ITHNA 'ASHARIYAH

also called Imamis, English Twelvers an important sect of the Shi'ah (one of the major branches of Islam), believing in a succession of 12 imams, leaders of the faith after the death of Muhammad, beginning with 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, fourth caliph and the Prophet's son-in-law. Each of the imams'Ali, his sons Hasan and Husayn, 'Ali Zayn al-'Abidin, Muhammad al-Baqir, Ja'far as-Sadiq, Musa al-Kazim, 'Ali ar-Rida, Muhammad al-Jawad, 'Ali al-Hadi, Hasan al-'Askari, and Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Hujjahwas chosen from the family of his predecessor, not necessarily the eldest son but a descendant deemed spiritually pure. The last imam recognized by the Ithna 'Ashariyah disappeared in 873 and is thought to be alive and in hiding, ready to return at the Last Judgment. As the 12 imams are viewed as preservers of the faith and the only interpreters of the esoteric meanings of law and theology, a cult has grown around them, in which they are thought to influence the world's future. Pilgrimages to their tombs secure special rewards and are legitimate substitutes for pilgrimages to Mecca. In the period from the disappearance of the imam to the Mongol invasion (c. 1050), a body of literature known as Hadith (reports of Muhammad's activities and sayings and the sayings of 'Ali) was collected in support of Twelver beliefs. Ithna 'Ashariyah became the state religion of Iran under the Safavid dynasty (15011736), which claimed descent from the 7th imam and added the words I testify that 'Ali is the wali (friend) of God to the Muslim profession of faith (shahadah). The sect also has followings in India, Iraq, and Syria. See also imam.