Twelve Imams

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Main article: Imamah (Shi'a twelver doctrine)

According to the Theology of Twelvers or Ithna Ashariya, who are the majority of Shia Muslims, there is an infallible and knowledgeable male descendant of 'Ali and Fatimah at any given time who is the divinely appointed and the sole authority, in his time, on all matters of faith and law of Muslim community. The more moderate came, in time, to claim that at least a supernatural “Muhammadan light” embodied in the imams gave them superhuman knowledge and power and that their sufferings were a means of divine grace to their devotees. To the Shia love of the imams and of their persecuted cause became as important as belief in God's oneness and the mission of Muhammad. Imam ,whether in power or not, is the rightful successors to Muhammad.[1]

The following list is the listing of Imams. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam, except for Husayn ibn Ali who was the brother of Hasan ibn Ali.

Number
 Name
(Full/Kunya)		 Title
(Arabic/Turkish)		 Lifespan
(CE/AH)		 Importance Birth Death
1 Ali ibn Abu Talib
علي بن أبي طالب
Abu al-Hassan
أبو الحسن		 Amir al-Mu'minin
(Commander of the Faithful)[2]
Birinci Ali[3]		 600 – 661[2]
23BH – 40AH[4]		 The first Imam of all Shia who is considered as rightful successor of the Prophet by them; accepted as fourth Caliph by Sunnis as well. He holds a high position in almost all Sufi Muslim orders (Turuq) which trace their lineage to Muhammad through him.[2] Mecca[2] Assassinated; slashed with a poisoned sword by Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam, a Kharijite in Kufa.[2][5] Buried at the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf.
2 Hassan ibn Ali
ألحسن بن علي
Abu Muhammad
أبو محمد		 al-Mujtaba
Ikinci Ali[3]		 624 – 680[6]
3 – 50[7]		 Peace treaty with Caliph Muawiya I. Considered by some Sunnis to be the fifth Rashidun Caliph. Medina[6] Poisoned by his wife on Caliph Muawiya's orders in Medina.[8] Buried in Jannat al-Baqi.
3 Husayn ibn Ali
ألحسین بن علي
Abu Abdillah
أبو عبدالله		 Sayed al-Shuhada
Ūçüncü Ali[3]		 626 – 680[9]
4 –61[10]		 Sacrificing himself and his family at the Battle of Karbala for the sake of a true Islamic polity.[9] Medina[9] Martyred at Battle of Karbala.[9] Buried at the Imam Husayn Shrine in Karbala
4 Ali ibn al-Hussein
علي بن الحسین
Abu Muhammad
أبو محمد		 al-Sajjad, Zain al-Abedin

[11]

Dorduncu Ali[3]		 658-9[11] – 712[12]
38[11]

– 95[12]

 Authorship of prayers in Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, which is known as "The Psalm of the Household of the Prophet." [12] Medina[11] According to some Shia scholars he poisoned on the order of Caliph al-Walid I in Medina.[12] Buried in Jannat al-Baqi.
5 Muhammad ibn Ali
محمد بن علي
Abu Ja'far
أبو جعفر		 al-Baqir al-Ulum

(splitting open knowledge) [13]

Besinci Ali[3]		 677 – 732[13]
57 or – 114[13]		 Sunni and Shia sources agree in describing him as an eminent and one of the early legal scholars and taught a lot of students.[13][14] Medina[13] According to some Shia scholar he poisoned by Ibrahim ibn Walid ibn 'Abdallah on the order of Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik in Medina[15]. Buried in Jannat al-Baqi.
6 Ja'far ibn Muhammad
جعفر بن محمد
Abu Abdillah
أبو عبدالله		 al-Sadiq[16]


(the Trustworthy)

