The Twelve Imams

Date of Lived : 600-661 Place of Birth: Makkah Age when assumed Imamat: 33 Age at Death : 61 Cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad. According to Twelver Shia belief he was the only person to have been born in the Ka’bah, the holiest site in Islam, and the first male to openly accept Islam. Considered by Shia Islam as the rightful Successor of Muhammad. Sunnis also acknowledge him as the fourth Caliph. He holds a high position in almost all Sufi Muslim orders (Turuq); the members of these orders trace their lineage to Muhammad through him

Date of Lived : 625-670 Place of Birth: Medinah Age when assumed Imamat: 39 Age at Death : 47 He was the eldest surviving grandson of Muhammad through Muhammad’s daughter, Fatimah az-Zahra. Hasan succeeded his father as the caliph in Kufa, and on the basis of a peace treaty with Muawiyah, he relinquished control of Iraq following a Caliphate of seven months.

Date of Lived : 626-680 Place of Birth: Medinah Age when assumed Imamat: 46 Age at Death : 57 He was a grandson of Muhammad and brother of Hasan ibn Ali. Husayn opposed the validity of Yazid ibn Muawiyah. As a result, he, his family and his companions were later killed in the Battle of Karbala by Yazid’s forces. After this incident, the commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali has become central to Shia identity.

Date of Lived : 668-712 Place of Birth: Medinah Age when assumed Imamat: 23 Age at Death : 57 Author of prayers in Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, which is known as “The Psalm of the Household of the Prophet.” He survived the Battle of Karbala because he was told not to participate due to a debilitating illness.

Date of Lived : 677-732 Place of Birth: Medinah Age when assumed Imamat: 38 Age at Death : 57 Sunni and Shia sources both describe him as one of the early and most eminent legal scholars, teaching many students during his tenure

Date of Lived : 702-765 Place of Birth: Medinah Age when assumed Imamat: 31 Age at Death : 65 Established the Ja’fari jurisprudence and developed the theology of Twelvers. He instructed many scholars in different fields, including Imams Abu Hanifah and Malik ibn Anas in fiqh, Wasil ibn Ata and Hisham ibn Hakam in Islamic theology, and Jabir ibn Hayyan in science and alchemy.

Date of Lived : 744-799 Place of Birth: Al-Abwa Age when assumed Imamat: 20 Age at Death : 55 Leader of the Shia community during the schism of Ismailis, and other branches such as Waqifis, after the death of the former Imam, Jafar al-Sadiq. He established the network of agents who collected khums in the Shia community of the Middle East and the Greater Khorasan. He holds a high position with the Mahdavia; the members of these orders trace their lineage to Muhammad the Prophet if Islam through him.

Date of Lived : 765-817 Place of Birth: Medinah Age when assumed Imamat: 35 Age at Death : 55 Made crown-prince by Caliph Al-Ma’mun, and famous for his discussions with both Muslim and non-Muslim religious scholars

Date of Lived : 810-835 Place of Birth: Medinah Age when assumed Imamat: 8 Age at Death : 25 Famous for his generosity and piety in the face of persecution by the Abbasid caliphate.

Date of Lived : 827-868 Place of Birth: Medinah Age when assumed Imamat: 8 Age at Death : 42 Strengthened the network of deputies in the Shia community. He sent them instructions, and received in turn financial contributions of the faithful from the khums and religious vows

Date of Lived : 846-874 Place of Birth: Medinah Age when assumed Imamat: 22 Age at Death : 28 For most of his life, the Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu’tamid, placed restrictions on him after the death of his father. Repression of the Shia population was particularly high at the time due to their large size and growing power.

Date of Lived : 869- Unknown Place of Birth: Samarra, Iraq Age when assumed Imamat: 5 Age at Death : Unknown According to Twelver Shia doctrine, he is the current Imam and the promised Mahdi, a messianic figure who will return with the prophet Isa (Jesus). He will reestablish the rightful governance of Islam and establish justice and peace in the whole earth