twelve imam . twelfth imam . امام زمان عج . الامام الثانی عشر . الإمام الثاني عشر

Al-Ghadīr Sermon (Arabic: خطبة الغدير) is a sermon delivered by the Prophet (s) where he (s) introduced 'Ali (a) as the Wali (guardian) of Muslims. The prophet (s) delivered this sermon on Dhu l-Hijja 18 of 10/March 19, 632) on his return from Hajjat al-Wida' [Hajj of Farewell] in a place called Ghadir Khumm. Many Shi'a and Sunni scholars have narrated this sermon.

Al-Ghadir sermon is one of the proofs Shi'a bring for the guardianship of Imam 'Ali (a) after the Prophet (s). Shi'a also support their claim with other proofs and evidences.

The Hadith al-Ghadir is a part of this sermon where the Prophet (s) says, "Anyone I am his master (Wali), then 'Ali (a) is his master."

Since, this phrase is narrated by more than 110 companions of the Prophet (s) and 84 Followers, it can be said that this hadith has been narrated as mutawatir (frequent).

'Abd al-Husayn Amini collected all the references for this sermon and the Hadith al-Ghadir from Sunni sources and published them together with all other supportive reasons for the event of Ghadir in 11 volumes in his book al-Ghadir.

The Event of Ghadīr (Arabic: واقعة الغدير), according to Shi'a beliefs, is among the most important events in the history of Islam, in which on his return from Hajjat al-Wida', the Prophet (s) introduced Imam Ali (a) as his vicegerent and people's guardian after himself at a place called Ghadir Khum, where everyone including greatest companions pledged their allegiance with Imam Ali (a).

This introduction was according to divine command in al-Tabligh Verse which was revealed a little earlier than Dhu l-Hijja 18, 10/March 19, 632 commanding the Prophet (s) to communicate to people whatever has been revealed to him and if he does not, it is as if he has not fulfilled his mission. Subsequently, al-Ikmal Verse was revealed saying: "Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion."

Rajʿa (Arabic: الرَّجعَة), is the belief that a group of people who have died will return to the Earth shortly after the reappearance of the twelfth Shi'a Imam, al-Mahdi (a). It is a belief particular to the Shi'a Muslims. The Qur'an has mentioned the story of some people who have been resurrected after death. Based on some hadiths, a number of perfect believers as well as a number of complete infidels will return to this world. The return of Imam Ali (a) and Imam al-Husayn (a) has been especially emphasized. Since there are mutawatir hadiths about raj'a, it is a certain fact. However, details about raj'a are not as certain.

Islām (Arabic: الإسلام) is among monotheistic and Abrahamic religions. The prophet of this religion is Muhammad (s) to whom the Qur'an was revealed. The beginning of invitation to Islam was made in 610 CE in the city of Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula. Increasing expansion of Islam began after emigration of the Prophet (s) to Medina. Muslims believe that the Holy Prophet (s) is the last divine prophet and Islam is the last divine religion

The Qur'ān (Arabic: القرآن) is the Muslim sacred scripture, they regard the contents and words of the Qur'an as revealed by God; they also believe that the Qur'an is a miracle, a proof for the prophethood of Muhammad (s), and the final divinely revealed scripture. The Qur'an has emphasized its own miraculous nature, challenging the disbelievers to produce a work similar to it.

Prophets (a) (Arabic: الأنبیاء) are elite people selected by God who enjoyed the Knowledge of the Hidden and were in charge of guiding other people. Only 25 prophets are mentioned in the Qur'an, but according to hadiths, there were 124000 prophets, the first of whom was Adam (a) and the last of whom was Muhammad (s), the prophet of Islam. All the prophets were Infallible, and they propagated common ideas. They had different rankings, and some of them held the position of imamate in addition to prophethood. Every prophet had his own successor, and the Twelve Imams (a) are the successors of the last prophet.

Al-Nubuwwa (Arabic: النُبُوَّة) or Prophethood is a divine selection of a person to whom divine teachings are revealed in order to lead people to the path of perfection and happiness. The main features of the prophets include the reception of wahy (revelation), the power to perform miracles, and infallibility.

