A number of nonconformist and heterodox Islamic movements developed in various parts of the Islamic world away from the centers of political and religious authority. The earliest and most significant split, however, took place only twenty-five years after the death of Muhammad, and it occurred at the heart of the Muslim world among those disciples of the Prophet who had been closest to him.
The controversy was between the branch known as Sunni (from Sunna, meaning custom or statute) and the Shiah branch (from Shiat, meaning party). The split was occasioned by the insistence of the Shiites that the true and legitimate successor to Muhammad was his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, who was designated publicly by the Prophet himself. It was contended that a conspiracy had robbed him of his rights and that the caliphate had been usurped successively by the first three caliphs, Abu Bakr, Omar, and Othman, and by their Sunni successors after the death of Ali in 661. According to Shiite doctrine, succession to the Prophet and the responsibility for theological interpretation that went with it were preordained by God's will and determined by Muhammad to remain in the house of Ali. The spiritual grace and inspiration that attended this exalted position could not be bestowed by popular vote. Open warfare accompanied this schism.
Strengthening this political split were religious differences. Shiites believe that, apart from what is revealed in the Koran and the Hadith, there exists a body of true and esoteric knowledge that passed from Muhammad to Ali, and those of his descendants who succeeded Ali as the divinely guided imam of Islam. The imams, therefore, are in a position to reveal the true meaning of the Koran and to amplify continually the definition of dogma according to their inner light. Consequently, their doctrine affords a broader basis, through interpretations, for meeting the needs of various situations as they arise, and it also entails a tendency to greater divergence from the more literal and more conservative Sunni form of Islam, dominant in the remainder of the Muslim world.
Among the Shiites, popular belief includes a doctrine of predestination that does not exclude the possibility of merciful intercession by the Prophet and the imams at the Last Judgment. They believe that the Messiah will be the last imam, who will return to reestablish a world of truth, peace, and justice.
According to Imami Shiites, upon the murder of the eleventh imam, Hasan al-Askari in the ninth century, the inmate passed to Muhammad al-Muntazar, his five-year-old son, who occupies an extraordinary position in Shiite doctrine. According to traditional accounts, the twelfth imam, who has several titles but is best known by the title Imam Zaman (the Imam of all Time), learned of Plans of the caliph on his life. He went into hiding in the late ninth century and is expected to return to abolish all religions, slay the infidels, take revenge on the wicked, and fill the world with equity and justice. The twelfth or hidden imam, who is believed to be spiritually alive but invisible, continues to be the imam until the day of his return. The Constitutionals cognizance of this doctrine and, accordingly, the rulers rule in his name.
Wedding invitations acknowledge the auspices of the twelfth imam. He is beseeched to hasten his return in various invocations and prayers, and people in distress often call on him for aid and assistance. His birthday is one of the jubilant feasts for the Shiites in Iran, at which time shops are decorated, mosques and public buildings are illuminated, and an atmosphere of gaiety and merriment prevail. (VI:209)
For further information about the history and doctrine of Shii religion, please study reference No. 4 of the bibliography "An Introduction to Shii Islam" or click here to see excerpts from the book. Dr. H. Mohtashemi selected excerpts.
