Mohammad Hosayn | others=Seyyed Hossein Nasr (translator) | author-link=Allameh Tabatabaei | title= Shi'ite Islam | publisher=SUNY press| year=1977 | isbn=978-0-87395-390-0}}

External links

[http://al-islam.org/twelve/7.htm A brief introduction of Twelve Imams]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080329020223/http://www.balagh.net/english/shia/shia/10.htm#00011 A Brief History Of The Lives Of The Twelve Imams] a chapter of Shi'ite Islam by Allameh Tabatabaei
[https://web.archive.org/web/20010422001750/http://www.geocities.com/ahlulbayt14/12imams.html The Twelve Imams] Taken From "A Shi'ite Anthology" By Allameh Tabatabaei
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080618012237/http://www.ummah.net/khoei/imam.htm#12 A Short History of the Lives of The Twelve Imams]
[http://bektashiorder.com/the-twelve-imams/ Hazreti Ali & the Twelve Imams – The Bektashi Order of Dervishes]

Category:Twelver theology

Category:Lists of Islamic religious leaders

Imams

twelve Imams

Imamah

List

See also

Footnotes

References

External links