12 Imams of Islam.

1. Amir al-Mu'minin Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib

Mazar at Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf

2. Imam Hasan ibn Ali al-Mujtaba.

Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, Saudi Arabia.

3. Imam Husain ibn Ali Sayed al-Shuhada

Mazar at Imam Husain Shrine in Karbala.

4. Imam Zain al-Abedin Ibn Husain al-Sajjad
Mazar at Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, He was the son of Imam Hussain
His name was Ali and was also called by the name of Ali Awast

5. Imam Muhammad Baqir Ibn Ali al-Ulum
Mazar at Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, He was the son of Imam Zain al Abedin
His real name was Muhammad Ibn Ali was called by the name of Imam Baqir
Meaning splitting upon knowledge

6. Imam Jaffar Ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq
Mazar at Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, He was the son of Imam Baqir
He instructed many scholars in different fields, including Abu Hanifah and
Malik ibn Anas in fiqh, Wasil ibn Ata and Hisham ibn Hakam

He was know as Imam Jaffar Sadiq meaning The Honest

7. Imam Musa Ibn Jaffar al-Kazim
Mazar at Kazimayn shrine in Baghdad,
He was son of Imam Jaffar Sadik

He is know as Imam Musa Kazim

8. Imam Ali Ibn Musa al-Raza
Mazar at Imam Raza shrine in Mashad, Iran

He was son of Imam Musa Kazim he is know as Imam Raza

9. Imam Muhammad Ibn Ali al-Taqi
Mazar at Kazimayn shrine in Baghdad,
He was son of Imam Raza
He is known as Imam Taqi

10. Imam Ali Ibn Muhammad al- al-Naqi
Mazar at Al Askari Mosque in Samarra,Iraq.

He was son of Imam Taqi, He is known as Imam Naqi

11. Imam Hassan Ibn Ali al-Askari
Mazar at Al Askari Mosque in Samarra,Iraq.

He was son of Imam Naqi, He is Known as Imam Askari

12. Imam Muhammad Ibn Hassan al Mehndi
He is yet to come and is known to be Imam Mehndi…

In this article I attempt to explain the status of the 12 Imams of the Shi'a Madhab.


Many people are ignorant about the status of the 12 Imams of the Shi'a, also known as the Infallibles or the Masoom.

The Shi'a believe that the 12 Imams are the best authority on Islam, and that they are the only authentic and reliable source for the Prophet PBUH's Sunnah because they are closest to the Prophet PBUH (they are his own family).

After the Prophet PBUH, the 12 Imams are THE AUTHORITY on Islam. There is no other. They taught the rest.

No-one else, including Imam Hanifa, Imam Shafi, Imam Maliki, Bukhari, Muslim, or Abu Huraira, even comes close to the credibility and competence of the 12 Imams. Those people were mere students of the Imams.

The 12 Imams arose in a time when Islam was in the stage of infancy. It was at this critical stage that the enemies of Islam, the Ummayad/AbbasiCaliphs and the Jews, were plotting their best to eliminate it. Allah chose the family of Ibrahim (AS) to protect His religion.

Allah (swt) appointed Imams in this noble Family of Ibrahim (AS) to keep Islam safe from the conspiracies of the Prophet-hating Ummayad and Abbasi Caliphs.

The 12 Imams are as follows:

1. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS)
2. Imam Hasan ibn Ali (AS)
3. Imam Hussain ibn Ali (AS)
4. Imam Zain ul Abideen ibn Hussain (AS)
5. Imam Baqir ibn Zain ul Abideen (AS)
6. Imam Jafar as Sadiq ibn Baqir (AS)
7. Imam Musa Kazem ibn Jafar (AS)
8. Imam Ali Reza ibn Musa Kazem (AS)
9. Imam At-Taqi ibn Ali Reza (AS)
10 Imam An-Naqi ibn At-Taqi (AS)
11.Imam Hasan Askari ibn An-Naqi (AS)
12.Imam Mahdi ibn Hasan Askari (AS)

Note: the 6th Imam, Imam Jafar as Sadiq(AS), was the teacher and mentor of the Sunni Imam Hanifa and Imam Maliki, who later gave rise to the Sunni Madhabs.


As you can see, the Imams were all father-son relations, except Imam Hassan(AS) and Imam Hussain (AS) who were brothers. The knowledge of Islam passed down in a straight line right from the Prophet PBUH and Hazrat Ali (AS) all the way down to the 12th Imam, Imam Mahdi.

The Imams are Masoom (infallible). This means that Allah (swt) has made them Masoom incapable of committing sin, in order to preserve their personalities and make them capable of preserving the knowledge of Islam.

This happened despite the best efforts of the Ummayad and Abbasi Caliphs to destroy all traces of the Imams, in order to destroy the real Islam and invent a false, distorted version of Islam, make fun of the Holy Prophet PBUH, and indulge in unIslamic activities.

The Caliphs, in their mad rage against the Prophet PBUH's family, even tried to find the grave of Hazrat Ali(AS) and to destroy it, but the Imams kept its location in Najaf a secret until revealing it much later on.


Allah (swt) kept the Imamate on earth to the 12th Imam.

But the 12th Imam, the Imam Mahdi, was made to vanish from the earth.

He will appear prior to the Day of Judgement. This is a belief that both Sunnis and Shi'as share.


The Holy Prophet PBUH said in a well known Hadith which is agreed upon by both Sunni and Shi'a experts:

"Verily, I am leaving behind two precious things (thaqalayn) among you: the Book of God and my kindred (`itrah), my household (Ahl al*Bayt), for indeed, the two will never separate until they come back to me by the Pond (of al*Kawthar on the Judgement's Day)."



Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), the first Imam, says in his book, the Najh al Balagha:


"...We the people of the house (of the Prophet - Ahlul bayt) possess the doors of wisdom and light of governance. Beware that the paths of religion are one and its highways are straight. He who follows them achieves (the aim) and secures (the objective). And he who stood away from it went astray and incurred repentance." [Sermon 119]


Imam Ali (AS) also says


"We are the near ones, companions, treasure holders and doors (to the Sunnah). Houses are not entered save through their doors. Whoever enters them from other than the door is called a thief." [Sermon 153]



I gave a very simple explanation of the concept of Imamate. I will follow it up in more detail later.