Altinci Ali[3]		 702 – 765[16]
83 – 148 [16]		 Establishment of Ja'fari jurisprudence and development of the Theology of Shia. He instructed many scholars in different fields of the intellectual and transmitted sciences such as Abu Hanifah and Malik ibn Anas in fiqh, Wasil ibn Ata and Hisham ibn Hakam in Islamic theology, Geber in science and alchemy.[16][17][18] Medina[16] According to Shia he poisoned on the order of Caliph Al-Mansur in Medina[16]. Buried in Jannat al-Baqi.
7 Musa ibn Ja'far
موسی بن جعفر
Abu al-Hassan I
أبو الحسن الاول [19]		 al-Kazim[20]
Yedinci Ali[3]		 744 – 799[20]
128 – 183[20]		 Leadership of the community during the schism of Ismaili and some other branches after death of the former Imam,Jafar al-Sadiq.[21] Medina[20] Imprisoned and poisoned on the order of Caliph Harun al-Rashid in Baghdad. Buried in the Kazmain shrine in Baghdad.[20]
8 Ali ibn Musa
علي بن موسی
Abu al-Hassan II
أبو الحسن الثانی[19]		 al-Rida, Reza[22]
Sekizinci Ali[3]		 765 – 817[22]
148 – 203[22]		 Made the crown-prince by caliph Al-Ma'mun, and famous for his discussions with both Muslim and non-Muslim religious scholars.[22] Medina[22] According to Shia poisoned on the order of Caliph Al-Ma'mun in Mashad. Buried in the Imam Reza shrine in Mashad.[22]
9 Muhammad ibn Ali
محمد بن علي
Abu Ja'far
أبو جعفر		 al-Taqi, al-Jawad[23]
Dokuzuncu Ali[3]		 810 – 835[23]
195 – 220[23]		 Famous for his generosity and piety in the face of persecution by the Abbasid caliphate. Medina[23] Poisoned by his wife,Al-Ma'mun's daughter, on the order of Caliph Al-Mu'tasim in Baghdad. Buried in the Kazmain shrine in Baghdad.[23]
10 Ali ibn Muhammad
علي بن محمد
Abu al-Hassan III
أبو الحسن الثالث[24]		 al-Hadi, al-Naqi[24]
Onuncu Ali[3]		 827 – 868[24]
212 – 254[24]		 Strengthened the network of deputies in the Shia community. He sent them his instructions and receiving through them the financial contributions of the faithful from the khums and religious vows.[24] Surayya a village near Medina[24] According to Shia poisoned on the order of Caliph Al-Mu'tazz in Samarra.[25] Buried in the Al Askari Mosque in Samarra.
11 Hassan ibn Ali
ألحسن بن علي
Abu Muhammad
أبو محمد		 al-Askari[26]
Onbirinci Ali[3]		 846 – 874[26]
232 – 260[26]		 There was untold restrictions placed upon him by the Abbasid caliph, Al-Mu'tamid , for almost all of his life after death of his father and couldn't contact with people freely. There was extreme repression at that time because the Shi'ite population had reached a considerable level in both numbers and power.[27] Medina[26] According to Shia he poisoned on the order of Caliph Al-Mu'tamid in Samarra. Buried in Al Askari Mosque in Samarra.[28]
12 Muhammad ibn al-Hassan
محمد بن الحسن
Abu Qasim
أبو القاسم		 al-Mahdi, Hidden Imam, al-Hujjah [29]
Onikinci Ali[3]		 868 – unknown[30]
255 – unknown[30]		 According to Twelvers he is the current Imam, According to the Twelver view he is the promised Mahdi, a messianic figure who will return with Christ. He will reestablish the rightful governance of Islam and replete the earth with justice and peace. [31] Samarra[30] According to Shia He has lived in the Occultation since 872 and will continue as long as God wills it.[30]
  • Note 1: According to Shia view Ali became Imam after death of Prophet of Islam and the other ones became Imam after the martyrdom of former Imam.
  • Note 2:The Imam's Arabic titles are used by majority of Twelver Shia who use Arabic as a liturgical language, including the Usooli, Akhbari, Shaykhi, and to a lesser extent Alawi. Turkish titles are generally used by Alevi Twelver, who make up around 10% of the world Shia population. [3]

  1. ^ "Shi'ite". Encyclopedia Britannica Online. (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-6. 
  2. ^ a b c d e Nasr, Seyyed Hossein "Ali". Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved on 2007-10-12. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Alevi. Retrieved on 2007-11-08.
  4. ^ Tabatabae (1979) pp. 190 - 192
  5. ^ Tabatabae (1979) p. 192
  6. ^ a b "Hasan". Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved on 2007-11-8. 
  7. ^ Tabatabae (1979) pp. 194 - 195
  8. ^ Tabatabae (1979) p. 195
  9. ^ a b c d "al-Husayn". Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved on 2007-11-8. 
  10. ^ Tabatabae (1979) pp. 196 - 199
  11. ^ a b c d Madelung, Wilferd "'ALÈ B. AL-HUOSAYN". Encyclopedia Iranica. Retrieved on 2007-11-8. 
  12. ^ a b c d Tabatabae (1979) p. 202
  13. ^ a b c d e Madelung, Wilferd "AL-BAQER, ABU JAFAR MOHAMMAD". Encyclopedia Iranica. Retrieved on 2007-11-8. 
  14. ^ Tabatabae (1979) p. 203
  15. ^ Tabatabae (1979) p. 202
  16. ^ a b c d e f Tabatabae (1979) p. 203 - 204
  17. ^ Reseach Committee of Strasburg University, Imam Jafar Ibn Muhammad As-Sadiq A.S. The Great Muslim Scientist and Philosopher, translated by Kaukab Ali Mirza, 2000. Willowdale Ont. ISBN 0969949014.
  18. ^ "Wasil ibn Ata". Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved on 2007-11-8. 
  19. ^ a b Madelung, Wilferd "'ALÈ AL-HAÚDÈ". Encyclopedia Iranica. Retrieved on 2007-11-9. 
  20. ^ a b c d e Tabatabae (1979) p. 205
  21. ^ Tabatabae (1979) p. 78
  22. ^ a b c d e f Tabatabae (1979) pp. 205-207
  23. ^ a b c d e Tabatabae (1979) p. 207
  24. ^ a b c d e f Madelung, Wilferd "'ALÈ AL-HAÚDÈ". Encyclopedia Iranica. Retrieved on 2007-11-8. 
  25. ^ Tabatabae (1979) pp. 208-209
  26. ^ a b c d Halm, H "'ASKARÈ". Encyclopedia Iranica. Retrieved on 2007-11-8. 
  27. ^ Tabatabae (1979) pp. 209-210
  28. ^ Tabatabae (1979) pp. 209-210
  29. ^ "Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Hujjah". Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved on 2007-11-8. 
  30. ^ a b c d Tabatabae (1979) pp. 210-211
  31. ^ Tabatabae (1979) pp. 211-214

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