The name of Iran derives immediately from Middle Persian , Pahlavi ''ʼyrʼn'', first attested in this form in the inscription that accompanies the investiture relief of Ardashir I at Naqsh-e Rustam. In this inscription, the king's Middle Persian appellation is ''ardašīr šāhān šāh ērān'' (''lit.'' "Ardeshir, king of kings of Eran") corresponding to the passage ''ardašīr šāhān šāh aryān'' (''lit.'' Ardashir, king of kings of Aryans) in the Parthian inscription accompanying the Middle Persian one. Though in English the name ''Persia'' was once the norm, ''Iran'' is today the preferred name.

Etymology

The gentilic ''ēr-'' and ''ary-'' (in e.g. ''ērān''/''aryān'') in the Middle Iranian languages of Persian and Parthian derives from Old Iranian ''*arya-'' (in e.g. Old Persian: ''ariya-'', Avestan: ''airiia-'', etc.), meaning "Aryan," in the sense of "of the Iranians." This word (i.e. ''*arya-'') is attested as an ethnic designator in Achaemenid inscriptions and in Zoroastrianism's Avesta tradition, and in Middle Iranian era (ca. 400 BCE - 700 CE) it seems "very likely" that the word ''ērān'' in Ardashir's inscription still retained the same meaning as in the Old era, i.e. denoting the people rather than the empire while the empire was properly named as ''ērānšahr''.

Notwithstanding this inscriptional use of ''ērān'' to refer to the Iranian peoples, the use of ''ērān'' to refer to the empire (and the antonymic ''anērān'' to refer to the Roman territories) is also attested by the early Sassanid period. Both ''ērān'' and ''anērān'' appear in 3rd century calendrical text written by Mani. In an inscription of Ardashir's son and immediate successor, Shapur I "apparently includes in ''Ērān'' regions such as Armenia and the Caucasus which were not inhabited predominantly by Iranians." In Kartir's inscriptions (written thirty years after Shapur's), the high priest includes the same regions (together with Georgia, Albania, Syria and the Pontus) in his list of provinces of the antonymic ''Anērān''. ''Ērān'' also features in the names of the towns founded by Sassanid dynasts, for instance in ''Ērān-xwarrah-šābuhr'' "Glory of Ērān (of) Shapur". It also appears in the titles of government officers, such as in ''Ērān-āmārgar'' "Accountant-General (of) Ērān" or ''Ērān-dibirbed'' "Chief Scribe (of) Ērān".

Shapur's trilingual inscription at Ka'ba-i Zartosht also introduces the term ''ērānšahr'' (75px), "kingdom of the Iranians", that is however not attested in any other texts of this period other than in royal inscriptions (it is however preserved in post-Sassanid-era Zoroastrian texts|group="n"}}). Because an equivalent of ''ērānšahr'' does not appear in Old Iranian (where it would have been ''*aryānām xšaθra-'' or in Old Persian ''*- xšaça-'', "rule, reign, sovereignty"), the term is presumed to have been a Sassanid-era development. In the Greek portion of Shapur's trilingual inscription the word ''šahr'' "kingdom" appears as ''ethnous'' "nation". For speakers of Greek, the idea of an Iranian ''ethnous'' was not new: In the 1st century BCE, Strabo had noted a relationship between the various Iranian peoples and their languages: "[From] beyond the Indus [...] Ariana is extended so as to include some part of Persia, Media, and the north of Bactria and Sogdiana; for these nations speak nearly the same language." (''Geography'', 15.2.1-15.2.8).

Usage in the medieval Islamic period

The name "Aria"(etymologically equivalent to Iran) is also attest in this period. Hamza Isfahani (894-970) in his book "history of the Prophets and Saints" mentions:''Arian which is the same as Persia is situation in the middle of these six countries and these six countries form its borders. Its SE is China, its North is bordered by the lands of Turk, Its Southern Middle borders India, Its Northern Middle borders Byzantium, its SW borders Africa and its NW is in the hand of Berbers''.

