The 12 Imams

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

May Allah (swt) send his blessings upon Mohammed and his Family.

Assalam Alaykum,

In this article I will discuss about the twelve Imams (a.s) in the religion of islam. There are many who are unaware and raise questions as to who were these individuals and why twelve? This topic will only provide an overview of where did the twelve Imams come from. It has nothing to do with the concept of Infallibility and Imamah.

Firstly, the Prophet Mohammed (s) family are known as the Ahlul-Bayt (People of the House). They hold a very respectful position by all Muslims within the religion of Islam. Allah (swt) has made it obligatory for all to love the his (s) family, which is evident in the following verse of the Quran:

Say, I ask no reward from you for it except the love of my kinsfolk...(42:23).

After the demise of the Holy Prophet (s), some argue that twelve Imams (leaders/guides) had appeared. Those who held such a beleif are known as the Shia. Largest Shia sect is known as the Twelvers. According to them these imams were from the Ahul-albayt. One must not get confused and think that these imams played the same role as the prophet. We all know that Nabi Mohammed (s) was a prophet and was sent by Allah (swt) as a warner to deliver his message to mankind. In regards to the school of ahlu-albayt, the imams never came with any new revelations, thus there role was never to act as prophets or messengers, rather they were a guide for the people of their time and to protect the sunnah. And this can be backed up in a few narrations:

al-Hakim recorded that Anas Ibn Malik narrated that the Holy Prophet said to Ali:

" You shall inform my nation about the truth and what they dispute after me".
-[al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p112, who wrote this is an authentic Hadith according to the stipulation of the two Shaikhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim)].
 
Also in regards to the following verse of the Quran:
 
"(O' Muhammad!) You are but a Warner, and for every community there exists a Guide." (Quran 13:7).

The following sunni commentators of the Quran narrated that the word "Guide" in the verse above was 'Imam Ali (a.s)':
-Tafsir al-Tabari, v13, p72;
-Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Razi, on the commentary of verse 13:7
-Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, under verse 13:7 of Quran
-Kanz al-Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, p157
-Noor al-Absar, by al-Shablanji, p70
-Kunooz al-Haqa'iq, by al-Manawi, p42.

Now we will move on to the next part of the discussion, where I will provide some hadiths (narrations) on whether the Holy Prophet (s) had mentioned anything about twelve imams coming after him and most importantly who were they.

To begin with, in the Holy Quran, Allah (swt) has mentioned that there were twelve leaders from the previous generations in the following verse:

"Surely Allah aforetime took a covenant from the Children of Israel and we appointed twelve leaders among them" (Quran 5:12).

Interestingly, in the Old Testament, you’ll find that God speaks to the Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) and says to him in (Genesis 17:20):

"And as for Isma'il, I have blessed him, and I have made him fruitful. And I have truly multiplied him, he will beget twelve leaders and I will provide for him a large nation."

Also,

"Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bore unto Abraham: And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth, and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedmah. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns and by their encampments; twelve princes according to their nations."
-(Genesis 25:12-16).

In the religion of Islam, both schools of thought (Sunnah and Shia) differ on the issue of Caliphate, on who succeeded the Prophet (s). The shia believe that there were twelve rightly leaders who are meant to succeed the Prophet (s). However the ahlu-sunnah follow the Four right caliphs (Abu Baker, Umar, Uthman and Ali). They often call the shia as ‘rejecters’ since they never followed the rightly four like the majority do. The reason why the ahlu-sunnah follow these ‘four caliphs’ is because they say that the Prophet (s) ordered his people to consult between each other (which is known as a 'shura') as to who will lead the ummah after he passes away. Now the question is, was the belief of following exactly twelve Imams after the Prophet (s) an innovation made up?

Below are some narrations from both sunni and shia sources to see if there was any mentions of the twelve imams by the Prophet (s).

Sunni Hadiths:

The Prophet (s) said: "There shall be twelve Caliphs for this community, all of them from Quraish."
-[Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v5, p106]

RasulAllah (s) said: 'The Islamic religion will continue until there are twelve (Imams) from the Quraysh. And when they all die the Earth will swallow its inhabitants."
-[Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-'Ummal , 13:27].

Narrated Jabir bin Samura:
I heard the Prophet saying, "There will be twelve Muslim rulers (who will rule all the Islamic world)." He then said a sentence which I did not hear. My father said, "All of them (those rulers) will be from Quraish."
-[Sahih Bukhari: Volume 9, Book 89, Number 329].

