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Major Occultation
In Twelver Shia Islam, the Major Occultation (, ', 329 AH-present, 941 CE-present) is the second occultation of the Hidden Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, which is expected to continue until his rise at the end of time to establish peace and justice on earth. While various sects disagree about the identity of the eschatological Mahdi, the belief in him remains popular among all Muslims, possibly owing to numerous traditions to this effect in canonical Sunni and Shia sources. The Major Occultation began in 329 AH (941 CE) with the death of the fourth successive agent of the Hidden Imam, Abu al-Hasan al-Samarri, marking the end of the Minor Occultation (260-329 AH, 874-941 CE). According to Twelver sources, shortly before his death, al-Samarri received a letter from the Hidden Imam, which predicted his imminent death, ordered him not to designate a successor, and announced the beginning of the "complete occultation," in which there would be no agent of the Hidden Imam, though he is b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imamate In Twelver Doctrine
Imāmah () means "Islamic leadership, leadership" and is a concept in Theology of Twelvers, Twelver theology. The Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to Muhammad, the Prophets in Islam, Prophet of Islam, in the Twelver branch of Shia Islam. According to Twelver theology, the successors to Muhammad are The Fourteen Infallibles, infallible human beings, who rule justly over the community and maintain and interpret sharia and undertake the esoteric interpretation of the Quran. The Sunnah, words and deeds of Muhammad and the Imams guide the community. For this, the Imams must be free from error and sin and chosen by divine decree—Nass (Islam), ''nass''—through the Prophet. Shi'a believe that divine wisdom—'Aql—is the source of the souls of the Prophets and Imams and gives them esoteric knowledge—''hikmah''—and that their suffering is a means by which their devotees may acquire divine grace. The Imam is not the recipient of wahy, divine revelation, but ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twelver Shi'ism
Twelver Shi'ism (), also known as Imamism () or Ithna Ashari, is the largest branch of Shi'a Islam, comprising about 90% of all Shi'a Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers to its adherents' belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as the Twelve Imams, and their belief that the last Imam, Imam al-Mahdi, lives in occultation (''ghayba'') and will reappear as "the awaited Mahdi" (''al-Mahdi al-muntazar''). Twelver Shi'as believe that the Twelve Imams are divinely appointed as both spiritual and political successors to the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and that they possess special knowledge and authority to guide the Muslim community. According to Twelver theology, the Twelve Imams are exemplary human individuals who rule over the Muslim community (''Ummah'') with justice, and are able to preserve and interpret the Islamic law (Sharia) and the esoteric meaning of the Qur'an. The words and deeds ('' sunnah'') of Muhammad and the Imams are a guide and model for the Musl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uthman Ibn Sa'id Al-Asadi
Uthman ibn Sa'id al-Asadi al-Amri ( ') was the first of the Four Deputies, who are believed by the Twelvers to have successively represented their twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, during his Minor Occultation (874–941 CE). Uthman is also said to have been a trusted representative of the tenth and eleventh Imams, Ali al-Hadi and Hasan al-Askari, respectively. The date of his death is not certain, though it is believed that Uthman did not survive al-Askari for long. Historical background Until their deaths, the tenth and eleventh Shia Imams ( Ali al-Hadi and Hasan al-Askari, respectively) were held under close surveillance in the garrison town of Samarra by the Abbasids, who are often responsible in Shia sources for poisoning the two Imams. The two Imams witnessed the deterioration of the Abbasid caliphate, as the imperial authority rapidly transitioned into the hands of the Turks, particularly after al-Mutawakkil. Contemporary to the tenth Imam, the Abbasid al-Mutawakkil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Russo-Persian Wars
