The Wigifiyah

Some of the Wigifiyah say that the imam who died will return to life in this world.

They adduce as a proof the story of the Seven Sleepers, the one about the person who passed by a village, and the one about the murdered Israelite who was beaten with the bones of the cow that his people had been ordered to slaughter, all of them stories included in the Qur’in.

They further adduce similar miracles.

However, it is not right to use those things as proof for anything except where they properly apply.

The extremist Shi’ah poet, as-Sayyid al-Himyari writes:

The imams of the Shi’ah have themselves made it superfluous for us to bother with the arguments of the extremists, for they do not refer to them and thus invalidate the use (the extremists) make of their arguments.

The Kaysiniyah consider Muhammad’s son Abu Hisham as successor to the imamate after Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyah.

They are therefore called the Hishimiyah.

Then, they split.

Some of them transferred the imamate after Abu Hisham to his brother ‘Ali and then to ‘Ali’s son al-Hasan. Others thought that when Abu Hisham died in the land of ash-Sharih upon his return from Syria, he appointed as his heir Muhammad b. ‘Ali b. ‘Abdallih b. ‘Abbis, who, in turn, appointed as his heir his son Ibrihim who is known as the Imam.

Ibrihim appointed as his heir his brother ‘Abdallah b. al-Harithiyah who got the surname of as-Saffah, who, in turn, appointed as his heir his brother Abu Ja’far’Abdallah, who got the surname of al-Mansur.

The imamate was then passed on to his children in succession through testamentary determination (nass) and appointment (‘ahd), right down to the last of them. Such is the tenet of the Hashimiyah who support the ‘Abbasid dynasty.

Among them were Abu Muslim, Sulayman b. Kathir, Abu Salimah al-Khallal, and other members of the (early) ‘Abbasid Shi’ah Their right to the power is often supported by the argument that their right goes back to al-‘Abbas.

He was alive at the time of Muhammad’s death, and he had the best title to become Muhammad’s heir because of the group feeling attaching to paternal uncles (al-‘Abbas being the paternal uncle of Muhammad).

The Zaydiyah consider the succession to the imamate in the light of their view concerning (the institution). (The imam) is chosen by competent a Muslims and not appointed by testamentary determination (nass).

They acknowledge as imams, ‘Ali, his son al-Hasan, (al-Hasan’s) brother alHusayn, (al-Husayn’s) son ‘Ali Zayn-al-‘abidin, and (‘Ali’s) son, the head of the Zaydiyah, Zayd b. ‘All. Zayd came forth in al-Kufah and made propaganda for the imamate.

He was killed and his body exhibited in al-Kunasah. 269 The Zaydiyah acknowledge the imamate of (Zayd’s) son Yahya, as his (father’s) successor.

Yahya went to al-Khurasan and was killed in al-Juzajan 270 after he had appointed Muhammad b. ‘Abdallah b. Hasan b. al-Hasan, Muhammad’s grandson, as his heir.

Muhammad is called “the Pure Soul” (an-Nafsas-zakiyah).

He came forth in the Hijaz and took the surname of al-Mahdi. Al-Mansur’s armies went against him. He was routed and killed. - His brother Ibrahim was appointed his successor.

He appeared in al-Basrah. With him was ‘Isa b. Zayd b. ‘All.

Al-Mansur went against him with the army.

Both Ibrahim and Isa were routed and killed Ja’far as-Sadiq had told them all that in advance.

His prediction was considered one of Ja’far’s acts of divine grace.

Other Zaydis assumed that the imam after Muhammad b. ‘Abdallah, the Pure Soul, was Muhammad b. al-Qasim b. ‘All b. ‘Umar, ‘Umar being the brother of Zayd b. ‘Ali. Muhammad b. al-Qasim came forth in at-Taliqin.

He was captured and brought to al-Mu’tasim, who imprisoned him. He died in prison.

Other Zaydis say that the imam after Yahya b. Zayd was his brother ‘Isa, who had participated with Ibrahim b. ‘Abdallah in his fight against al-Mansur.

They consider his descendants the successors to the imamate. The impostor who appeared among the Negroes (Zanj during their revolt) considered him his ancestor.

We shall mention that in connection with the history of the Zanj. 274

Other Zaydis say that the imam after Muhammad b. ‘Abdallah was his brother Idris who fled to the Maghrib and died there. His son Idris b. Idris seized power and laid out the city of Fez. His descendants succeeded him as rulers in the Maghrib, until they were destroyed, as we shall mention in connection with Idrisid history. 275 Thereafter, the Zaydi power became disorganized and remained so.