It has been reported on the authority of Jabir b. Samura who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: The affairs of the people will continue to be conducted (well) as long as they are governed by twelve men. Then the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) said words which were obscure to me. I asked my father: What did the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say? He said: All of the (twelve men) will be from the Quraish.
-[Sahih Muslim: Book 020, Number 4478].

It has been narrated on the authority of Jabir b. Samura who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say: Islam will continue to be triumphant until there have been twelve Caliphs. Then the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) said something which I could not understand. I asked my father: What did he say? He said: He has said that all of them (twelve Caliphs) will be from the Quraish.
-[Sahih Muslim: Book 020, Number 4480].

It has been narrated on the authority of Jabir b. Samura that the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) said: This order will continue to be dominant until there have been twelve Caliphs. The narrator says: Then he said something which I could not understand, and I said to my father: What did he say? My father told me that he said that all of them (Caliphs) would be from the Quraish.
-[Sahih Muslim: Book 020, Number 4481].

It has been reported on the authority of Jabir b. Samura who said: I went with my father to the Messenger of Allah (may peeace be upon him) and I heard him say: This religion would continue to remain powerful and dominant until there have been twelve Caliphs. Then he added something which I couldn't catch on account of the noise of the people. I asked my father: What did he say? My father said: He has said that all of them will be from the Quraish.
-[Sahih Muslim: Book 020, Number 4482].

It has been narrated on the authority of Amir b. Sa'd b. Abu Waqqas who said: I wrote (a letter) to Jabir b. Samura and sent it to him through my servant Nafi', asking him to inform me of something he had heard from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). He wrote to me (in reply): I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) say on Friday evening, the day on which al-Aslami was stoned to death (for committing adultery): The Islamic religion will continue until the Hour has been established, or you have been ruled over by twelve Caliphs, all of them being from the Quraish. also heard him say: A small force of the Muslims will capture the white palace, the police of the Persian Emperor or his descendants. I also heard him say: Before the Day of Judgment there will appear (a number of) impostors. You are to guard against them. I also heard him say: When God grants wealth to any one of you, he should first spend it on himself and his family (and then give it in charity to the poor). I heard him (also) say: I will be your forerunner at the Cistern (expecting your arrival).
-[Sahih Muslim: Book 020, Number 4483].

Ahmad and Al-Hakim have narrated from Masrooq who said:

"We were sitting one evening with Abdullah (ibn Mas'ud). We were reciting the Qur'an, then a man asked him: "O Abu Abdur-Rahman, did you ask the Messenger of Allah (s) how many Caliphs will rule this nation?" Abdullah said: "No one asked me about this before you from the time I arrived in Iraq." He said: "We asked him (s), he said: "Twelve, (like) the number of the Chiefs of Bani Israel."
-[Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, 1:398 and 406]

And in another narration:

Ibn Mas'ud said: "The Messenger of Allah (s) said: "There will be Caliphs after me, whose number is like those of the companions of Musa."
-[Al-Hakim al-Nisaburi, Mustadrak , 4:501]

Shaykh Sulayman al-Qanduzi, a sunni scholar, sais in his book Yanabi' al-Mawaddah:

“A Jewish man named Na'thal, went to the Prophet (saww) and among the questions he asked who would succeed him. The Prophet (saww) said, specifying them, “After me, ‘Alī ibn Abi Talib and then my two sons, Hasan and Husayn and after Husayn, nine Imams will follow from his children.” The Jewish man said, “name them.” The Prophet (saww) said: “When Husayn leaves this world, his son, ‘Alī, and after him, his child Muhammad and after Muhammad, his son Ja‘far and after Ja‘far, his son Mūsā and after Mūsā, his son ‘Alī and after ‘Alī, Muhammad. After Muhammad, his child, ‘Alī and after ‘Alī, Hasan and after Hasan, his child Muhammad al-Mahdi. These are the twelve Imams.”
-[Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, p. 431].

Al-Juwayni narrates from his chain of narrators that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.s.) informed: "I and Ali and Hasan and Husayn and nine of the descendants of Husayn are the purified ones and the infallible."
-[Al-Juwayni, Fara'id al-Simtayn, pg 160].

