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Salamun alaikum, I am new to this forum so before I begin a big hello to all! My question is aimed at more of the academic crowd so please only serious responses and hold the flamethrowers I am currently reading Al Ghayba by Al-Numani which is undoubtedly a treasure trove for information on the Twelve Imams (A.S). However there are 2 pages which are troubling me and I am not sure if these are the translators notes or Numani's (R.A) himself? On Page 132-133 of the English translation there is a quote from the Old Testament about "I have responded to your prayer regarding Ishmael.... He will beget twelve great men". "Ishmael will be delegated, he is called Mabad or Mamad that it means Muhammad. He will be a master over the people. From his progeny there will be twelve men. They will be imams and masters, whom people will imitiate: Their names will be Taqobeet, Feeethwa, Thabeera, Mafssora, Massmoo'a. Domoh, Thabo, Hathar, Yathmo, Bator, Nouqass and Qeedmuwa". It would appear this is used to substantiate the 12 imams (A.S) although I do not think this is satisfactory based on the following: i.) Most Christian and Jewish scholars have a consensus that these are the descendants of Ishmael (Ishmaelites). ii.) The names sound very similar in some cases to the Hebrew names of the Ishmaelites: The ones I have put in bold sound similar to the names listed in the hadith above: Nebaioth (נבית) Kedar (קדר) Adbeel (אדבאל), established a tribe in northwest Arabia. Mibsam (מבשם) Mishma (משמע) Dumah (דומה) Massa (משא) father of a nomadic tribe that inhabited the Arabian desert toward Babylonia. Hadad (חדד) Tema (תימא) Jetur (יטור) Naphish (נפיש) Kedemah (קדמה) So in summary could some kind soul(s) please confirm: 1.) Is the above included in the Arabic version of Al Ghaybah and does it appear Nu'mani is quoting the Old Testament to use as a proof for the Twelve Imams (A.S) ? 2.) What do you think to these names actually being the Ishmaelites as per the Judeo/Christian consensus? Of course we have a plethora of hadith from Shia as well as Sunni sources proving the 12 imams which are sufficient, so it would seem unwise to perpetuate something which could be untrue, I'm sure I'm not the first one to flag this Jazakallah & Allahumma salli ala muhammad wa alee muhammad

Hi all, please, I have a doubt and I need your help in case you can and want to help. Does anyone know of a work or an 3alim who really took his time to relate each of the 12 Psalms of Asaph to each of the 12 Imams of the Ahlul Bayt? It is claimed that each Psalm would reflect the character of each of the twelve Imams. I have read about it here, and in al-islam.org, but, as always, it is mentioned but never developed and deepened for us to have an evidence, like: Psalm "x" relates to Imam "x", except for Psalm 74 and its reference to to Imam Husayn according to al-islam.org (sorry I edited it, because the reference to a sacrifice by the Eufrates would com from Jeremiah 46 and not the Psalms). Can anyone help or give any source which could help? Even if it is in Arabic, Farsi or Urdu, it doesn't matter, as long as I can google translate it. Thank you very very much!

Salam alaykom brothers/sisters, I made an android app about the biography of the twelve imams both in Arabic and English. Please feel free to download it and tell others about it. You can download it via this link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.twelveimams Or by searching: "الائمة اثنى عشر" on the play store. Jaffer Alfahdawi

Salam Alaikum I hope this is not repeated. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MZZkvlX2-0