Maʿād or Resurrection (Arabic: معاد) is one of the roots of faith in Islam and means the return of people after death into life on the Day of Judgment (qiyama). According to this belief, all of the people will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment and their actions will be judged in the presence of God and they will be requited

Tawḥīd (Arabic: التَوحيد), or monotheism is the most fundamental doctrine in Islam, which means believing in the oneness and uniqueness of God and not ascribing any partners to Him. The message of the Prophet Muhammad (s) since the beginning of his mission was based on the call for tawhid and the rejection of polytheism. Tawhid is a major theme in the Qur'an and hadiths. Al-Tawhid is also one of the names of sura 112 of the Qur'an, which presents a brief but deep expression of the doctrine

Imamate (Arabic: الإمامة), from Shi'a point of view, is the leadership of the Islamic society, designated by God to succeed the Prophet (s) in all religious and worldly affairs. It is among the principles of Shi'a school and one of the points of difference between Shi'a and Sunnis. The importance of this principle among Shi'a led them to be titled as Imamiyya

Furūʿ al-dīn (Arabic: فروع الدين), lit. branches/ancillaries of the faith, is a legal and theological term which refers to actions in Islam that have been legislated, and they are often discussed alongside the roots of faith which are known as the Usul al-din (which primarily pertain to beliefs as opposed to action). Some of the ancillaries of religion include: prayers, fasting, khums and zakat (religious taxes), hajj (pilgrimage), jihad (struggle), enjoining the good, forbidding the evil, and tawalli and tabarri.

Prayer or al-Ṣalāt (Arabic: الصلاة) is the most important worship of Muslims which is referred to by highly respectful and reverent phrases in the Qur'an and hadiths, such as the pillar of the religion, ascension of spirit, soul purifier, the first practice which will be questioned about on the Day of Judgement, and the requisite for the acceptance of good deeds. It is also mentioned in these sources that prayer wards the sins off, determines the border of faith and infidelity, and eliminates arrogance.

Prayer became obligatory for Muslims before the Prophet's (s) hijra. At the beginning, Muslims performed prayer towards Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem al-Quds, but from the second year after hijra/623-4, they were supposed to say prayer in the direction of Ka'ba in Mecca

Al-Mahdawīyya (Arabic: المهدوية) is the doctrine about the Zuhur or reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a), the twelfth infallible Imam from the progeny of the Prophet (s).

The belief in a savior who establishes justice and removes injustice in the world is an essential doctrine for Shiite Muslims and is a belief held by all Muslims. In Shiite doctrines, this promised savior has also been called al-Qa'im (person who rises) from the family of Muhammad (s).

According to hadiths, the Prophet (s) predicted that a man from his household, called "al-Mahdi" (the guided one), will appear and fills the earth with justice, as it was filled with injustice. Thus after the demise of the Prophet (s), Muslims always expected the appearance of al-Mahdi (a).

The Qur'ān (Arabic: القرآن) is the Muslim sacred scripture, they regard the contents and words of the Qur'an as revealed by God; they also believe that the Qur'an is a miracle, a proof for the prophethood of Muhammad (s), and the final divinely revealed scripture. The Qur'an has emphasized its own miraculous nature, challenging the disbelievers to produce a work similar to it.

The revelation of the Qur'an began in the Cave of Hira, located in Mount Nur (Jabal al-Nur). The majority opinion is that the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet (s) both through the angel of revelation and directly. Most Muslims believe that the Qur'an was revealed gradually, but some believe that, in addition to the gradual revelation, the Qur'an or some parts of it were revealed to the Prophet (s) instantaneously.

Uṣūl al-dīn (Arabic: أصول الدین) or principles of religion or roots of faith are a set of essential beliefs in Islam that every Muslim needs to believe in; otherwise, he would not be considered a Muslim. Tawhid (oneness of God), nubuwwat (prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad (s)), and resurrection are the three main principles of Islam. All Islamic sects believe in these three principles; but each one has special principles which separate it from other sects. For the Shi'a, 'adl (justice of God) and imamate are the additional principles.

