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Religion / branch / eraPhase 4b · Caliphates, schools & sectsMajor figure

Ithna Ashariyyah (Twelver Shia)

الإثنا عشرية

Imamate line to 260 AH; Minor Occultation 260-329 AH (874-941 CE); state religion of Safavid Iran from 1501 CE

The largest Shia branch, believing in twelve Imams from Ali to Muhammad al-Mahdi, who they hold has been in occultation since 260 AH. It is the majority in Iran, Iraq, Bahrain and Azerbaijan.

Biography

Twelvers follow Ali, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Zayn al-Abidin, al-Baqir, al-Sadiq, Musa al-Kazim, Ali al-Rida, Muhammad al-Jawad, Ali al-Hadi, Hasan al-Askari and Muhammad al-Mahdi. After the Minor Occultation (through four deputies) came the Major Occultation (329 AH). Their hadith collections include al-Kafi of al-Kulayni, and their law is Ja'fari, with authority exercised by mujtahids (marja').

The Buyids (10th-11th century CE) patronised Twelver Shi'ism; the Safavids made it Iran's state religion in 1501 CE. The doctrine of wilayat al-faqih underlies the 1979 Islamic Republic of Iran.

Sources & explanation

۞ Qur'an

No specific verses cited for this node.

📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 7222, 7223 Sahih

    'There will be twelve amirs (rulers)… all of them from Quraysh.' (Sunni and Twelver scholars interpret it differently.)

💬 Explanation Unverified

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective

Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: Presented neutrally.

Empires in their lifetime

  • Buyid dynasty 934 CE – 1062 CE
    Buyid rule saw public Shia observances such as Ashura commemorations in Baghdad.
  • Safavid Empire 1501 – 1736 CE
    Made Twelver Shi'ism the state religion of Iran.

Further references

  • al-Nawbakhti, Firaq al-Shi'ah
  • Historical consensus

Connections

Comes from

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