Hakim Meysari (born 935 A.D.) has written an important Persian treaty on medicine in verse. In the beginning of the book he writes: {{blockquote| جو بر پیوستنش بر دل نهادم

فراوان رایها بر دل گشادم

که چون گویمش من تا دیر نماند

وُ هرکس دانش او بداند

بگویم تازی ار نه پارسی نغز

ز هر در بگویم من مایه و مغز

وُ پس گفتم زمین ماست ایران

که بیش از مردمانش پارسیدان

وُگر تازی کنم نیکو نباشد

که هر کس را از او نیرو نباشد

دری گویمش تا هرکس بداند

وُ هرکس برزبانش بر براند

Translation: When I decided to compose works, many thoughts ran through my mind. I wanted everyone to understand the knowledge I am writing. I was undecided to write in Persian or Arabic Then I told myself that our country is Iran, and the majority of its people speak Persian, thus if I write in Arabic it is not right, because not every may benefit from that language, Thus I will compose it in Dari (Persian) So that people can understand it and recite it }}

The name was also used for inhabitants. For example Safi al-Din al-Urmawi, a famous Iranian musician is referred to by Qutb al-Din Shirazi ((1236–1311)) as the wise sage of Iran. According to the Encyclopedia of Islam on Safi al-Din al-Urmawi:.

Modern usage

During the Safavid era, most of the territory of the Sassanid empire regained its political unity, and Safavid kings were assuming the title of "''Šāhanšāh-e Irān''" (Iran's king of kings). An example is Mofid Bafqi (d. 1679) who makes numerous references to Iran, describing its border and nostalgia of Iranians that had migrated to India in that era. Even Ottoman sultans, when addressing the Āq Quyunlu and Safavid kings, used such titles as the “king of Iranian lands” or the “sultan of the lands of Iran” or “the king of kings of Iran, the lord of the Persians”. This title, as well as the title of "''Šāh-e Irān''", was later used by Nader Shah Afshar and Qajar and Pahlavi kings. Since 1935, the name "''Iran''" also has replaced other names of Iran in the western world. Jean Chardin who travelled to Persian between 1673 to 1677 has observed that both Iran and Fars were used concurrently:

Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the official name of the country is "Islamic Republic of Iran."

See also

Iran naming convention

Greater Iran

Notes

References

External links

IRANIAN IDENTITY - ii. PRE-ISLAMIC PERIOD, Encyclopedia Iranica

Iran, Etymology of Category:Etymologies Category:History of Iran Category:Persian words and phrases

fa:ایرانشهر (ساسانیان) hr:Terminologija Irana i Perzije#Naziv „Iran“ sv:Iran (ord) tr:İran kelimesinin etimolojisi

Webster Griffin Tarpley (born 1946) is an American historian, author, journalist, lecturer, and critic of US foreign and domestic policy. Tarpley maintains that the September 11 attacks were engineered by a rogue network of the military-industrial complex and intelligence agencies as a false flag operation. His writings and speeches describe a model of terror operations by a rogue network in the military/intelligence sector working with moles in the private sector and in corporate media, and locates such contemporary false flag operations in a historical context stretching back in the English speaking world to at least the Gunpowder Plot in England in 1605.

Education

Tarpley was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1946. He received a BA degree ''summa cum laude'' in English and Italian from Princeton University in 1966. While a student at Princeton he became a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and was a Fulbright Scholar at University of Turin in Italy. Tarpley also obtained a MA degree in humanities from Skidmore College. As well as a Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America in History.

Career

In 1971, Tarpley was on the editorial board of ''The Campaigner'', a National Caucus of Labor Committees' journal, according to its masthead.

As a European based journalist in the 1980s, Tarpley wrote a study on the assassination of Prime Minister Aldo Moro. The study claimed that the murder was a false flag operation orchestrated by the Propaganda Due, a Masonic Lodge, with the cooperation of senior members of Italian government secret services but blamed on the Red Brigades.

Tarpley was president of the Schiller Institute of the United States in the 1980s and in 1993. In 1986 Tarpley attempted to run on Lyndon LaRouche's U.S. Labor Party platform in the New York State Democratic Party primary for the U.S. Senate, but was ruled off the ballot because of a defect in his nominating petitions. He was a frequent host of "The LaRouche Connection" which its producer LaRouche's Executive Intelligence Review News Service describes as "a news and information cable television program."

Tarpley first gained attention for co-authoring, with Anton Chaitkin, ("history editor of Executive Intelligence Review") a 1992 book on George H. W. Bush, ''George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography,'' which was published by Executive Intelligence Review, run by Lyndon LaRouche. He has expounded the "Versailles Thesis" laying the blame for the great wars of the 20th century on intrigues by Britain to retain her dominance. He gained experience as a political operative during his years with the LaRouche movement but broke away sometime after 1995.

In 2005, Tarpley published ''9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA''. He speaks at length about the themes in the book during an interview in the film ''Oil, Smoke, Mirrors''.