Salam :) Here's an amazing vid: عليكم بسنتي وسنة الخلفاء الراشدين

1- There is also an interesting tradition in Sahih al-Bukhari as well as Sahih Muslim in which the Prophet (PBUH&HF) said the following: Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 9.422 Narrated Abu Sa'id al-Khudri: The Prophet said, "You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure (lizard), you would follow them." We said, "O Allah's Apostle! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He said, "Whom else?" As the above tradition in Sahih al-Bukhari confirms, the Prophet stated that the history of the Children of Israel will be repeated for Muslims as revelaed to the prophet in similar manner. In fact, Quran has mentioned the stories of the Children of Israel to give us a way to understand the true history of Islam itself. 2-There are many striking similarities in this regard written in Quran including the similarities of the leaders and the similarities of the people. Few of them are given here. Allah, to whom belong Might and Majesty, said: وَلَقَدْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَبَعَثْنَا مِنْهُمُ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ نَقِيبًا . "Surely Allah aforetime took a covenant from the Children of Israel and We appointed twelve leaders among them" (Quran 5:12) “Who are those TWELVE leaders among the Children of Muhammad (PBUH&HF)?” 3- Allah, Exalted, also said: "And when Moses prayed for water for his (thirsty) people; We said: 'Strike the rock with your staff.' Then from there surged forth TWELVE springs so that each group knew its own place to drink." (Quran 2:60). - Who are those twelve springs (streams) of knowledge who quench the thirst of Muslims to the end of the world so that each generation is utilized with one of them? He, Exalted He is, also said: 4- "We divided them into TWELVE nations. We directed Moses by revelation when his (thirsty) people asked him for water: 'Strike the rock with your staff;' out of it there gushed forth twelve springs so that each group knew its own place for water. We gave them the shade of clouds and sent down to them manna and quails (saying): 'Eat of the good things We have provided for you,' (but they rebelled.) To Us they did no harm but they harmed their own souls." (Quran 7:160). Verily those who did not follow those TWELVE leaders, harmed non but themselves. The above verse suggests that the nation of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) in the span of history (after his demise till the day of judgment) are divided into 12 intervals of time which coincides with one Imam who is assigned as leader for them. 5- In the next verse Allah said: "And when it was said unto them: 'Dwell in this Town and eat therein as you wish, and say Repentance, and enter the Gate (of the city) in a posture of humility, in order that We forgive you your sins and increase (the portion of) those who do good.'" (Quran 7:161) or: "And when We said: 'Enter this Town and eat of the plenty therein as you wish; but enter the Gate (of the City) with humility in posture and in words so that We forgive you your sins and increase (the portion of) those who do good.'" (Quran 2:58). The Gate in the above verses has a striking similarity with one of the attributes of Imam Ali (as) mentioned by our Prophet (PBUH&HF) that is: "The Gate of the City of Knowledge." The Messenger of Allah said: "I am the City of Knowledge, and Ali is its Gate. So whoever intends to enter the City and the Wisdom, he should enter from its Gate." Sunni references: - Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, pp 201,637 - al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, pp 126-127,226 - Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p635, Tradition #1081 and many more... 6- Furthermore the following Prophetic tradition gives the utmost similarity with the above two verses: The Messenger of Allah said: "My Ahlul-Bait are like the Gate of Repentance of the Children of Israel; whoever entered therein was forgiven." Sunni References: - Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haithami, v9, p168. - al-Awsat, by al-Tabarani, Tradition #18 - Arba'in, by al-Nabahani, p216 - A fairly similar tradition reported by al-Darqunti and by Ibn Hajar al-Haithami in al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqa, Ch. 9, section 2, p193, in which the Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "Ali is the Gate of Repentance, whoever entered therein was a believer and whoever went out was an unbeliever." 7- Also Allah swt stated in Quran: Lo! The number of the months with Allah is TWELVE which is Allah's ordinance when He created the heavens and the earth. Four of them are sacred. That is the firm religion. So wrong not your souls in them. (Quran9:36) The other meaning (as interpreted by Ahlul-Bait) is that the Prophet in his last pilgrimage (less than three month before his demise) wanted to convey that he will be followed by twelve Imams and people should not wrong their souls by disobeying them in their leadership periods. Among these twelve Imams, four have a sacred name, i.e., "Ali", which is derived from the name of Allah. In fact, four Imams of Ahlul-Bait (peace be upon them all) have been named "Ali". In the Sira of Ibn Hisham, there is an extra sentence of the Messenger of Allah which is, in fact, the verse of Quran. