Ja'fari

Followers of the Ja'fari school are known as Ja'faris or Twelver Shia Muslims. The school is the largest and principal school of Islamic jurisprudence in Shia Islam, with adherents numbering in the hundreds of millions worldwide. The Ja'fari school is enshrined in the Constitution of Iran, shaping aspects of governance, legislation, and the judiciary. In Lebanon, it is recognized within the country's legal system for matters concerning Shia Muslims. During the French Mandate in Lebanon and after independence, Ja'fari jurisprudence became institutionalised through courts, where legal practice reflected not only religious doctrine but also citizenship, gender, and state authority. Since 1959, the Ja'fari school has been recognized by Al-Azhar University as the “Fifth School” alongside the four Sunni schools of Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki, and Shafi'i. It is also recognized by the Amman Message as one of the eight recognized schools of Islamic jurisprudence.