or Imāmīs English Twelvers
The largest school of imam s beginning with Alī ibn Abū Ṭālib, the fourth caliph and the son-in-law of Muhammad .
The last of the 12 imams recognized by the school was Muḥammad al-Mahdī al-Ḥujjah, who disappeared in 873 and is thought by believers to be alive and in occultation, ready to return at the Last Judgment. The Ithnā ʽAshariyyah believe that imams are the preservers of the faith and the only interpreters of the esoteric meanings of law and theology. The imams are thought to influence the world's future, and pilgrimages to the tombs of the imams secure special rewards. This school became the state religion of Iran under the {{link=Safavid dynasty">Safavid dynasty (1501–1736). The Ithnā ʽAshariyyah also constitute a majority in Iraq and Bahrain, with sizable minorities in other Muslim countries. Compare Ismāīliyyah .