The Fourteen Infallibles

This is the article about the fourteen infallibles which should not be mistaken for the The Twelve Imams.

The Fourteen Infallibles (Arabic: معصومون‎‎ Ma‘sūmūn) in Twelver Shia Islam are the Islamic prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatima Zahra; and the Twelve Imams. All are considered to be infallible under the theological concept of Ismah. Accordingly, they have the power to commit sin but by their nature are able to avoid doing so, which is regarded as a miraculous gift from God. The Infallibles are believed to follow only God's desire in their actions because of their supreme righteousness, consciousness, and love for God. They are also regarded as being immune to error in practical matters, in calling people to religion, and in the perception of divine knowledge. Shias believe the Fourteen Infallibles are superior to the rest of creation and to the other major prophets.

Family tree

The fourteen infallibles.

Muhammad

Fātimah

‘Alī

Hasan

Husayn

‘Alī Zaynul ‘Ābidīn

Muhammad al-Bāqir

Ja‘far as-Sādiq

Mūsā al-Kādhim

‘Alī ar-Ridhā

Muhammad al-Jawad

‘Alī al-Hadi

Hasan al-‘Askarī

Muhammad al-Mahdī

List of the Infallibles

Modern (calligraphic) depiction	Name (Full) Kunya	Title Arabic	Date of birth and death CE AH Place of birth	Importance	Cause and place of death Place of burial
	Muhammad ibn Abdullah Abu al-Qasim	Rasul Allah Khatam al-Anbia Habib	570 – 632 53 BH–10 Mecca, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	Considered by Muslims to be the last prophet sent by God to mankind. According to Muslims, God revealed to him the Quran, which is God's word and the greatest miracle.	Fell ill and died in Medina. Buried in Medina, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula.
	Fatimah Umm Abiha	Sayyidat al-Nisā al-Zahra	615 – 633 8 BH– 11 Mecca, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	Her father Muhammad called her "a part of me". She is also regarded as "the mother of the Imams".	According to most Shias, Fatimah suffered a fatal injury while defending Ali against the first Sunni caliph. The exact location of her grave is unknown but is believed to be in Medina.
	Ali ibn Abu Talib Abu al-Hasan	Amir al-Mu'minin	600 – 661 22 or 16 BH – 40 AH Mecca, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	For all Shia, the son-in-law of Muhammad is the first Shia Imam and the rightful successor of Muhammad. For Sunnis, he is the fourth successor. He holds an important position in almost all Sufi orders, which trace their lineage to Muhammad through him.	Assassinated in Kufa, Iraq, by Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam, a Kharijite who slashed his head with a poisoned sword while he was praying. Buried in Najaf, Iraq.
	Hasan ibn Ali Abu Muhammad	Al-Mūjtabā	625 – 670 3 – 50 Medina, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	The eldest surviving grandson of Muhammad. Through his mother Fatimah, Hasan succeeded his father Ali as the caliph in Kufa; but after a seven-month reign he relinquished control of Iraq following a peace treaty with Muawiya I.	According to Twelver Shia belief, he was poisoned fatally by his wife in Medina by order of Caliph Muawiya. Buried in Jannat al-Baqi, Medina.
	Husayn ibn Ali Abu Abdillah	Sayyid ash-Shuhada	626 – 680 4 – 61 Medina, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	Grandson of Muhammad and his younger brother of Hasan, Husayn rejected the legitimacy of Caliph Yazid I, the son of Muawiyah. As a result, he and his family were killed in the Battle of Karbala by Yazid's forces. Ever since the battle, the commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali's martyrdom has been at the core of Shia rituals and identity.	Killed and beheaded at the Battle of Karbala Buried at the Imam Husayn Shrine, Karbala, Iraq.
	Ali ibn Husayn Abu Muhammad	Al-Sajjad Zayn al-'Abidin	658/59 – 712 38– 95 Medina, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	The author of the prayers in Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, ("The Scripture of Al-Sajjad", "The Psalm of the Household of the Prophet").	According to most Shia scholars, Zayn al-'Abidin was fatally poisoned by order of Caliph al-Walid I in Medina. Buried in Jannat al-Baqi, Medina.
	Muhammad ibn Ali Abu Ja'far	Baqir al-Ulum	677 – 732 57 – 114 Medina, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	Sunni and Shia sources consider Al-Baqir an early and pre-eminent legal scholar who was revered for having educated many students.	According to some Shia scholars, he was fatally poisoned by Ibrahim ibn Walid ibn 'Abdallah in Medina by order of Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik. Buried in Jannat al-Baqi, Medina
	Ja'far ibn Muhammad Abu Abdillah	As-Sadiq	702 – 765 83 – 148 Medina, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	As-Sadiq established the Ja'fari school of jurisprudence and developed the theology of the Twelvers. He taught many scholars in different fields, including Abu Hanifah and Malik ibn Anas in fiqh, Wasil ibn Ata and Hisham ibn Hakam in Islamic theology, and Geber in science and alchemy.	According to Shia sources, he was fatally poisoned in Medina by order of Caliph Al-Mansur. Buried in Jannat al-Baqi, Medina
	Musa ibn Ja'far Abu al-Hasan I	Al-Kazim	744 – 799 128 – 183 Medina, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	Al-Kazim was leader of the Shia community during the schism between the Ismaili and other branches of Islam after the death of the previous Imam Jafar al-Sadiq. He established a network of agents who collected the khums in the Shia community of the Middle East and the Greater Khorasan. He holds a high position in the Mahdavia, the members of which trace their lineage to Muhammad through him.	According to Shia belief, he was imprisoned and fatally poisoned in Baghdad, Iraq, by order of Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Buried in the Kazimayn shrine, Baghdad, Iraq
	Ali ibn Musa Abu al-Hasan II	Ar-Rida	765 – 817 148 – 203 Medina, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	Made crown prince by Caliph Al-Ma'mun, Ar-Rida was known for his discussions and debates with both Muslim and non-Muslim religious scholars.	According to Shia sources, he was fatally poisoned in Mashad, Iran, by order of Caliph Al-Ma'mun. Buried in the Imam Reza shrine, Mashad, Iran
	Muhammad ibn Ali Abu Ja'far	Al-Taqi Al-Jawad	809 or 810 – 835 195 – 220 Medina, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	Al-Jawad was known for his generosity and piety in the face of persecution by the Abbasid caliphate.	According to Shia sources, he was fatally poisoned by his wife, the daughter of Caliph Al-Ma'mun, in Baghdad, Iraq, by order of Caliph Al-Mu'tasim. Buried in the Kazmain shrine, Baghdad, Iraq.
	Ali ibn Muhammad Abu al-Hasan III	Al-Hadi Al-Naqi	828 – 868 212 – 254 Surayya, a village near Medina, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	Al-Naqi taught religious sciences until 243/857. He strengthened the network of deputies in the Shia community. He sent them instructions and in turn received financial contributions from the faithful, from the khums and religious vows.	According to Shia sources, he was fatally poisoned in Samarra, Iraq, by order of caliph Al-Mu'tazz. Buried in the Al Askari Mosque, Samarra, Iraq.
	Hasan ibn Ali Abu Muhammad	Al-Askari	845/6 – 874 231 – 260 Medina, Hijaz, Arabian peninsula	Like his father, Al-Askari was placed under house arrest, which would last most of his life, by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mu'tamid, . During this time, repression of the Shia communities was great because of their growing size and power.	According to Shia belief, Al-Askari was fatally poisoned by order of Caliph Al-Mu'tamid in Samarra, Iraq. Buried in the Al Askari Mosque, Samarra, Iraq.
	Muhammad ibn al-Hasan Abu al-Qasim	Mahdi Hidden Imam Al-Hujjah Sahib al-Zaman Sahibu'l-Amr Al-Qa'im Baqiyyat Allah	868 – Unknown 255 or 256 – unknown Samarra, Iraq	According to Twelver Shia doctrine, Baqiyyat Allah is a historical person, the current Imam, and the promised Mahdi—a messianic figure who will return with Jesus Christ. He will re-establish the rightful governance of Islam, filling the earth with justice and peace.	According to Shia doctrine, Baqiyyat Allah has been living in the Occultation since 874 CE, and will continue living as long as God wills.