In the narration above it describes that there will be nine descendants from Husayn. Ali, Hassan and Husayn were regarded as Imams by all Muslims. Thus it clearly illustrates that there has been a mention of twelve Imams.

There are many more...

Shia Hadiths:

In 'Ikmal-ud-Din' a tradition, through 'Jabir-il-Ju'fi', is narrated from 'Jabir-ibn-'Abdillah':

"I said: 'O Messenger of Allah we have known Allah and His Apostle; then who is 'Ulul-Amr', those that Allah has made their obedience the same as your obedience?' Then, the Prophet (p.h.u.h.) said: 'O' Jabir! They are, after me, my successors and the guides of Muslims; the first of them is Ali ibn Abi Talib; then (Imam) Hassan, and (Imam) Husayn; then Ali ibn Husayn; then Mohammad ibn Ali; known in the Turah as Baqir, whom you will see, O' Jabir! When you visit him, give my regards to him. After him, there is Sadiq, Ja'far ibn Muhammad; and after him Musa ibn Ja'far; then Ali ibn Musa; then Muhammad ibn Ali; then Ali ibn Muhammad, then Hassan ibn Ali; and after him (there comes) Al-Qaim, whose name and epithet is the same as mine. He is Allah's Authority on the Earth and His Remainder amongst His servants. He is the son of (Imam) Hassan-ibn-Ali (al-'Askari). This is the very personality by whose hands Allah will open the Easts and Wests of the worlds and this is the very personality who will be absent from his followers and those who love him, in which his mastership cannot be proved by a statement of anyone except for the one whose heart Allah tests for Faith."

Jabir said: "I asked him: 'O' Messenger of Allah will his followers avail of him during his occultation?' He answered: 'Yes. By the One Who appointed me to prophethood, they will seek brightness from his light and will avail by devotion in his absence the same as the availing of people from the (glow of) sun when clouds cover it...
-[Ikmal-ud-Din, vol. 1, p. 253].

Al-Saduq, in his book "Ikmal ad-Din wa Itmam al-Ni`mah", traces another hadith to Imam al-Sadiq who quotes his father and grandfather citing the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "The Imams after me are twelve: The first is `Ali and the last is al-Qa'im [al-Mahdi]; they are my successors and the executors of my will."

Al-Saduq, also in his Ikmal, attributes another hadith by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, to Imam al-Rida who quotes his ancestors stating that the Prophet once said: "I and `Ali are the fathers of this nation; whoever knows us very well also knows Allah, and whoever denies us also denies Allah, the Unique, the Mighty. And from `Ali's descendants are my grandsons al-Hasan and al-Husayn, who are the masters of the youths of Paradise, and from al-Husayn's descendants shall be nine: whoever obeys them obeys me, and whoever disobeys them also disobeys me; the ninth among them is their Qa'im and Mahdi."

Al-Saduq, also in his Ikmal, has quoted `Ali citing the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his progeny, saying: "The Imams after me are twelve: the first of them is `Ali, and the last is al-Qa'im through whom Allah, the Exalted and the Mighty, shall open the east of the earth as well as the west."
-[These hadith are from Chapter Twenty-Four of Ikmal ad-Din wa Itmam al-Ni`mah, pages 149-167].

Abu Ali Ahmad ibn Al-Hassan al-Qattan narrated that Abu Abdullah Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Abil Rajal al-Baghdadi quoted on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ubdoos al-Harrani, on the authority of Abdul Ghaffar ibn al-Hakam, on the authority of Mansoor ibn Abil Aswad, on the authority of al-Muttraf, on the authority of al-Sha’bi, on the authority of his uncle Qays ibn Abdullah, “We were sitting around and Abdullah ibn Mas’ood was also present. A Bedouin came and asked, ‘Which one of you is Abdullah ibn Mas’ood?’ Abdullah said, ‘I am Abdullah ibn Mas’ood.’ The Bedouin asked, ‘Has your Prophet told you how many successors he will have after him?’ He replied, ‘Yes. Twelve successors - as many as the Israelite chiefs.’”
–[Uyun Akhbar al-redha, Sheikh Saduq, in Chapter 6].

