It is believed in
Twelver Shi’ism that the
Islamic prophet Muhammad and
his household are infallible, possessing
Hikmah. Their oppression and suffering served greater purposes and were a means of divine grace to their devotees. The Imams are also guided by preserved texts in their possession, such as
al-Jafr,
al-Jamia, and unaltered past books the
Torah and
Gospel. Imamat, or belief in the divine guide, is a fundamental belief in the Twelver Shia doctrine and is based on the concept that
God would not leave humanity without access to divine guidance. According to Twelvers, there is at all times an Imam of the era who is the divinely appointed authority on all matters of faith and law in the Muslim community.
Ali, a cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, was the first of the Twelve Imams, and, in the Twelvers view, the
rightful successor to Muhammad, followed by male
descendants of Muhammad through his daughter
Fatimah. Each Imam was the son of the previous Imam, with the exception of
Al-Husayn, who was the brother of
Al-Hasan. The twelfth and final Imam is
Muhammad al-Mahdi, who is believed by the Twelvers to be currently alive, and hidden in the
Major Occultation until he returns to bring justice to the world. It is believed by Twelver and
Alevi Muslims that the Twelve Imams have been foretold in the
Hadith of the 12 accomplishers. All of the Imams were assassinated, with the exception of the last Imam who, according to Twelver and Alevi belief, is living in occultation. Some of the Imams also have a leading role within some
Sufi orders and are seen as the spiritual heads of Islam, because most of the
Silsila (spiritual chain) of Sufi orders leads back to Muhammad through one of the Twelve Imams. ==List==