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: "'Postponement of a sacred month is only an excess of disbelief whereby those who disbelieve are misled; they allow it one year and forbid it another year that they may make up the number of months which God has hallowed so that they permit what God has forbidden (Quran 9:37), and forbid what God has allowed. Time has completed its cycle and is as it was on the day that God created the heavens and the earth. The number of months with God is twelve. Four of them are sacred." Sunni references: - Sira, by Ibn Hisham at the end of Chapter of "Farewell Pilgrimage", p968 - The Life of Muhammad (English translation of Sira Ibn Hisham), Translated into English by A. Guillaume, 1955 Edition, London, p651 8- In a tradition on the authority of Jabir (ra), Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, the fifth Imam of Ahlul-Bait, interprets the above verse which is as follows: Jabir said: I asked Imam Muhammad al-Baqir about the meaning of the verse: "Verily the number of the months … (9:36)." He (as) breathed long (out of sorrow) and said: "O Jabir, The 'year' is my grandfather, the messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF), and his family are its 'months' who are the twelve Imams, and are … (naming the Imams one by one). They are the Proofs of Allah on His creation, and Trusties of His revelations and His knowledge. And Those of 'four sacred who are the firm religion' are those four who have the same name, and are Ali, the Commander of Faithful (as), and my father Ali Ibn al-Husain (as), and later Ali Ibn Musa (as), and Ali Ibn Muhammad (as). Thus acknowledging these four is 'the firm religion, so wrong not your souls in them' and believe in all of them to be guided." Shi'i reference: Kitab al-Ghaiba, by Shaikh Tusi. 9- O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you (by Allah). (4:59) On the commentary of the verse 4:59 of Quran in which Allah orders us to obey Ulul-Amr, al-Khazzaz in his book, Kifayatul Athar, gives a tradition on the authority of the well-known companion of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), Jabir Ibn Abdillah al-Ansari (ra): When the verse (4:59) was revealed, Jabir asked the Prophet (PBUH&HF): "We know Allah and the Prophet, but who are those vested with authority whose obedience has been conjoined to that of Allah and yourself?" The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "They are my Caliphs and the Imams (leaders) of Muslims after me. The first of them is Ali; then al-Hasan; then al-Husain; then Ali son of al-Husain; then Muhammad son of Ali who has been mentioned 'al-Baqir' in the Torah (the old testament). O Jabir! You will meet him. When you see him, convey my greetings to him. He will be succeeded by his son, Ja'far al-Sadiq (the Truthful); then Musa son of Ja'far; then Ali son of Musa; then Muhammad son of Ali; then Ali son of Muhammad; then al-Hasan son of Ali. He will be followed by his son whose name and nick name will be the same as mine. He will be Proof of Allah (Hujjatullah) on the earth, and the one spared by Allah (Baqiyyatullah) to maintain the cause of faith among mankind. He shall conquer the whole world from the east to the west. So long will he remain hidden from the eyes of his followers and friends that the belief in his leadership will remain only in those hearts which have been tested by Allah for faith." Jabir said: "O Messenger of Allah! Will his followers benefit from his seclusion?" The Prophet said: "Yes! by Him who sent me with prophethood! They will be guided by his light, and benefit from his leadership during his seclusion, just as people benefit from the sun even though it is hidden in the clouds. O Jabir! This is from the hidden secrets of Allah and the treasured knowledge of Allah. So guard it except from the people who deserve to know." (Kifayatul Athar, by al-Khazzaz, p53). Now that we know who "those vested with authority" are, it is evident that the question of obeying tyrant and unjust rulers does not rise at all. Muslims are not required by the above verse to obey rulers who may be unjust, tyrannical, ignorant, and selfish and sunk in debauchery. They are, in fact, ordered to obey the specified Twelve Imams, all of whom were sinless and free from evil thoughts and deeds. Obeying them has no risks whatsoever. Nay, it protects from all risks; because they will never give an order against the order of Allah and will treat all human beings with love, justice, and equity. 10- From the history of the Children of Israel we further get the following: And he (Pharoah) was arrogant, he and his soldiers, in the land, without right, and they thought that they would not be returned to Us. (28:40) So We took him and his soldiers and threw them into the sea. So see how the end of the wrongdoers was. (28:41) And We made them leaders inviting to the Fire, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped. (28:42) And We caused to overtake them in this world a curse, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be of the despised. (28:43) So the leaders who may lead to hell fire should not be followed. 11- Now the Quran also mentions the identification of those leaders as quoted by Quran in the following verse: . وَقَارُونَ وَفِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ ۖ وَلَقَدْ جَاءَهُم مُّوسَىٰ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا كَانُوا سَابِقِينَ And [We destroyed] Qarun and Pharaoh and Haman. And Moses had already come to them with clear evidences, and they were arrogant in the land, but they were not outrunners [of Our punishment]. (29:39) The Pharoah and his companions were declared leaders inviting to hell fire. They along-with their followers were drowned in the sea and destroyed by Allah swt. 12- The Quran mentions here the names of 3 top leaders from the Children of Israel that include: Qarun, Pharoah and Haman who led these people. The Pharoah was the ruler, Haman was his adviser and the Qarun was rich. This serves as reminder for the people in the Nation of Muhammad saww. Conclusion; Thus lt makes it clear that we should follow 12 Imams / leaders from Ahl albayat as to avoid going astray according to the prophet sayings they are not separable from Quran. They will certainly reach the pool of paradise, and their followers will also be successful. ______________________________________________________________________

