Muhammad ibn Falah
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Muhammad ibn Falah (b. 1400 in Wasit, Iraq - d. 1461 in Hoveizeh, Iran) was an Iraqi-born theologian who founded the Msha'sha'iya, a Shi'a sect. He received his theological education in the city of al-Hillah, and there came to believe himself to be the earthly representative of Imam Ali and the Mahdi. He was later denounced as a heretic and excommunicated by his teacher.
His spiritual teachings were codified in a text entitled the Kalam al-Mahdi (The Kalam of the Mahdi), which was written in the style of the Qur'an. He was believed to have been descended from the seventh Shi'a Imam, Musa al-Kazim. Upon his death, his son, Ali ibn Muhammad Msha'sha'iya, took over as leader of the sect, which began a dynastic line of succession.
