Also known as Imamiyyah, the Twelvers are the largest branch of Shia Islam. The numerical term is a reference to their belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as the Twelve Imams.
Since most Shia belong to the Twelvers faction, they are sometimes referred to generically as Shi'a.
Although Ja'fari refers specifically to the school of jurisprudence followed by the Twelvers, the term is occasionally used to refer to the Akhbaris, a Twelver faction that rejects the use of reasoning in deriving verdicts.
Imami, Imamiyyah, or Imamite is a reference to the Twelver belief in the infallibility of the Imams, and is often used as a reference to the Twelvers.
The Twelvers believe that the last Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, lives in Occultation, and will reappear as the promised Mahdi, whose appearance will coincide with the Second Coming of Christ, who will assist the Mahdi is battle against the Masih ad-Dajjal, also known as the false Messiah or Antichrist.
The sixth Imam was Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq. In the period following his death, possibly by poisoning, the Shia split into the two factions that we now know as the Ismailis and the Twelvers.
The Ismailis were followers of Jafar's oldest son, Ismail ibn Jafar, while the Twelvers supported Jafar's third son, Musa al-Kadhim.
Until the end of the 9th century, the rift between the Sunnis and the Shias was largely political, having to do with who they supported as Imam. The Shia supported the Imams descending from the Prophet Mohammad via his daughter Fatima and cousin Ali, while the Sunni supported the Umayyad and Abbasids, or at least tolerated their rule.
In time, religious differences developed, particularly after the sixth Imam, Jafar, created Jafari Jurisprudence, while the Sunnis were developing different schools of jurisprudence.
The theology of the main branch of Twelver Shia diverged further in 874 CE over the Occultation. The Occultation refers to the belief that the Mahdi, the messianic Twelfth Imam, has been born but disappeared, and will return one day. While there are variations on the theme, the Twelvers believe that the Twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, went into Occultation in 874 CE.
Born in 869, Muhammad al-Mahdi ascended to the position of Imam at the age of five when his father, Hasan al-Askari, died. For his safety, he was hidden away by his followers, but communicated with the outside world through appointed spokesmen, known as the Four Deputies. For seven decades, this system remained in place. Just before the death of his last deputy, he sent a message that he was withdrawing from the world, and would be hidden by God until some time in the future when he would return to aid the Shia. Twelvers await his return to the world as the Messiah.
Originally a political movement promoting a particular dynasty to control the Caliphate, the Twelvers were no longer confined to a physical ruler, but had become its own theological path.
Twelvers believe that the Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors of the Prophet Muhammad and exemplary human beings who rule over the Islamic community justly, and are able to interpret Sharia and the esoteric meanings in the Quran. The Prophet Muhammad and the Imams are free from sin and from error.
Contrary to a common misbelief, neither the Twelvers or other Muslims regard Mohammad as God. Rather, he is regarded as a prophet and a man who lived a life free from sin.
Twelvers, and other Shia, believe that if their Islamic belief endangers their lives, property, or honor, they may conceal this belief. This allows them to live among Sunni, or even among unbelievers, who may otherwise be hostile toward them.
Twelver Shias observe the following holidays: Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, the Mourning of Muharram, Arba'een, Milad al-Nabi, Mid-Sha'aban, Eid al-Ghadeer, and Al-Mubahila.
The focus of this category is on the Twelver Shia, sometimes known a the Imamiyyah, the largest branch of Shia Islam. Websites representing Twelver institutions, associations, organizations, or affiliations are appropriate for this category, along with any other sites whose topics are related to the Twelvers.
Recommended Resources
Council of Shia Muslim Scholars of North America
The Shia Muslim Twelver group is made up of scholars, preachers, speakers, and imams of mosques and Islamic religious centers in North America. Its purpose, vision, mission, goals, and objectives are set forth, as well as its charter, consultive bodies, general members, and membership policies. Schedules and contacts are posted, along with committee contacts, announcements, and news.
http://www.imams.us/
The directory and search site focuses on informational resources exclusively on Twelve-Imam-Shiism, in which listed data about Shiism has been classified and titled so as to be readily found, in six different languages, offered alphabetically, by language, subject, and country. Topics may be found by subject category or via keyword search. Recent listings are highlighted, and news, announcements, and schedules are included.
http://www.shiasearch.com/en
Written by Sayyid Murtada al-'Askari and published by the World Islamic Network, this overview includes an introduction to some of the tenets of the Twelvers, including narrations of the Holy Prophet stipulating the number of Imams, the twelve Imams in the Old Testament, an account of the Twelve Successors, an explanation of the narrations, bewildering interpretations, citations from the Quran, and related topics.
https://www.al-islam.org/twelve-successors-holy-prophet-sayyid-murtadha-al-askari
Associated with the Twelvers, the largest of the Shi'a Islam sects, the site's goal is to refute allegations about Shia Muslims, and provide an authentic alternative source of Islamic history. Topics include the Qur'an, Hadith, Imamah, Taqiyyah, and Fadha'il, as well as several informational articles, which include a refutations page arranged according to the websites that host the arguments being refuted, as well as lecture on Shias, and an interactive discussion forum.
http://www.twelvershia.net/