Amazing video implicitly identifying the 12 immediate successors of Prophet Muhammad (S), counted in Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim & others...

"The affairs of the people will continue to be conducted (well) as long as they are governed by twelve men." -Sahih Muslim- For Raafidhah, that authentic version of Hadith is not predicting any succession of 12 governors knowing that people affairs had been severely affected by fitan & civil wars (Ridda wars, anti-Uthman revolt, Jamal war, Siffin war, etc.) which have set up the ground for perverted kings to rule over the Ummah only 30 years after the perfection of Islam. For Raafidhah, the Prophet was only recommending 12 rightly guided successors to his Ummah who is free afterwards to face the consequences of immature choices until the 12th man rises to restore order and justice, ending by Allah's will all the afflictions caused by the Ummah: “If there remained but a single day until the end of time, Allah will prolong that day until He sends a man from my progeny…” -Sunan AbuDawud- For Raadidhah, that explains further why the holy Prophet had always reminded of 'Ahlulbayt' or 'Sunnah' being the only weighty trust 2nd to Quran; just like older nations, the Ummah has 'neglected' or 'corrupted' that precious heritage and gone astray due to ambitions of power & wealth: "You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure, you would follow them." -Sahih alBukhari- Therefore, we do not call them Raafidhah because they have an alternative source of the prophet's Sunnah, or more Hadith reported by Ali than by AbuHuraira, or less people considered as true Sahaba: "Some of you will be brought in front of me (on Doomsday) till I will see them and then they will be taken away from me and I will say, 'O Lord, my companions!' It will be said, 'You do not know what they did after you had left.'" - Sahih al-Bukhari - Furthermore, we do not call them Raafidhah because they reject a 4-guided Khilafah whereas now they cannot pledge allegiance to the dead and cannot be blamed for historical rejections (AbuBakr was rejected for 6 months, Umar was avoided, Uthman was rejected in the 2nd half, Ali was even fought.) Nevertheless, we call them Raafidhah because they accept a 12-guided Khilafah whereas now they pledge allegiance to the life-prolonged 12th man and support his underground movement: "One who dies without knowing the Imam of his time, dies the death of Jahiliyya" -Famous Hadith- Finally, we have to understand that Raafidhah are a brilliant minority because they use both their strong logic and mystic ability so as to get attention to their true belief & distinct way of life as a community or nation (Hezballa/Iran vs. the World)