Since March, 2006, Tarpley has had a weekly online talk radio show called World Crisis Radio, currently hosted on GCNLive.com. Tarpley is a member of the "world anti-imperialist conference" Axis for Peace, of Scholars for 9/11 Truth and of a research ''Netzwerk'' of German 9/11 authors founded in September 2006. He is featured in the film, Zero: an investigation into 9/11 (2007–2008).

Tarpley is a critic of the Dalai Lama; in 2010 he told the state-funded ''Russia Today'' that "pre-1959 Tibet ... was probably the closest thing to hell on earth that you had ... social reform was impossible." In the interview he criticizes US funding of pro-Dalai Lama organizations, which he says amounts to US$2 million per year, saying "this is a bad deal for the American taxpayers."

He also maintains that "The notion of anthropogenic global warming is a fraud."

Bibliography

''Chi ha ucciso Aldo Moro?'' (Who Killed Aldo Moro?), a study commissioned by a member of the Italian government and published in Rome in 1978 The Larouchian, Partito Operaio Europeo http://www.movisol.org/moro.htm, which broke open the affiliation of the Red Brigades with the neofascist lodge P2.

''George Bush: The Unauthorized Biography'' (1992) (co-authored with Anton Chaitkin, son of the lawyer who indicted Prescott Bush under the Trading with the Enemy Act for collaboration with Nazi Germany.) Reprinted 2004, ISBN 0-930852-92-3.

''Against Oligarchy'' (1996)

''Surviving the Cataclysm: Your Guide through the Worst Financial Crisis in Human History'' (1999); updated edition, 2009.

'' 9/11 Synthetic Terror: Made in USA - Myth of the 21st Century'' (2005), Foreword by Thierry Meyssan, ISBN 0-930852-31-1, Fourth edition ISBN 0-930852-37-0 (April 2007).

* Version française: ''La Terreur Fabriquée, Made in USA : 11 Septembre, le mythe du XXIe siècle'' (Sept. 2006). ISBN 2952557144

*In Italiano: ''La Fabbrica del Terrore'' (Sept. 2007). ISBN 978-88-87307-36-6

*En Español: ''11-S, El Falso Terrorismo'' Jan. 2008 ISBN 0-930852-98-2.

''Obama - The Postmodern Coup: Making of a Manchurian Candidate'' (Apr. 2008) ISBN 0-930852-88-5.

*Deutsche Fassung: ''Barack Obama: Wie ein US-Präsident gemacht wird'' (Aug. 2008) ISBN 978-3-938516-74-4.

*Japanese Edition: ''Obama: Dangerous Geometry'' (Nov. 2008) ISBN 4880862398

*''Barack H. Obama: The Unauthorized Biography'' (Aug. 2008) ISBN 0930852818; Japanese edition, March 2009.

References

External links

Tarpley's Website

Tarpley's Show on the Genesis Network

Ground Zero Grassy Knoll - Feature article in New York Magazine (March 20, 2006)

Publisher's web site

Amazon.com's Webster Griffin Tarpley page

Audio and Video Links:

Webster Tarpley lecture and interview videos

Category:1946 births Category:Anti-globalist activists Category:Fulbright Scholars Category:LaRouche movement Category:Living people Category:Princeton University alumni Category:Skidmore College alumni Category:The Catholic University of America alumni Category:U.S. Labor Party politicians

de:Webster Tarpley es:Webster Tarpley fr:Webster Tarpley it:Webster Tarpley pl:Webster Tarpley sr:Вебстер Тарпли

Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Mahdī (Arabic:محمد بن الحسن المهدي) (born c. July 29, 869; 15 Sha‘bān 255 AH) is believed by Twelver Shī‘a Muslims to be the Mahdī, an ultimate savior of humankind and the final Imām of the Twelve Imams. Twelver Shī‘a believe that al-Mahdī was born in 869 and did not die but rather was hidden by God (this is referred to as ''the Occultation'') and will later emerge with Isa (Jesus Christ) in order to fulfill their mission of bringing peace and justice to the world. He assumed the Imamate at 5 years of age. Some Shi‘īte schools do not consider ibn-al-Hasan to be the Mahdī, although the mainstream sect Twelvers do.