The missionary who ruled Tabaristan, al-Hasan b. Zayd b. Muhammad b. Isma’il b. al-Hasan b. Zayd b. alHasan, Muhammad’s grandson, as well as his brother, Muhammad b. Zayd, also were Zaydis. Zaydi propaganda was then continued among the Daylam by the (Husaynid) anNasir al-Utrush.

The Daylam accepted Islam from him. He was al-Hasan b. ‘Ali b. al-Hasan b. ‘Ali b. ‘Umar, the brother of Zayd b. ‘Ali. His descendants founded a dynasty in Tabaristan. They made it possible for the Daylam to obtain royal authority and control over the caliphs in Baghdad.

We shall mention this in connection with the history of the Daylam.276

The Imamiyah considered (the following) as successors to the imamate after ‘All al-Wasi (the “Legatee”) by appointment as heirs. ‘Ali’s son al-Hasan, (al-Hasan’s) brother al-Husayn, (al-Husayn’s) son ‘Ali Zayn-al-‘abidin, (‘Ali’s) son Muhammad al-Baqir, and (Muhammad’s) son Jafar asSadiq.

From there on, they split into two sects. One of them considers (Ja’far’s) son Ismail as Ja’far’s successor to the imamate. They recognize Ismail as their imam. They are called the Isma’iliyah. The other considers (Ja’far’s) son, Musa al-Kazim, as Ja’far’s successor to the imamate. They are the Twelvers, because they stop with the twelfth imam.

They say that he remains “removed” until the end of time, as has been mentioned before. 277 The Isma’ilis say that the imam Ismail became imam because his father Ja’far appointed him (through nasr) to be his successor.

Isma’il died before his father, but according to (the Isma’ilis) the fact that he was determined by his father as his successor means that the imamate should continue among his successors. This is analogous to the story of Moses and Aaron.

Isma’il’s successor as imam was his son Muhammad, the Concealed One (alMaktum).

He is the first of the hidden imams. According to the Isma’ilis, an imam who has no power goes into hiding. His missionaries remain in the open, in order to establish proof (of the hidden imam’s existence) among mankind.

When the imam has actual power, he comes out into the open and makes his propaganda openly. As they say, after Muhammad, the Concealed One, the hidden imams were= his son Jafar al-Musaddiq, Ja’far’s son Muhammad al-Habib, the last of the hidden imams, and Muhammad’s son ‘Ubaydallah al-Mahdi.

For him, open propaganda was made among the Kutamah by Abu ‘Abdallah ash-Shi’i. People followed his call, and he brought al-Mahdi out of his confinement in Sijilmasah.

Al-Mahdi became the ruler of al-Qayrawan and the Maghrib. His descendants and successors ruled over Egypt, as is well known from their history.The Isma’ilis are called “Isma’ilis” with reference to their recognition of the imamate of Isma’il.

They are also called “Batinis” with reference to their speaking about the batin, that is, the hidden, imam. They further are called “heretics,” because of the heretical character of their beliefs.

They have an old and a new persuasion. Neo-Isma’ili propaganda was made at the end of the 11th century by al-Hasan b. Muhammad as-Sabbah.

He ruled over certain fortresses in Syria and the ‘Iraq. 280 His propaganda persisted there until the Turkish rulers in Egypt and the Tatar rulers in the ‘Iraq destroyed it in their respective territories.

The persuasion for which as-Sabbah made propaganda is mentioned in ash-Shahrastani’s Kitab al-milal wa-n-nihal. 281

Among recent Shi’ah, the name of Imamiyah is often restricted to the Twelvers.

They acknowledge the imamate of Musa al-Kazim b. Ja’far because his elder brother, the imam Ismail, had died while their father Ja’far was still alive. Jafar then appointed Musa (through nasr) as imam.

The imams after Musa were ‘Ali ar-Rida, who was appointed by al-Ma’mun as his successor (to the caliphate), 282 but died before al-Ma’mun, so that nothing came of it. The imams after ‘Ali, then, were (‘Ali’s) son Muhammad at-Taqi,(Muhammad’s) son ‘Ali al-Hadi, (‘Ali’s) son al-Hasan al’Askari, and (al-Hasan’s) son Muhammad, the Expected Mahdi, whom we have mentioned before.

There are many divergences within each of these Shi’ah persuasions.

However, the sects mentioned are the most prominent ones. For an exhaustive study of Shi’ah sects, one should consult the books on religions and sects (al-milal wa-n-nihal) by Ibn Hazm, 284 ash-Shahrastani, and others. They contain additional information.