Texts of Islam

Islam: Chapter Six: The Dissidents of the Community: 3. The Twelvers

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This is an encyclopedic/scholarly text on Twelver Shī'a Islam (the Ithna-'asharīya), drawn from the tradition of Islamic theological and historical writing. It presents the core doctrines of the sect — including Mu'tazilī rationalist theology (God is essentially good, cannot do evil, creation has free will), the divine appointment and infallibility of the Twelve Imāms descended from 'Alī through Ḥusayn, and the occultation of the Twelfth Imām who will return as the Mahdī. The text incorporates primary source excerpts from two major Twelver theologians: al-Ḥillī (d. 1326), whose creed defends positions on divine speech, free will, and the rational necessity of the Imāmate; and Ibn Bābūya al-Ṣadūq (d. 991), whose creed enumerates the Imāms and insists each was martyred, asserts the obligatory nature of taqīya (concealing one's beliefs among non-Shī'īs), and condemns extremist sects. A distinctive feature is the text's emphasis on how Twelver doctrine is grounded in rational theology — arguing that God's goodness logically necessitates providing infallible guidance — rather than purely in scriptural authority. The historical framing also notes Twelver Shī'ism's political consolidation as Persia's state religion under the Safavids in 1502 and its role in Persian national identity.

Islam: Chapter Six: The Dissidents of the Community: 3. The Twelvers

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