Birth and early life according to Twelver Shi'a

In the biographies of Mahdi written by Shias themselves, it is hard to draw a line between hagiographical and historical works. In Shia sources even in historical works of Ibn Babuya the birth of Imam was miraculous which must be considered as hagiography. Aside from Shi'as works almost nothing is known about the life of this Imam. According to Yaan Richard some even cast doubt on his actual existence.

Even though, most scholars say Al Mahdi was born in 869 AD. His mother is Narjis. There are a couple of narrations regarding the origin of his mother. One is that his mother, Narjis was a Byzantine slave. Another narration says she was a black slave from Africa. Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi states that names like Sawsan, Narjis or Rayhana were common names for slaves at that times and his mother name supports this narration. Other narration says that she was a Byzantine Princess who pretended to be a slave so that she might travel from her kingdom to Arabia. Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, in Encyclopedia of Iranica, suggests that the last version is "undoubtedly legendary and hagiographic".

To support Imam Mahdi's claim, Twelver Shi'as along with some other Muslim sects quote the following Hadith: "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."

The eleventh Imam of the Twelve Imams Hasan al-Askari died on 1 January 874 AD (8th Rabi' al-awwal, 260 AH) and since that day, his son Mahdi is believed by Shi'as to be the Imam, appointed by Allah, to lead the believers of the era. The most popular account of al-Mahdi in Shi'a literature is taken from his father's funeral. It is reported that as the funeral prayer was about to begin, al-Mahdi's uncle, Jafar ibn Ali approached to lead the prayers. However, al-Mahdi approached and commanded, ''"Move aside, uncle; only an Imam can lead the funeral prayer of an Imam."'' Jafar moved aside, and the five-year-old child led the funeral prayer for his father. It is reported that it was at this very moment that al-Mahdi disappeared and went into ''ghaybat'', or occultation.

Significance of the Twelfth Imam

Some hadith indicate significance to the twelfth generation of descendants of Muhammad.

A hadith from the Shi'a text (Kitab Al-Kafi) containing a conversation between the first Shia Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib and a man named al-Asbagh ibn Nubata, as well as a Hadith in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim in which Muhammad speaks of Twelve Successors.

From Sahih Bukhari:

Narrated Jabir bin Samura: I heard Muhammad saying, "Islam will continue to be strong to twelve Muslim rulers." He then said a sentence which I did not hear. My father said, "All of them (those rulers) will be from Quraish."

In a hadith widely regarded as authentic, Muhammad said,

Even if the entire duration of the world's existence has already been exhausted and only one day is left before the Day of Judgment, Allah will expand that day to such a length of time, as to accommodate the kingdom of a person out of Ahl al-Bayt who will be called by my name and my father's name. He will then fill the Earth with peace and justice as it will have been filled with injustice and tyranny before then.

The Occultation

Twelver Shi'as believe that, for various reasons, Allah concealed the twelfth and current Imam of the Twelve Imams, al-Mahdi, from mankind.

Period

The period of occultation (''ghaybat'') is divided into two parts:

''Ghaybat al-Sughra'' or Minor Occultation (874–941), consists of the first few decades after the Imam's disappearance when communication with him was maintained through deputies of the Imam.

''Ghaybat al-Kubra'' or Major Occultation began 941 and is believed to continue until a time decided by ALLAH, when the Mahdi will reappear to bring absolute justice to the world.

Minor Occultation

During the Minor Occultation (''Ghaybat al-Sughra''), it is believed that al-Mahdi maintained contact with his followers via deputies (Arab. ''an-nuwāb al-arbaʻa'' literal: the four leaders). They represented him and acted as agents between him and his followers.

Whenever the believers faced a problem, they would write their concerns and send them to his deputy. The deputy would ascertain his verdict, endorse it with his seal and signature and return it to the relevant parties. The deputies also collected zakat and khums on his behalf. For the Shia, the idea of consulting a hidden Imam was not something new because the two prior Imams of the Twelve Imams had, on occasion, met with their followers from behind a curtain. Also, during the oppressive rule of the later Abbasid caliphs, the Shia Imams were heavily persecuted and held prisoners, thus their followers were forced to consult their Imams via messengers or secretly.

Shia Tradition hold that four deputies acted in succession to one another:

# Uthman ibn Sa’id al-Asadi # Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Uthman # Abul Qasim Husayn ibn Ruh al-Nawbakhti # Abul Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad al-Samarri

In 941 (329 AH), the fourth deputy announced an order by al-Mahdi, that the deputy would soon die and that the deputyship would end and the period of the Major Occultation would begin.