The Russo-Persian Wars ( ), or the Russo-Iranian Wars ( ), began in 1651 and continued intermittently until 1828. They consisted of five conflicts in total, each rooted in both sides' disputed governance of territories and countries in the Caucasus, particularly Arran (modern-day Azerbaijan), Georgia, and Armenia, as well as much of Dagestan. Generally referred to as Transcaucasia, this region was considered to be part of Persia prior to the 17th century. Between the War of 1722–1723 and the War of 1796, there was an interbellum period in which a number of treaties were drawn up between the two nations themselves and between them and the neighbouring Ottoman Empire; Turkish interest in the Caucasian territories further complicated the Russo-Persian Wars, as the two belligerents started forming alliances with the Ottoman Empire at different points of the conflict. Finally, as a consequence of the Treaty of Turkmenchay, the Persians ceded much of their Transcaucasian holdings ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Qajar Iran
The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic peoples, Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran and the Rise of the Reza Shah: From Qajar Collapse to Pahlavi Power'', I. B. Tauris, 2000, , p. 1William Bayne Fisher. ''Cambridge History of Iran'', Cambridge University Press, 1993, p. 344, Dr Parviz Kambin, ''A History of the Iranian Plateau: Rise and Fall of an Empire'', Universe, 2011, p.36online edition specifically from the Qajar (tribe), Qajar tribe, from 1789 to 1925. The Qajar family played a pivotal role in the Unification of Iran (1779–1796), deposing Lotf 'Ali Khan, the last Shah of the Zand dynasty, and re-asserted Iranian sovereignty over large parts of the Caucasus. In 1796, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar seized Mashhad with ease, putting an end to the Afsharid dynasty. He was formally crowned as Shah after his Batt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Safavid Iran
The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the beginning of History of Iran, modern Iranian history, as well as one of the gunpowder empires. The Safavid List of monarchs of Persia, Shāh Ismail I, Ismā'īl I established the Twelver denomination of Shia Islam, Shīʿa Islam as the Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam, official religion of the empire, marking one of the most important turning points in the history of Islam. An Iranian dynasty rooted in the Sufi Safavid order founded by sheikhs claimed by some sources to be of Kurds, Kurdish origin, it heavily intermarried with Turkoman (ethnonym), Turkoman, Georgians, Georgian, Circassians, Circassian, and Pontic Greeks, Pontic GreekAnthony Bryer. "Greeks and Türkmens: The Pontic Exception", ''Dumbarton Oaks Papers, Vol. 29'' (1975), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zayn Al-Din Al-Juba'i Al'Amili
Zayn al-Dīn al-Juba'ī al-Ṭalluṣī al'Amilī (; 1506-1559), also known as ash-Shahīd ath-Thanī (, ', ) was a Twelver Shia Muslim scholar. Early life He was born ''Zayn al-Dīn bin Nur al-Dīn 'Alī bin Aḥmad bin Muḥammad bin 'Alī bin Jamal al-Dīn bin Taqī bin Sāliḥ bin Mushrif al-'Amilī al-Shamī al-Ṭalluṣī al-Juba'ī'', in the village of Jbaa, on the 13th of Shawwal, 911 AH (1506 CE). His father, Sheikh Nur al-Din 'Ali was also a scholar. His ancestor, Sāliḥ, was a student of Allamah al-Hilli. Career and travels Thani studied under both Sunni and Shi'a scholars in Jabal 'Amel, Damascus, Cairo, Jerusalem. In 1536, he moved to Egypt, where he learned ''Usul al-Fiqh'', geometry, prosody, medicine and logic. In 1543, he traveled to Constantinople and met with Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Qāḍī Zāda al-Rūmī, with whom he shared multiple treatises relating to several subjects, including mathematics, astronomy and religion. The latter offered him t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jihad
''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God's guidance, such as an introspection, internal struggle against evil in oneself, efforts to build a good Muslim community (''ummah''), and struggle to defend Islam. Literally meaning 'struggle', the term is most frequently Islam and war, associated with warfare. ''Jihad'' is classified into inner ("greater") ''jihad'', which involves a struggle against one's own passions and impulses, and outer ("lesser") ''jihad'', which is further subdivided into ''jihad'' of the pen/tongue (debate or persuasion) and ''jihad'' of the sword (warfare). Much of Muslim opinion considers inner ''jihad'' to have primacy over outer ''jihad'', although many Western scholars disagree. The analysis of a large survey from 2002 reveals considerable nuance in the co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al-Shaykh Al-Mufid
Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu'man al-'Ukbari al-Baghdadi, known as al-Shaykh al-Mufid () and Ibn al-Mu'allim (c.9481022 CE), was a prominent Iraqi Twelver Shia theologian. His father was a teacher (''mu'allim''), hence the name Ibn al-Mu'allim. The title "al-Mufid" was given to him either by Muhammad al-Mahdi, the twelfth Shia Imam, or by al-Rummani, a Mu'tazilite scholar, after a conversation with him. The leader of the Shia community, he was a mutakallim, theologian, and Shia jurist. He was taught by Al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Ibn Qulawayh, Abu Abdallah al-Basri and al-Rummani, and Sharif al-Murtaza and Shaykh Tusi were among his students. Only 10 of his 200 works have survived, among which are ''Amali'', ''Al-Irshad'', ''Al-Muqni'ah'', and ''Tashih al-Itiqadat''. Early life and education Al-Mufid was born in 'Ukbara, a small town to the north of Baghdad, on 11th Dhul Qa'dah in 336 Hijra. According to Shaykh Tusi, however, he was born in 338 AH, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Khums
In Islam, khums ( ) is a tax on Muslims which obligates them to pay one-fifth (20%) of their acquired wealth from the spoils of war and, according to most Muslim jurists, other specified types of income, towards various designated beneficiaries. In Islamic legal terminology, "spoils of war" ('' al-ghanima'') refers to property and wealth looted by the Muslim army after battling with non-Muslims or raiding them. Khums is the first Islamic tax, which was imposed in 2 AH/624 CE, after the Battle of Badr. It is separate from other Islamic taxes such as zakat and jizya.Zafar Iqbal and Mervyn Lewis, An Islamic Perspective on Governance, , pp. 102-3 It is treated differently in Sunni and Shia Islam; key topics of debate include the types of wealth subject to khums, the methods of its collection and distribution, and the categories of recipients (''asnāf''). Historically, one-fifth of the spoils of war (i.e., the khums) was placed at the disposal of the Islamic prophet Muhammad wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muhaqqiq Al-Hilli
Najm ul-Din Abul-Qasim Ja'far bin al-Hasan bin Yahya bin al-Hasan bin Sa'id, famous as ''al-Muhaqqiq al-Hilli'' and ''al-Muhaqqiq al-Awwal'' ( 1205 – 1277) was an influential Arab Shi'i Mujtahid born in the city of al-Hilla, Iraq. He played an important role in shaping Twelver Shi'ism's legal doctrines works. His legal manual, ''Shara'i ul-Islam'', has been particularly influential, attracting more than thirty commentaries. Life Muhaqqiq was born in the city of al-Hilla, Iraq, where he would spend most of his life, to a family of prominent Shi'i jurists. He studied theology, fiqh and usul al-fiqh under his father. Muhaqqiq later became the leader of the Shi'i seminary there; when Nasir al-Din al-Tusi visited the town as the representative of Hulagu, he addressed Muhaqqiq as the representative of the city's scholarly elite. Intellectual output Muhaqqiq produced an impressive scholarly corpus during his life, treating subjects ranging from fiqh and usul al-fiqh to ethics, theology ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Uthman
Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Uthman Al-Asadi (, ') was the second of the Four Deputies, who are believed by the Twelvers to have successively represented their twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, during his Minor Occultation (874–941 CE). Abu Ja'far in this role succeeded his father, Uthman ibn Sa'id al-Asadi, the first deputy. After some forty years in office, Abu Ja'far died in 304 or 305 AH (917 or 918 CE) and was succeeded by Ibn Ruh al-Nawbakhti, the third deputy. Abu Ja'far has been credited with the unification of the mainstream Shia. Historical background Until their deaths, the tenth and eleventh Shia Imams ( Ali al-Hadi and Hasan al-Askari, respectively) were held in the garrison town of Samarra under close surveillance (or house arrest) by the Abbasids, who are often responsible in Shia sources for poisoning the two Imams. The two Imams witnessed the deterioration of the Abbasid caliphate, as the imperial authority rapidly transitioned into the hands of the Turks, parti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
