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In Twelver Shi‘ism, the term imam indicates those members of ahl al-bayt who are the true spiritual leaders of the Muslim community regardless of any political recognition or lack thereof extended by the Islamic world at large. The imamate, like the prophecy, is protected from sin and is regarded as a divinely designated office. Through the imamate, survival of religion is guaranteed, hence the Shiʿi belief that “the earth cannot be set aright except by the Imam.” This means that there is an imam in every age, either manifest or concealed, who has the knowledge of the lawful and unlawful in Islam and who calls people to the way of God. There are times when the community can be without a manifest imam; this happens when God is enraged at the people for endangering the imam 's life. Thus, the twelfth imam went into occultation in 874 and will continue to live in this state for as long as God deems necessary; eventually, God will command him to reappear and take control of the world in order to restore justice and equity. During the occultation, the marjaʿ al-taqlid can act on God 's behalf and guide the Shiʿis in their religious and social matters. | In Twelver Shi‘ism, the term imam indicates those members of ahl al-bayt who are the true spiritual leaders of the Muslim community regardless of any political recognition or lack thereof extended by the Islamic world at large. The imamate, like the prophecy, is protected from sin and is regarded as a divinely designated office. Through the imamate, survival of religion is guaranteed, hence the Shiʿi belief that “the earth cannot be set aright except by the Imam.” This means that there is an imam in every age, either manifest or concealed, who has the knowledge of the lawful and unlawful in Islam and who calls people to the way of God. There are times when the community can be without a manifest imam; this happens when God is enraged at the people for endangering the imam 's life. Thus, the twelfth imam went into occultation in 874 and will continue to live in this state for as long as God deems necessary; eventually, God will command him to reappear and take control of the world in order to restore justice and equity. During the occultation, the marjaʿ al-taqlid can act on God 's behalf and guide the Shiʿis in their religious and social matters. | ||
==Tawalla== | ===Tawalla=== | ||
The obligation of tawalla (befriending) has led to two important religious practices unique to the Shiʿis: first, the [[ziara]] (visitations) to the mashhad (mausoleums) of the imams and their descendants; and second, [[majalis]] (devotional gatherings) to mourn the [[martyrdom]] of [[Imam Husayn]] on [[Ashura]], the tenth day of [[Muharram]], in [[Karbala]]. Both these practices have provided the Shiʿi minority with a renewed sense of loyalty to the Prophet 's family. The shrine cities of [[Karbala]], [[Najaf]], [[Mashhad]], and [[Qom]] have functioned as the religious centers for the ordinary Shiʿis and learning centers for their mujtahids, who continue to teach in the holy sanctuaries. The Muharram commemoration has fostered among the Shiʿa an identity consonant with their vision of history in which the godly people suffer at the hands of the oppressors until God commands the [[Mahdi]] to restore justice and equity on earth. | The obligation of tawalla (befriending) has led to two important religious practices unique to the Shiʿis: first, the [[ziara]] (visitations) to the mashhad (mausoleums) of the imams and their descendants; and second, [[majalis]] (devotional gatherings) to mourn the [[martyrdom]] of [[Imam Husayn]] on [[Ashura]], the tenth day of [[Muharram]], in [[Karbala]]. Both these practices have provided the Shiʿi minority with a renewed sense of loyalty to the Prophet 's family. The shrine cities of [[Karbala]], [[Najaf]], [[Mashhad]], and [[Qom]] have functioned as the religious centers for the ordinary Shiʿis and learning centers for their mujtahids, who continue to teach in the holy sanctuaries. The Muharram commemoration has fostered among the Shiʿa an identity consonant with their vision of history in which the godly people suffer at the hands of the oppressors until God commands the [[Mahdi]] to restore justice and equity on earth. | ||
==Love of Ahl al-Bayt== | ==Love of Ahl al-Bayt== | ||
Public rituals lamenting the Karbala martyrs are attested as early as the tenth century in Baghdad. The Safavid era, however, witnessed the elaboration of a soteriology that joined ritual mourning with Shi‘ite communal identity. This is attested in a work that became increasingly popular during the reign of the Safavids, [[Rawdat al-shuhada]] (The garden of the martyrs), which was written by [[Husayn Waez al-Kashifi]] (d. 1504). “Paradise is awarded to anyone,” argues Kashifi, “who weeps for Husayn for the following reason, that every year, when the month of Muharram comes, a multitude of the lovers of the family of the Prophet renews and makes fresh the tragedy of the martyrs.” <ref>David Pinault (2004). “Imami (Twelver)”. Encyclopedia of Islam and Muslim World (ed. Richard Martin). P: 624-628. New York: Macmillan.</ref> | Public rituals lamenting the Karbala martyrs are attested as early as the tenth century in Baghdad. The Safavid era, however, witnessed the elaboration of a soteriology that joined ritual mourning with Shi‘ite communal identity. This is attested in a work that became increasingly popular during the reign of the Safavids, [[Rawdat al-shuhada]] (The garden of the martyrs), which was written by [[Husayn Waez al-Kashifi]] (d. 1504). “Paradise is awarded to anyone,” argues Kashifi, “who weeps for Husayn for the following reason, that every year, when the month of Muharram comes, a multitude of the lovers of the family of the Prophet renews and makes fresh the tragedy of the martyrs.” <ref>David Pinault (2004). “Imami (Twelver)”. Encyclopedia of Islam and Muslim World (ed. Richard Martin). P: 624-628. New York: Macmillan.</ref> | ||