Believing in the principles of religion is obligatory; but there is disagreement as to whether certainty of the principles is required or supposition is enough. Also there is a discussion over the sufficiency of believing in the principles of religion out of emulation.

Most religious scholars believe that emulation is not permissible in usul al-din and everyone needs to think about these principles for himself and accept them with certainty

Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-'Askarī (Arabic: محمد بن الحسن العسکری) (born in 255/869), also known as Imam al-Mahdi (a) (Arabic: إمام المهدی), is the twelfth Imam in Twelver Shi'ism. He is the promised savior, who will rise one day and fill the earth with peace and justice. Imam al-Mahdi (a) has been in occultation from the early years of his life. Shi'as regard him as the Imam of the present age. Among his well-known titles are Imam al-Mahdi (the Imam of the time) and Wali l-'Asr (the guardian of the age).

Imam al-Mahdi (a) became the Imam after the martyrdom of his father Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) in the year 260/874, when he was five. From that time until the year 329/940, he was in contact with his followers through his Four Deputies. After that, his Major Occultation started, in which period the direct guidance and leadership of the Shi'a community rests with religious scholars.

There are many hadiths transmitted from the Imams (a) about Imam al-Mahdi (a), his life, his Occultation, and his government, and many collections of such hadiths have been written. In addition to hadith collections, many works have been published about Imam al-Mahdi (a).

Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī (a) (Arabic:(ع) أبو محمد الحسن بن علي) (b. 232/846 d. 260/874) was the 11th Imam of Twelver Shi'a and the father of Imam al-Mahdi (a). He was given the title, Imam al-Askari(امام العسکري), because he was forced to reside in Samarra which was also known as "Askar" (a military camp or town). His other titles include Ibn al-Rida, al-Hadi, al-Naqi, al-Zaki, al-Rafiq and al-Samit.

Severe restrictions on Imam al-Askari's (a) life made him choose agents to communicate with the Shi'a. Uthman b. Sa'id was one of his special agents who became the first special deputy of Imam al-Mahdi (a) upon the beginning of his occultation after Imam al-Askari (a) was martyred.

Imam al-'Askari (a) was martyred on the 8th of Rabi I, 260/874. He was buried in the same house where his father had been buried. The holy shrine of al-'Askariyyayn was attacked and destroyed two times by terrorists.

Abu l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. Muḥammad al-Hādī, (b. 212/828 - d. 254/868) (Arabic:ابوالحسن علي بن محمد الهادي) was the son of Imam al-Jawad (a) and he was the tenth of the twelve Imams of the Shia. He is also known as al-Naqī (النقي, the pure) and al-Hādī (الهادي, the guide). He was the Imam (leader) between 220/835 and 254/868 for a period of thirty-four years.

Many years of the imamate (leadership) of Imam al-Hadi (a) took place in Samarra under direct surveillance of the rulers of his time. His imamate was contemporary with the rule of some Abbasid caliphs including al-Mutawakkil al-'Abbasi.

Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. Mūsā (Arabic: محمد بن علي بن موسی) known as Imām al-Jawād (a) (Arabic: امام الجواد) was the ninth Imam of Twelver Shia, his kunya was Abu Ja'far and he is mentioned in haidth sources as Abu Ja'far al-Thani (the second Abu Ja'far). He (a) was born on Rajab 10, 195/April 8, 811 in Medina and was Imam for 17 years. He was martyred when he (a) was 25 years old and was buried in Kadhimiya beside the grave of his grandfather Musa b. Ja'far (a). He was the youngest Imam when he was martyred.

ʿAlī b. Mūsā (a) (Arabic: علي بن موسی) (b. 148/765 – d. 203/818) is the eighth Imam of Twelver Shia. His Kunya was Abū l-Ḥasan (Arabic: أبو الحسن) and his most famous title was al-Riḍā (Arabic: الرضا). He (a) was Imam for 20 years. Imam al-Rida (a) was born in Medina and was martyred in Tus.