Twelvers
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Twelvers of |
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Twelvers (اثنا عشرية Ithnāˤashariyyah) are Shi'a Muslims who believe in twelve Imāms, as distinct from Ismaili & Zaidi Shi'ite Muslims, who believe in a different number of Imams or in a different path of succession. Approximately 80% of Shi'a are Twelvers and they are the largest Shi'a school of thought, predominant in Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait and Bahrain. [1] [2]
Within Shi'a Islam, there are various sects that differ over the number of Imams, or path of succession. They also differ in some of the definitions of a Shi'a Imam.
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[edit] Alternate names
The Twelvers are also known by other names, each connoting some aspect of the faith.
- Shīa is normally used to refer to the Twelvers since they are the "orthodox" variant of Shiˤa. In any extended usage, "Shia" can refer to other groups as well.
- Ja'farī is always taken to refer to Twelvers to the exclusion of the Ismā'īlī and Zaydī ("Fivers"). The term Ja'farī is used for the Ja'farī Madhhab and Fiqh ("Jurisprudence"). It is attributed to Ja'far as-Sādiq, who the Shīa consider to be their Sixth Imām. The founders of the Sunni Hanafi and Maliki schools of thought narrated Hadith from Jaˤfar as-Sādiq.
- Imāmī is a reference to the Twelver belief in holy and infallible Imāms after the time of Muħammad. Though the Ismā'īliyya (including the Seveners) also accept the concept of Imāms, this term is also used for the Twelvers.
[edit] Theology
[edit] Religious law, the Sharia
The Ja'farī derive their Sharia, or religious law, from the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The difference between Sunnī and Shīˤa Sharia results from a Shīˤa belief that Muhammad assigned ˤAlī to be the first ruler and the leader after him (the Khalifa). Moreover, according to Shīˤa, an Imam or a Caliph can not be democratically elected and has to be nominated by God. Sunnis believe that their Caliphs were popular and had greater vote so they were made caliphs. This difference resulted in the Shīˤa:
- Following hadith from Muħammad and his descendants the 12 Imāms.
- Not accepting the "examples", verdicts, and ahādīth of Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman (who are considered by Sunnīs to be the first three Caliphs).
- Attributing the concept of the masūm "infallibility" to the Twelve Imāms or Fourteen Infallibles (including Muhammad and his daughter Fatima Zahra) and accepting the examples and verdicts of this special group.
[edit] Main doctrines
The Shi'a believe in the five pillars of Islam, as do Sunnis, but categorize them differently. Shi'a beliefs include the following:
Theology of Shi'a (Usūl al-Dīn)
- Tawhīd (Oneness): The Oneness of God
- Adalah (Justice): The Justice of God
- Nubuwwah (Prophethood): God has appointed perfect and infallible prophets and messengers to teach mankind the religion (that is, a perfect system of how to live in "peace"(("submission to God")).)
- Imamah (Leadership): God has appointed specific leaders to lead and guide mankind — a prophet appoints a custodian of the religion before his demise.
- Qiyamah (The Day of Judgment): God will raise mankind for Judgment - the Day of Resurection
Branches of Religion (Furū al-Dīn)
- Salat—called "Namaaz" in Persian (Prayer) – establish the five daily prayers
- Sawm—called "Roozeh" in Persian (Fast) – fasting during the holy month of Ramadhan
- Hajj (Pilgrimage) – performing the pilgrimage to Mecca.
- Zakat (Poor-rate) – charity Zakat means 'to purify'.
- Khums (One-fifth of savings) – tax
- Jihad (Struggle) – struggling to please God. The greater, or internal Jihad is the struggle against the evil within one's soul in every aspect of life. The lesser, or external, Jihad is the struggle against the evil of one's environment in every aspect of life. This is not to be mistaken with the common modern misconception that this means "Holy War". Writing the truth (jihad bil qalam) and speaking truth in front of an oppressor are also forms of Jihad.
- Amr-Bil-Ma'rūf – commanding what is good
- Nahi-Anil-Munkar – forbidding what is evil
- Tawalla – loving the Ahlul Bayt and their followers
- Tabarra – dissociating oneself from the enemies of the Ahlul Bayt
[edit] The concept of Imāms and the Mahdi
The Shi'a Imams, the first of which is ˤAlī ibn Abī Tālib, are viewed to be infallible. It is an important aspect of Shīˤa theology that they are, however, not prophets (nabī) nor messengers (rasūl) but instead carry out Muhammad's message. They are considered as superior as all prophets and messengers except the last one. Shīˤa Muslims view all religions and groups that accept prophets or messengers after Muħammad to be heathen or heretical. They believe the last (who also is the twelfth and current) Imām, the Mahdī, is in occultation by the order of God and will reappear by God's command.