The fourth deputy died six days later and the Shi'a Muslims continue to await the reappearance of the Mahdi. In the same year, many notable Shi'a scholars such as Ali ibn Babwayh Qummi and Muhammad ibn Yaqub Kulayni, the learned compiler of al-Kafi also died.

Major Occultation

According to the last letter of al-Mahdi to Ali ibn Muhammad al-Samarri "from the day of your death [the last deputy] the period of my major occultation (al ghaybatul kubra) will begin. Hence forth, no one will see me, unless and until Allah makes me appear." Another view is that the Hidden Imam is on earth "among the body of the Shia" but "incognito." "Numerous stories" exist of the Hidden Imam "manifesting himself to prominent members of the ulama."

Reappearance

Twelver Shi'as cite various references from the Qur'an and reports, or Hadith, from Imam Mahdi and the Twelve Imams with regard to the reappearance of al-Mahdi who would, in accordance with Allah's command, bring justice and peace to the world by establishing Islam throughout the world.

Mahdi is reported to have said:

Shi'as believe that Imam al-Mahdi will reappear when the world has fallen into chaos and civil war emerges between the human race for no reason. At this time, it is believed, half of the true believers will ride from Yemen carrying white flags to Makkah, while the other half will ride from Karbala, in Iraq, carrying black flags to Makkah. At this time, Imam al-Mahdi will come wielding Allah's Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane, Zulfiqar (Arabic: ذو الفقار, ðū l-fiqār), the Double-Bladed Sword. He will also come and reveal the texts in his possession, such as al-Jafr and al-Jamia.

Shi'as believe that Jesus will also come (after Imam Mahdi's re-appearance) and follow the Imam Mahdi to destroy tyranny and falsehood and to bring justice and peace to the world.

Titles

The 12th Imam is known by many titles in Shia Islam, including:

Al-Mahdi (the Guided one)

Al-Muntathar (the Awaited one)

Al-Qa'im (the Rising one)

Sahab az-Zaman (the Master of the Age)

Imam az-Zaman (the Leader of the Age)

Wali al-'Asr (the Guardian of the Era or alternatively, the Guardian in the Twilight [of man])

Al-Hujjah (the Proof [of Allah's justice])

Ahmadiyya view

In Ahmadiyya Islam, the terms "Messiah" and "Mahdi" are synonymous terms for one and the same person. Like the term Messiah which, among other meanings, in essence means being ''anointed'' by God or ''appointed'' by God the term "Mahdi" means ''guided'' by God, thus both imply a direct ordainment and a spiritual nurturing by God of a divinely chosen individual. According to Ahmadiyya thought, Messiahship is a phenomenon, through which a special emphasis is given on the transformation of a people by way of offering suffering for the sake of God instead of giving suffering (i.e. refraining from revenge). Ahmadis believe that this special emphasis was given through the person of Jesus and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad among others.

Ahmadis hold that the prophesied eschatological figures of various religions, the coming of the Messiah and Mahdi in fact were to be fulfilled in one person who was to represent all previous prophets. The prophecies concerning the Mahdi or the second coming of Jesus are seen by Ahmadis as metaphorical, in that one was to be born and rise within the dispensation of Muhammad, who by virtue of his similarity and affinity with Jesus of Nazareth, and the similarity in nature, temperament and disposition of the people of Jesus' time and the people of the time of the promised one (the Mahdi) is called by the same name.

Numerous Hadith are presented by the Ahmadis in support of their view such as one from Sunan Ibn Majah which says:

Ahmadis believe that the prophecies concerning the Mahdi and the second coming of Jesus have been fulfilled in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (1835–1908) the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement. Contrary to mainstream Islam the Ahmadis do not believe that Jesus is alive in heaven, but that he survived the crucifixion and migrated towards the east where he died a natural death and that Ghulam Ahmad was only the promised spiritual second coming and likeness of Jesus, the promised Messiah and Mahdi.

Sunni view

The majority of Sunni Muslims do not consider the son of Hasan al-Askari to be the Mahdi nor to be in occultation. However, they do believe that the Mahdi will come from Muhammad's family, more specifically from Al-Hasan's descendants. Sunnis believe that the Mahdi has not yet been born, and therefore his exact identity is only known to Allah. Aside from the Mahdi's precise, genealogy, Sunnis accept many of the same hadiths Shias accept about the predictions regarding the Mahdi's emergence, his acts, and his universal Khilafat. Sunnis also have a few more Mahdi hadiths which are not present in Shia collections, such as the following:

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri narrated that Muhammad said:

Shia books do not explicitly mention the Mahdi having a pointed (prominent) nose.