(The author of the book narrated) my father - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Sa’d ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Khalaf quoted on the authority of Yaqoob ibn Yazid, on the authority of Hammad ibn Isa, on the authority of Abdullah ibn Moskan, on the authority of Aban ibn Taqlib, on the authority of Solaym ibn Qays al-Hilali, on the authority of Salman al-Farsi - may God have Mercy upon him said, “I went to see the Prophet (s). Al-Hussein was sitting on his lap. The Prophet (s) was kissing his eyes and lips and said, ‘You are a Master, the son of a Master. You are an Imam, the son of an Imam. You are a Proof, the son of a Proof. You are the father of nine Proofs that come from your loin. The one from your ninth generation will be the Riser.’”
- [Uyun Akhbar al-redha, Sheikh Saduq, in Chapter 6].

Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Imran ad-Daqqaq - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Muhammad ibn Abi Abdillah al-Kufi quoted on the authority of Musa ibn Imran an-Nakha’ee, on the authority of his uncle Al-Hussein ibn Yazid al-Nowfali, on the authority of Al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn Abi Hamza, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Yahya ibn Abil Qasim, on the authority of As-Sadiq Ja’far ibn Muhammad (s), on the authority of his father (s), on the authority of his grandfather (s), on the authority of Ali (s) that God’s Prophet (s) said, “There are twelve Divine Leaders after me. The first one of them is Ali ibn Abi Talib (s) and the last one of them is the Riser (Mahdi).........
-[Uyun Akhbar al-redha, Sheikh Saduq, in Chapter 6].

ما رواه الشيخ الصدوق رحمه الله عن محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد عن محمد بن الحسن الصفار عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى ومحمد بن الحسين بن أبي الخطاب والهيثم ابن مسروق النهدي، عن الحسن بن محبوب السراد عن علي بن رئاب عن أبي حمزة الثمالي، عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال سمعته يقول: «إن أقرب الناس إلى الله عز وجل وأعلمهم به وأرأفهم بالناس محمد صلى الله عليه وآله، والأئمة فادخلوا أين دخلوا وفارقوا من فارقوا، عنى بذلك حسيناً وولده فإن الحق فيهم وهم الأوصياء ومنهم الأئمة، فأينما رأيتموهم فاتبعوهم وإن أصبحتم يوماً لا ترون منهم أحداً منهم فاستغيثوا بالله عز وجل وانظروا السنة التي كنتم عليها واتبعوها وأحبّوا من كنتم تحبون وأبغضوا من كنتم تبغضون فما أسرع ما يأتيكم الفرج

[Translation]- And from among the traditions is the authentic tradition reported by Shaykh al-saduq (ra),  from…Abu hamza al-thumali, from Abu Jafar al-Baqir (a.s.). Abu hamza al-thumali said: ‘I heard the Imam al-Baqir (a.s.) say: “Surely, the closest of people to Allah, the Exalted the Majestic, and the most learned

and gracious of them is Mohammed, the blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny, and the Imams. Therefore follow them and dissociate yourselves, from those whom they dissociate, I mean al-Husayn (a.s) and his progeny, for the truth is with them and they are the vice-regents and from them are the Imams. Thus wherever you see them, follow them. And if a day dawns upon you when you do not see any one from them, then call for the help of Allah, the Exalted the Majestic, and observe the established practice which you were observing and adhere to it, and love those whom you used to love and hate those whom you used to hate, for indeed, how soon will the relief come to you!!
-[Kamal al-Din vol 1, pg 328].

Abu Sulayman bin Hawtha al-Bahili narrated from Ibraheem bin Ishaq an-Nahawandi from Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Hammad al-Ansari from Amr bin Shimr from al-Mubarak bin Fudhala that al-Hasan bin Abul Hasan al-Basri had said:

"Gabriel came to the Prophet (s) and said: "O Muhammad! Allah orders you to marry Fatima to your brother Ali." The Prophet (s) sent for Ali and said to him: "O Ali, I will marry my daughter Fatima, the head lady of the women of the world and the most beloved to me, to you and there will be from you (your offspring) the two masters of the martyrs of Paradise, the oppressed bloodstained martyrs on the earth after me and the highborn progeny, with whom Allah will defeat injustice, revive the truth and finish off the untruth. Their number is like the number of the months of a year. Behind the last one of them Prophet Jesus the son of Blessed Virgin Mary (s) will offer the prayer."
-[Biharul Anwar vol.36 p.272, Ithbat al-Hudat vol.10 p.619, Awalim al-Uloom vol.15/3 p.135]