[edit] Hussayn's martyrdom
The Martydom of the grandson of the prophet and the son of Ali Hussayn ibn ˤAlī on the Tenth of Muharram - known as Āshūrā - plays a significant role in Twelver theology. This day is annually commemorated with grief and sorrow; some participate in ritual beating of their chests, as some believe this is a form of expressing the helplessness that comes from a practical inability to have helped Hussayn and his small troop of 72 revolutionaries. Some even strike their bodies with sharp objects until it bleeds. Though there have been Shī'a leaders (such as Ayatollah Khomeini) who have prohibited this ritual, many still practice the ages-old custom. In most nations with significant Shī'a populations, one can observe large crowds in processions grieving over Hussayn's martyrdom.
[edit] Some examples of Jaˤfarī jurisprudence differing from Sunni
(This list is not exhaustive nor representative of the Sunni/Shīˤa dispute on religious jurisprudence)
[edit] Declaration of faith
Both Shīˤa and Sunni believe that anyone who declares in public; "There is no god but God and Muħammad is his messenger" and believes in it is to be considered a Muslim.
[edit] Accepting a scholar's verdict
The Jaˤfarī school of thought accepts and encourages the concept of taqlid (Arabic تقليد) or "imitation", e.g. that unlearned Muslims should choose a jurist of known virtue and knowledge and follow ("imitate") his rulings and verdicts in their daily life. This religious leader can be known as a "source of imitation" (Arabic marji taqlid مرجع تقليد, Persian marja), or less exaltedly as an "imitated one" (Arabic مقلَد muqallad), and is a person who spends years studying the Qur'an, the sunnah, and the sayings of the Imams and their deeds in order to come up with certain opinions based on those sources of knowledge. However, his verdicts are not to be taken as the only source of religious information and he can be always corrected by other muqalladeen (the plural of muqallad) which come after him. This process may take years or decades; as the idea in taqlid is that verdicts are based on the latest research and are implemented according to one's contemporary situation. Sunnis do not practice taqlid in the same sense.
[edit] Prayer
There are minor differences in how the prayer ritual is performed among Sunnis and Shīˤa. During the purification ritual in preparation of prayer (which consists of washing the face, arms, feet, etc. and saying of some prayers), the Shīˤa view wiping the feet with wet hands as sufficient as opposed to some of the Sunnis, who consider complete washing of the feet necessary. Also, Shīˤa do not use their fingers to clean inside the ears during the ablution ritual, As prerequisite for purification is that one has to be clean before he perform the purification ritual.
During prayer, it is the Jaˤfarī view that it is preferable to prostrate on earth, leaves that are not edible, and/or wood, as these three things are considered purest by the Prophet in Hadith specifically mentioning Tayammum. Hence many Shīˤa use a small tablet of soil (a mixture of earth and water, and often taken from the ground of a holy site) or wood during their daily prayers upon which they prostrate.
In Jaˤfarī view, the hands are to be left hanging straight down the side during the standing position of the prayer, while the Sunni schools of thought (except for the majority of Malikis) hold that they should be folded. Similar to the Sunni view, the Jaˤfarī consider the five daily prayers to be compulsory, though the Jaˤfarī consider it acceptable to pray the second and third prayer, and the fourth and fifth prayer, one after the other during the parts of the day where they believe the timings for these prayers to overlap. The other three Sunni schools allow this consolidation of daily prayers only while travelling or under some other constraint.
[edit] One-fifth tax
(Khums) There are differences in this regard between Shīˤa fiqh and the Sunni interpretation. Khums also known as Islamic Tax. It is 50%% or 1/2 on "EARNINGS" at the end of the year. Once Khums is subtracted from that figure one doesnot need to tax that amount again. The Tax is divided into two groups.
[edit] Marriage
The concept of mut'a or "temporary marriage" is endorsed by the Jafari school of thought. The Sunni and Jafari have similar rulings regarding the different aspects of marriage.
It has many conditions that can be considered as pre-requisite, similar to that of permanent marriage.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The Shia Islamic Guide / Imam Stories (shiacode.com)
- AhlulBayt Discussion Forum (ShiaChat.com)