However, the Shi'a traditions do state (about Imam Medhi's nose): "His Nose; Abu Sa‘īd al-Khidri narrates from the Messenger of Allah (a.s) that he said, 'The Mahdi is from us the Ahl al-Bait, a man from my Ummah. He has a high nose. He will fill the earth with equity as it will be full of corruption.'"

Other Sunni hadith regarding the Mahdi are virtually identical to their counterparts in Shia books:

Umm Salamah said:

Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri said:

In the light of traditions and interpretations, the personality of the Promised Mahdi would be as such:

It is said "predictions and lore concerning the Mahdi abound"[9] Among them are that the promised Mahdi would be a Caliph of God and that to make a covenant with him is obligatory. He would belong to the House of Muhammad and would be in the line of Imam Hasan. His name would be Muhammad and his family name would be Abul Qasim, his father's name would be ‘Abdu’llah [rather than Hasan], and he would appear in Mecca. He would protect the Muslims from destruction and would restore the religion to its original position.

Sunnis also believe that Jesus will return alongside the Mahdi, with the only difference being that they disagree with the Shia regarding exactly who the Mahdi is.

Scholarly observations

Some scholars, including Bernard Lewis also point out, that the idea of an Imam in occultation was not new in 873 but that it was a recurring factor in Shia history. Examples of this include the cases of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah (according to the Kaysanites Shia), Muhammad ibn Abdallah An-Nafs Az-Zakiyya, Musa al-Kadhim (according to the Waqifite Shia), Muhammad ibn Qasim (al-Alawi), Yahya ibn Umar and Muhammad ibn Ali al-Hadi (according to the Muhammadite Shia).

On causes of development occultation doctrine among Shi'as, Yaan Richard suggests, "the last Imams were confronted a difficult situation: theoretical claimants to power, politically important, backed by discontented supporters of Omayyad and Abbasid caliphs, taking refuge in an esoteric justification of their quietism, the Immam were embarrassment to everyone. When they were physically present, they gave the lie to certain of the allegations made about them by Shiites. When they were absent, their eschatological "efficacy" could no longer be questioned and the desire for a return of their reign of justice became almost at reality. The occultation is therefore a convenient solution".

Consequence of occultation of Twelfth Imam

The occulation of 12th Imam left a considerable gap in leadership of Shia's. According to Shia' beliefs the Imam was both the spiritual and political head of the community. Although during the lesser occultation the network of Imam deputies (wokala) claimed to have the right to handle Shia communities issues, this system was not continued during the Greater Occultation. After the greater occultation, the role of Imam as the head of community left vacant, which did not theoretically matter at the beginning of Occultation because Shia`s had no political power at that time. However, when Shia' states arose in later centuries, since the hidden Imam was alive and was the leader of Muslims, the role of Shia' state among Shia' communities were in question. This problem has caused continuing tension between government and religion throughout the Shia's history.

See also

Holiest sites in Islam (Shia)

Mahdi

Ismaili

Fatimid Empire

Narjis

People claiming to be the Mahdi

Notes

References

Kitab al-Irshad, Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Nu'man (al-Shaikh al-Mufid), 4th A.H./10 A.D.

Review of 'Kitab al-Irshad' by Al-Mufid, by Dr. I. K. A. Howard

Further reading

External links

Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Hujjah an article by Encyclopædia Britannica Online

ghaybah an article by Encyclopædia Britannica Online

Mahdi an article by Encyclopædia Britannica Online

ghaybah(The Occultation) an article by Encyclopædia Britannica Online

MAHDI'S DEPUTIES by Verena Klemm, an article by encyclopedia Iranica

List of sites about Imam Mahdi

Guide to the 12 Imams - Inc. Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (www.shiacode.com)

Information and Biography of Imam Mohammed Al Mahdi

''The Awaited Saviour'' by Ayatullah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr & Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari

''A Discussion concerning the Mahdi'', by Ayatullah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr

''Imam Mahdi's Biography''

- Iran prepares people for 'messiah miracles'

Unravelling lies from people about Imam Muhammad Mahdi

MISC. Information on Sunni & Shia Documentation about Imam Mehdi

zaya

Category:868 births Category:Muhammad family Category:Iraqi Shi'a Muslims Category:Shi'a imams Category:Twelvers Category:Year of death unknown Category:Twelver imams

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