The line of the Twelve Imams Twelver Shi'ism holds to a line of twelve Imams: Ali, Hasan, Husayn, then nine descendants of Husayn (Zayn al-Abidin, al-Baqir, al-Sadiq, al-Kazim, al-Rida, al-Jawad, al-Hadi, al-Askari, and al-Mahdi). The governing principle is ‘nass’ — each Imam designates his successor by divine appointment, not election. Historically several of these Imams died under Abbasid rule, in custody or under surveillance; Shia tradition holds most were poisoned or killed, though the details are not uniformly confirmed in independent sources.
Views — Sunni: these figures are respected scholars and noble descendants of the Prophet, but their divine ‘imamate’ and infallibility are not accepted. · Shia: the twelve are infallible, divinely appointed Imams and the only legitimate leadership.
Mehr lesen ▼