Muhammad bin Hammam narrated from Abu Abdullah bin Ja'far al-Himyari from Ahmad bin Hilal from Muhammad bin Abu Umayr from Sa'eed bin Ghazwan from Abu Baseer from Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (a.s) from his fathers (a.s) that the Prophet (s) had said:

"Allah the Almighty has chosen a thing from everything. He has chosen Mecca from the earth, the mosque from Mecca and the place, in which the Kaaba is, from the mosque. He has chosen the females from among the cattle and the ewe from among the sheep. He has chosen Friday from among the days, Ramadan from among the months and the Night of Predestination from among the nights. He has chosen the Hashimites from among the peoples, has chosen me and Ali from among the Hashimites, has chosen al-Hasan and al-Husayn from me and Ali and then He completed the twelve Imams from the progeny of al-Husayn. The ninth of them (of al-Husayn's progeny) is the hidden and the apparent and the best of them. He is the expected Imam."

The same was narrated by Muhammad bin Hammam and Muhammad bin al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin Jumhoor from al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin Jumhoor from Ahmad bin Hilal from Muhammad bin Abu Omayr from Sa'eed bin Ghazwan from Imam Abu Abdullah as-Sadiq (a.s).

-[Ithbat al-Wassiyya p.225, 227, Kamal ad-Deen p.281, Dala'il al-Imama p.240, Muqtadhab al-Athar p.9-10, al-Ghayba by at-Tusi p.142, al-Istinsar p.8, al-Mukhtasar p.159 ]

Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Ya'qoob narrated from Abu Abdullah al-Husayn bin Muhammad from Muhammad bin Abu Qayss from Ja'far ar-Rummani from Muhammad bin Abul Qassim, the son of Khalid bin Mukhallad al-Qatawani's sister, from Abdul Wahab ath-Thaqafi from Imam Ja'far bin Muhammad as-Sadiq (a.s) that his father Imam Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (a.s) had looked at Hamran, cried and said:

"O Hamran, how odd of people it is! How have they ignored or forgotten the saying of the Prophet (s) on the last day of his life? When he fell ill, people came to visit him until the house became so crowded. Then Ali (a.s) came and offered greeting but he could not overstep the people to reach the Prophet (s) and the people did not let him pass. When the Prophet (s) saw that, he raised his pillow and said: "O Ali, come to me!" Then people pressed closed to let Ali pass. The Prophet (s) seated Ali (a.s) beside him and said: "O people, you do so to my family while I am still alive! Then what will you do to them after my death?

By Allah, whatever closer you approach to my family, you will be closer to Allah and whatever far you become and turn away from them, Allah will turn away from you. O people, listen to what I say to you! Contentment and love of Allah will be to whoever loves Ali, obeyed him and followed him and his guardians after him. Allah has promised to respond to me regarding them. They are twelve Imams. Whoever follows them is from me. I am from Abraham and Abraham is from me. His religion is my religion and my religion is his. His lineage is mine and mine is his. My virtue is his and I am better than him without pride. Allah has confirmed my speech when saying, "Offspring one of the other; and Allah is Hearing, Knowing [Qur'an 3:34]."
-[ Biharul Anwar vol.36 p.279, Awalim al-Uloom vol.15/3 p.243. ]

Muhammad bin Hammam narrated from Abu Ali al-Hasan bin Ali bin Isa al-Qoohistani from Badr bin Ishaq bin Badr al-Anmati from his father that his grandfather Badr bin Isa had said:

"Once I asked my father, who was a very respectable man: "Whom have you met of the successors of the Prophet's companions?" He said: "I do not know what you say but once I was in Kufa and heard an old man in the mosque talking about a good man. He said: "I have heard Amirul Mu'mineen Ali bin Abu Talib (s) saying: The Prophet (s) has said to me: O Ali, the infallible guided Imams of your progeny are eleven ones and you are the first of them. The name of the last of them is like my name. He will appear to fill the world with justice and equity after it has been filled with injustice and oppression. People will come to him asking for money, which will be accumulated. He will say to them: "Take (as you like)!"
-[ Al-Ghayba by at-Tusi p.135, Ithbat al-Hudat vol.1 p.547, 623, 676, Biharul Anwar vol.36 p.259, 281.]

