Home > Twelvers
Twelvers or the "Ithna Asharia" refers to the group of Shias who believe in twelve Imams. The Twelvers are the largest Shia school of thought, predominant in Iran. Among the more notable persons belonging to this denomination in modern history is Ayatollah Khomeini.
1 Alternate names
The Twelvers are also known by other names, each connoting some aspect of the faith.
- Shia, when this term is used it is usually in reference to the Twelvers since they are the "orthodox" variant of Shiism. Though in extended usage, it can be taken to refer to other groups as well.
- Jafari is always taken to refer to "the Twelvers" to the exclusion of the Ismailis, the Saabiyin ("the Seveners") and the Zaidis ("the Fivers"). The term Jafari is used as the Jafari school of thought ( madhab) and deduction of jurisprudence ( fiqh) was attributed to Jafar Sadiq who the Shia consider to be their 6th Imam. The founders of the Sunni Hanafi and Maliki schools of thought narrated Hadith from Imam Jafar Sadiq.
- Imami is a reference to the Twelver belief in holy and infallible Imams after the time of the prophet Muhammad. Though the Seveners and the Ismailis also accept the concept of Imams, this term is also used exclusively for the Twelvers.
