Four Deputies

Messengers of the 12th Imam in Twelver Shia Islam The Four Deputies (Arabic: النواب الأربعة, al-Nuwāb al-Arbaʿa) were the four individuals who are believed by Twelver Shia Muslims to have successively represented the hidden Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, during his Minor Occultation (874–941 CE). They were also known as the Gates (Arabic: أبواب, romanized: abw'ab), the Sufaraʾ (Arabic: سفراء, lit. 'emissaries'), or the Wukalaʾ (Arabic: وكلاء, lit. 'agents'). 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 violently prosecuted the Shia, partly due to the renewed Zaydi opposition. The restrictive policies of al-Mutawakkil towards the tenth Imam were later adopted by his son, al-Mu'tamid, who is rep