Muhammad bin Ya'qoob al-Kulayni narrated from Ali bin Ibraheem bin Hashim from his father from ibn Abu Omayr from Sa'eed bin Ghazwan from Abu Baseer that Imam Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (s) had said:

"Nine Imams are after al-Husayn bin Ali. The ninth one is al-Qa'im."
-[Al-Khissal p.419, 480, al-Ghayba by at-Tusi p.140, Manaqib by ibn Shahrashoob vol.1 p.296, Biharul Anwar vol.36 p.392, 395.]

Abu Jafar Al-Thaanee (Imaam Al-Taqee Al-Jawaad) said: "Once Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) came with al-Hassan and al-Husayn and he was holding the hand of Salman for support. He entered the sacred Mosque in Makka and sat down. Then a good looking and well dressed man came. He offered the greeting of peace to Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) who answered his greetings likewise and he sat down. He then said, "I will ask you three questions. If you would answer them I will acknowledge that the people who have acted against you in the matters of leadership after the Holy Prophet (s.a) they have acted against their own selves. Their actions have taken away peace from them in this world as well in the next life. If it would be otherwise, (you can answer) then you and those people will be the same." Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) said, "Ask whatever you would like." He said, "Tell about the man who sleeps. Where does his spirit go?" Tell about the man, how he remembers and forgets? Tell me about the man how do his children become similar to the aunts and uncles.?" Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) turned to al-Hassan and said, "O abu Muhammad, answer him." The narrator has said that al-Hassan answered his questions. The man then said,

"I testify that there is no lord besides Allah and I continue to testify to this fact. I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and I continue to testify to this fact I testify that you are the executor of the will of the Messenger of Allah and that you are the in charge of this task ((Leadership with Divine Authority) with His authorization." He pointed out to Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) with his hand. He then said, "I continue to testify to this fact." "I testify that you are the executor of his (Amir al-Mu’minin’s (a.s.) will and the in charge of this task ((Leadership with Divine Authority) by His authorization after him (Amir alMu’minin (a.s.) " He pointed out with his hand to al-Hassan (a.s.). Then He then said, "I continue to testify to this fact."

"I testify that al-Husayn ibn Ali (a.s.) will be the executor of the will of his brother and the in charge of this task ((Leadership with Divine Authority) with His authorization after him.

"I testify in support of Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) that he will be the in charge of the task of al-Husayn after him.

"I testify that Muhammad ibn Ali will be the in charge of the task of Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) after him.

"I testify that Ja‘far ibn Muhammad (a.s.) will be the in charge of the task of Muhammad ibn Ali (a.s.).

"I testify that Musa will be the in charge of the task of Ja‘far ibn Muhammad after him.

"I testify that Ali ibn Musa will be the in charge of the task of Musa ibn Ja‘far (a.s.).

"I testify that Muhammad ibn Ali (a.s.) will be the in charge of the task of Ali ibn Musa (a.s.) after him.

"I testify that Ali ibn Muhammad will be the in charge of the task of Muhammad ibn Ali (a.s.) after him.

"I testify that al-Hassan ibn Ali (a.s.) will be the in charge of the task of Ali ibn Muhammad (a.s.) after him.

"I testify in support of a man from the children of al-Hassan who will not be mentioned by his Kunya (father or son of so and so) or his name until he will rise with Divine authority to fill the earth with justice after being filled with injustice. "I offer you my greeting of peace O Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) and praay to Allah to grant you blessings and holiness." He then stood up and left. Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) said, "O abu Muhammad follow him and see where went." Al-Hassan ibn Ali (a.s.) went out to find out (and came back) and said, "As soon as he stepped out of the Mosque I could not figure out in which direction of the earth of Allah did he
disappear. I returned to Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) and informed him." He said, "O abu Muhammad, do you know him?" I said, Allah, the Messenger of Allah and Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) know best." He said, "He was al-Khidr (a.s.) "
- [Al-Kulayni, Al-Kaafi, vol. 1, pg. 525 – 526, hadith #1].

There are many more narrations, however the length of the article would become too long.

-Here is a short summary on the names, date of birth and deaths of the twelve Imams (a.s):

The First Imam:

Ali. His father was Abu Talib bin Abdul-Muttalib bin Hashim. And his mother name was Fatimah bint Asad bin Hashim bin Abd Munaf. His Kunniyah is Abul Hassan and Hussein, and Abu Turab. He had the title of Al-Wasi and Amir al-Muminin.