See also

• Ahl al-Bayt
• Ahl al-Kisa
• Imamah (Shi'a twelver doctrine)
• Ismah
• Shia Islam
• Twelve Imams
• Twelvers

Notes and references

Sources

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• Amir-Moezzi, Mohammad Ali (2007). "Islam in Iran-vii. The Concept of Mahdi in Twelver Shi'ism". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
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• Madelung, Wilferd (1985a). "'Ali Al-Hadi". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
• Madelung, Wilferd (1985b). "ʿAli Al-Reza". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
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• Madelung, Wilferd (2003). "Hasan ibn Ali". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
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• Qurashī, Bāqir Sharīf (2005). The Life of Imam Muhammad Al-Jawad. Ansariyan Publications. ISBN 978-964-438-653-4.
• Rayshahri, M. Muhammadi (12 January 2008). The scale of wisdom: a compendium of Shi'a Hadith. ICAS Press. ISBN 978-1-904063-34-6.
• Rizvi, Sayyid Saeed Akhtar (1988). Imamate: The vicegerency of the Holy Prophet. Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania. ISBN 978-9976-956-13-9.
• Sachedina, Abdulaziz Abdulhussein (1988). The Just Ruler (al-sultān Al-ʻādil) in Shīʻite Islam: The Comprehensive Authority of the Jurist in Imamite Jurisprudence. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-511915-0.
• Tabatabaei, Sayyid Mohammad Hosayn (1975). Shi'ite Islam. Translated by Sayyid Hossein Nasr. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-87395-390-0.
• Tabatabaei, Sayyid Mohammad Hosayn (1979). Shi'ite Islam. Translated by Seyyed Hossein Nasr. SUNY press. ISBN 978-0-87395-272-9.
• Walbridge, Linda S. (6 August 2001). The Most Learned of the Shi`a: The Institution of the Marja` Taqlid. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-534393-9.

External links

• A Chronological List of the Fourteen Infallibles
• A Brief History of the Fourteen Infallibles by WOFIS World Organization for Islamic Services Tehran -Iran
• The Brief History of the Fourteen Infallibles by Mohammad Hussein il’adeeb