Imam Ali(a.s) was born in the Ka'ba, in thirty 'Am al-Fil (the year of the elephant). He was martyred by the Khwariji named Abd al-Rahman ibn Muljam at Kufa by a poisoned sword and later died on the 21st of Ramadhan 40/661, and was buried at al-Najaf (Iraq).

The Second Imam:

Hassan ibn Ali ibn Abu Talib. His mother was Fatima Zahra (a.s) the daughter of the Holy Prophet (s). His Kunniyah is Abu Mohammed. He had the title of Al-Sibt al-Kabir (the elder grandson), and Al-Mujtaba.

Imam Hassan (a.s) was born in Madina in the middle of the month of Ramadhan in 3 A.H. He died on the 28th of Safar in the year 50 A.H, poisoned by his wife Ja'da bint Ash'ath of Kinda and was buried in the graveyard of Baqi in Madina.

The Third Imam:

Abu Abdillah, Hussein, The Chief of Martyrs (Sayyid al-Shuhadaa), the son of Ali, born on the 3rd of Sha'ban 4/626 in Medina; was martyred with his sons (except one), relatives and companions, on the 10th of Muharram (Ashura) 61/680 in Karbala (Iraq) by the order of Yazid. He was the brother of Imam Hassan. Both were the sons of Fatima Zahra (a.s).

The Fourth Imam:

Ali Zain al-Abidin (Abu Muhammad), the son of al-Husain, he was born on the 5th of Sha'ban 38/659; martyred of poison on the 25th of Muharram 94/712 or 95/713 in Medina by the order of Husham Ibn Abdul-Malik.

The Fifth Imam:

Mohammed al-Baqir (Abu Ja'far), the son of Ali, and was born on the 1st of Rajab 57/677 in Medina; he was martyred by Ibrahim with poison on the 7th Dhul-Hajja 114/733 in Medina.

The Sixth Imam:

Jaffer al-Sadiq (Abu Abdillah), the son of Muhammad, and was born on the 17th of Rabi'ul-Awwal 83/702 in Medina; and was martyred by poison on the 25th of Shawwal 148/765 by the order of al-Mansur.

The Seventh Imam:

Musa al-Kadhim (Abul-Hasan al-Awwal), the son of Ja'far, was born in al-Abwa on the 7th Safar 129/746; and was martyred by poison on the 25th of Rajab 183/799 in the prison of Harun al-Rashid in Baghdad and was buried at al-Kadhimiyya, near Baghdad in Iraq.

The Eighth Imam:

Ali al-Ridha (Abul-Hasan al-Thani), the son of Musa, he was born in Medina on the 11th Dhul-Qa'da 148/765; and was martyred by poison on the 17th of Safar 203/818 in Mash'had (Khurasan, Iran) by the order of Ma'mun.

The Ninth Imam:

Mohammed al-Taqi al-Jawad (Abu Ja'far al-Thani), the son of Ali, he was born on the 10th of Rajab 195/811 in Medina; he was martyred by poison on the order of Mu'tasim in Baghdad on the 30th Dhul-Qa'da 220/835; was buried near his grandfather at al-Kadhimiyya.

The Tenth Imam:

Ali al-Naqi al-Hadi (Abul-Hasan al-Thalith), the son of Muhammad, and was born on the 5th of Rajab 212/827 in Medina; and was martyred by poison in Samirra (Iraq) on 3rd of Rajab 254/868 by the order of Mutawakkil.

The Eleventh Imam:

Hassan al-Askari (Abu Muhammad), the son of Ali, he was born on the 8th of Rabi al-Thani 232/846 in Medina; was martyred by Mu'tamid with poison in Samirra (Iraq) on the 8th of Rabi'ul-Awwal 260/874.

The Twelfth Imam:

Mohammed al-Mahdi (Abul-Qasim), the son of al-Hasan, he was born on the 15th of Sha'ban 255/869 in Samirra (Iraq). According to Twelver Shi'ite, doctrine, he is the current Imam and the promised Mahdi, a messianic figure who will return with Isa (Jesus peace be upon him). He will re-establish the rightful governance of Islam and replete the earth with justice and peace.

Diagram of a family tree (twelve imams - ahlu-albayt) down below:

May Allah(swt) guide us all!

Wa'Salam!